1980s REVISITED:Spaghetti Bolognese, garlic bread and Black Forest gateau were on the menu in the 1980s
PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS giving out about the 1980s, but they were great years. We didn't care what we looked like, smoking was good for you (as it kept the smog out of your lungs) and we were all broke. In food terms, it was an exciting time: chicken Kiev, prawn cocktail, nouvelle cuisine and of course, spaghetti Bolognese.
And, who doesn't love spag bol? (Okay, vegetarians can skip that question.) Who doesn't love garlic bread? (All hands should be raised at this stage.) And, finally, who likes Black Forest gateau? (My hand will remain firmly by my side for this one.) All three dishes were around before the 1980s, but it was then that they became as ubiquitous as bad clothing and icky hairdos.
I spent most of the 1980s impersonating an angry vegetarian (with bad clothes and bad hair). It was probably because I had to make spag bol with powdered veggie dust that turned into wet cement when mixed with water. I used to try and convince myself that it was nice, but it wasn't. (That may be one reason why I was so angry.) Another reason for my pent-up rage was the weekly ritual of staring at my sister's delicious Sunday dinner and pretending I was the more satisfied eater, if only morally. Sibling rivalry quickly descended into open warfare. I was practically picketing my house with anti-vivisection posters, while she went to cookery classes. She would bring home gorgeous soups and I would make her swear that they had been made with vegetable stock. I would tuck in, only to be told halfway through, in a breezily sadistic fashion, that she had, in fact, used chicken stock.
Black Forest gateau has been a victim of cook's abuse for many years now. I've had a look at Heston Blumenthal's recipe for it, and even sampled it in his restaurant, The Fat Duck, but it would take you the rest of your life to peruse the recipe, let alone make it. So I decided to make a chocolate cake and go to town with tinned cherry accessories.
I know everyone can make garlic bread, but this is the quickest and healthiest version of garlic bread you can make. All you need is fabulous bread (and fabulous garlic, olive oil and salt, of course).
And finally, unbeknownst to most 1980s kids-turned-parents, the trick to a really good spag bol is to add some chicken liver to enrich the sauce. It is traditionally made with white wine (rather than red) and some cream. You will be surprised how good this recipe tastes. Nothing like the mince and tomato soups you boiled the bejayzus out of, slopped on to pasta and topped with Parmesan dust, whilst waiting for Kylie and Jason Donovan to get it on in Neighbours.
Tag bol
This works well with tagliatelle or pappardelle, hence it's new name. Serves 4-6.
2 onions, peeled and finely chopped
Good knob of butter
6 portobello mushrooms, peeled and very finely diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
600g minced beef
100g chicken livers
½ bottle white wine
Couple of bay leaves
Salt and pepper
1 jar passata (approx 700g)
250ml cream
A little grated nutmeg
500 tagliatelle or pappardelle
In a sturdy saucepan, fry the onions in the butter until they are soft, but not coloured. Add the mushrooms and garlic. Add the mince, in chunks, and break up with a wooden spoon, incorporating the meat rather than just dumping the whole lot in. Add the chicken livers and half of the wine. It will look horrid, but have faith. Keep the heat up high and gradually cook off most of the wine so that it looks quite dry. Season well and then add the passata. Stir well, bring back up to simmering and find a way to leave it on a super-low heat, then cover with a lid and let it cook very gently for an hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the cream, and cook for another hour on a low heat. Check the seasoning. It should be a gorgeous red brick colour as opposed to bright red.
Boil the pasta as per the instructions on the packet, drain, rinse and toss it with some olive oil or butter. Season and toss with the sauce.
Garlic bread
A loaf of good quality white or sourdough bread
4-8 cloves of garlic, peeled
Olive oil
Maldon sea salt
Toast the bread really well. Whilst it is still hot, rub the garlic up and down each slice so that it gets "grated" onto the toast. I use about three-quarters of a clove on each piece of bread. Chuck the leftover bits of garlic into the Bolognese sauce.
Drizzle the slices of toast with generous amounts of olive oil and sprinkle them with Maldon (or some other posh sea salt). Don't use ordinary salt on this.
Flourless chocolate cake with cherries
400g good quality dark chocolate
100g unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
150g soft brown sugar
150ml cream
1 tin cherries in syrup, drained
Extra whipped cream to serve
Preheat an oven to 180 degrees/gas four. Butter a 23cm/nine-inch non-stick springform tin. Place the chocolate and butter in a bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
When the chocolate and butter are melted, give them a good stir to blend together. In the meantime, you'll have whisked the egg whites till they're stiff and, separately, whisked the egg yolks and sugar to a pale creamy consistency that isn't too runny.
Add the chocolate and butter to the egg and sugar mixture and then pour in the cream and mix well. Finally, fold in the egg whites until they're fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 25-35 minutes. The cake should register a gentle tremor on the Richter scale when you shake it, but if it's a full-on earthquake, return it to the oven for a few minutes. Let it cool completely before removing it from the tin. Don't panic if it cracks when it's cold.
Serve with a few cherries and whipped cream.
