iskandals-spaghetti3.jpg

Pinoy Spaghetti

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I just had another one of my very few cooking adventures in NZ. My friend’s sis K celebrated her birthday and I whipped up spaghetti Bolognese with a hint of pinoy of course. What with the sausages and a little sugar and whatnots… the kids just love it! Uhmm… yeah the “big kids” love it, too.

Before I go on with the how-to, I apologize for not having a photo of it taken. I was kinda busy that day photographing people instead of food (so un-me). Above was taken back in Beijing, cooked in a similar way though but with Italian herbs and Parmesan cheese.

Ingredients:
Spaghetti pasta
Ground beef
Lean beef sausages, sliced diagonally into rings
Local NZ sausages, sliced into strips
Chopped tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed
1 large can of button mushrooms, sliced thinly
2 bottles of Bolognese sauce (We bought ones with extra onion and garlic)
1 small can of tomato paste
1 small cup of spicy tomato ketchup (optional, K‘s mom said I use it; adds a little zing…)
1 to 2 tbsp. of sugar (depending on personal preference)
Salt & pepper
Butter
Freshly grated cheddar cheese (if you don’t have Parmesan)

Cook pasta in a pot of boiling water with a little cooking oil and salt over low to medium heat, constantly stirring until almost al dente. (You may do this while preparing the other ingredients.) Drain the cooked pasta and set aside.

Heat butter in a large saucepan. Drop garlic and cook over low heat until aromatic. Add in the ground beef and cook over high heat until brownish but not burnt. Add the onion, tomatoes, mushrooms and sausages. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the sausages are also brownish and the tomatoes are mashed.

Add the Bolognese sauce and tomato paste. Sprinkle with sugar and grated cheddar cheese. Mix well. Add additional water if you think it is too thick for you. Cook for about 5 minutes over low heat. Adjust the taste if necessary. Transfer 2/3 of the mixture into a serving bowl.

Over low heat, toss the pasta with the sauce. Mix thoroughly. Turn off heat and leave for a while for the pasta to absorb the sauce. Serve with additional sauce and grated cheese.

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

8 thoughts on “Pinoy Spaghetti

  1. Hi iska, so you’re in NZ! how exciting :) Hope you’re having fun.

    This spaghetti just made my mouth water!! I miss Filipino style with the hotdogs.

  2. *looks at her lunch baon — tofu and fish*

    *looks at the Pinoy spaghetti pic*

    Kakainis naman. Gusto ko tuloy mag-Jollibee. :D Hehe. I’m sure mas masarap ang pasta mo!!! Nothing beats home-cooked Pinoy spaghetti.

  3. hayyy ka2gutom nma yan … i want to lern how to cook pasta spagh kaso i dont know how eh.. yummmmy

  4. i would absolutely try this spaghetti recipe of yours coz i could practically sense the taste of it in my mouth (even now) haha! thanks!!

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