Half-and-half bolognese

When it gets cold at our house, a pot of bolognese goes on the stove. It’s the dinner everybody asks for.

Here’s how we make it. Half spaghetti, half zucchini noodles off the Shredder, long thin strands that twirl right up with the pasta. It’s not a diet thing. It’s just how we like it, a little lighter with a little more veg, and still the bowl everyone goes back to for seconds.

Method

1. Shred the carrot. Lay the carrot flat and pull the Shredder down its length, then chop the matchsticks fine. It’s the fastest way to a fine dice.
2. Soften. Warm the oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Cook the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt for about 8 minutes, until soft. Stir in the garlic for the last minute.
3. Brown. Turn the heat up, add the meat and break it up with a spoon. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until browned with no pink left. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Simmer. Pour in the wine and let it bubble until it has almost disappeared. Add the tomato sauce, milk, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Turn the heat to low, partly cover and simmer for at least 45 minutes, stirring now and then. An hour and a half is even better.
5. Shred the zucchini. While the sauce simmers, trim the zucchini and lay one flat on the board. Hold the Shredder at 30 to 45 degrees to the surface of the zucchini so the teeth dig in, and pull in one direction only, the full length. Turn and repeat until you reach the seedy core. When the end gets short, pin it with a fork.
6. Cook. Boil the spaghetti in well salted water until just tender. Drop the zucchini noodles into the pot for the last minute, then drain it all together. They warm through without going soft.
7. Serve. Fish out the bay leaf. Toss the noodles with a few spoonfuls of sauce, pile the rest on top and finish with parmesan.