Help please, have tried time and again to make a decent chilli and spaghetti bolganise but just can't. I need to make it tasty as I can't use tomatos, anything tomato or contianing tomatoes as an ingredient as they cause me big problems if I do :(
Any ideas please as I love both but they normal have no taste when I make them.

spaghetti, I can't help you on, as I don't really cook it, chilli I can help you on though.

I love tomato and couldn't imagine chilli without it.

But grate carrot, which after simmering for a long time would dissapate into the chilli with 1/2 lemon which would sort of emulate the tomato sweet and sour flavour, but I have posted my recipe, with tweaks to suit your allergy.

Pack of fresh mince
large onion (chopped)
2 cloves of garlic (minced down)
grated carrot and half a lemon
250 ml of beef stock
Courgette
Bell Peppers
3 tsp of cumin seeds
3 tsp of white pepper
chili’s (you decide how hot)
salt to taste
corn flour to thicken

Optional ingredients:
Kidney beans
Coriander

Fry the onion in a little oil, once translucent add the meat, bell peppers, courgette and brown.
Then add garlic and cumin seeds (crushed in a pestle and mortar) and white pepper, chilli and lightly fry, add grated carrot (half a lemon) and beef stock (and if desired kidney beans) and simmer for a long time till the carrot has dissapted into the chilli and the bell pepper and courgette is soft, thicken with corn flour
Salt to taste and coriander (optional)

hope that helps.

Well experts (i.e. Italians) would tell you that traditional spaghetti should be as simple and basic as possible to avoid taking away from the pasta and meat sauce.
However (!), if you are looking to make it a little more interesting/ different, this is what I do.......

I generally use a good mixture of herbs and spices to improve taste, especially oregano, a little thyme as well. I also add a little mild chilli powder and ground nutmeg to give it a little kick. Also a spoonfull of creme fraiche adds a nice creamy texture and some red wine.

I always find the key is to let its simmer for a while so that the flavours can blend well.

good luck!

Again not authentic but as well as mild chilli powder and herbs I also add 2 beef oxo cubes to each poundish of mince and 1 tsp sugar to each tin of tomatos. It must be ok because I fed it ,as the base for a lasagne, to relations who were visiting from Italy and they were most impressed.

do you HAVE to use mince for the chili? if not, there are some FANTASTIC recipes out there for "White Chicken Chili." If you are interested, but either can't find them on the web or don't want to look, let me know and i'll give you one. it is DELICIOUS!

that being said, there are NO tomatoes in it...chicken stock base, white beans, chicken, cream or milk, chilis, etc.

Thanks,
BeccaNurse have never heard of it, what is it?
JD1 I will have to give it ago with Creme fraiche and wine also will have to try adding nutmeg, never heard of it before.
Brucelee grated carrot will try it as I hate runny sauces and thats what I usually end up with. I also love or should I say loved now tomatoes and used to eat them all the time and I really really miss them.
AlexP thanks but no thanks as I can't have a tin of tomaotes but lasagne I can make no trouble I use a packet and add worster sauce.

BeccaNurse

I would love your receipe for 'white chicken chilli' if you would like to post it. I am not sure if I can e.mail you direct.
Sorry Sharon I did not spot the 'no tomatos bit' I was so keen to share the recipe that has worked for me.

Hi Sharon, when you make it, the sauce it will be thicker, but like with adding tomatoes there will still be a runny sauce, just add 2 or 3 heap teaspoons of corn flour to a bowl mix with water, and add slowly till thickened.

The recipe I supplied is a traditional tex mex chilli recipe, I just omited the tomatoes for carrot and lemon juice.

I imagine it will be pretty close to the original recipe, good luck!!!

you could try a dish called babotie its from south africa

500-1kg steak mince
1 onion finely chopped
2 slices of white bread soaked in milk
25 ml oil
juice of 1 lemon
20 ml curry powder
2 ml tumeric
5 ml suger
2 ml salt and pepper
12.5 ml fruit chutney
50 ml apricot jam
2 eggs
250 ml milk

Gently fry mince until cooked then leave to one side draining all liquid away. Saute onions in oil until soft. Add curry, salt, tumeric, lemon juice, suger, salt and pepper. Squeeze most of moisture from bread and add to the mixture also add the mince. Add the chutney and simmer for about 20 mins stirring regularly.
Spoon into a grease proof oven dish. smooth apricot jam over mixture. beat milk and eggs and pour over mixture.
bake in oven for 30-45 mins at 180 gas 3/4

OK I have tried this now to see what it is like so this is my recipe for spag bol Italian style. Warning although I have lived here for nearly 4 years My children prefer their spag bol the way they had it in England. Having said that there was nothing left on the plate after this one written with no tomatoes on mind.

Tagliatelle with Bolognese meat sauce
(I made the tag with just 400g flour 4 eggs and a pinch of salt mixed by hand and rolled out into lasagne sheets and cut into 1cm width strips. Left to dry on a floured surface and cook.)

Chop half an onion, a small carrot, half a stalk of cellary and 50g of bacon. Now brown the bacon on medium high with a 2 tablespons of extra virgin olive oil. When browned and the fat released add the chopped vegetables. Stir carefully until soft but dont brown. Add 220g of mince meat stiring until browned. Turn up the heat and after a minute add half a glass of nice red wine and let it evaporate. Turn down again to medium. lower to simmer and leave for two hours topping up with seasoned hot stock to keep moist adding a little at a time.

This is really trad. Add a couple of tablespoons of tomato concentrate if you want change the meats or even add chicken livers. You could add mushrooms Italian style or what ever you want.

This recipe is the basic recipe that goes with polenta and other stuff lasagne for example.

To serve.put the pasta in a serving bowl and add a little of the sauce. Mix well put the remains in a sauce bowl or gravy boat on the side with some freshly grated parmesan.

have a go but dont do too much!

i like to roast veg before putting them in a sauce for italian stuff, you could roast a load of peppers, onions, garlic, herbs, corgette, mushrooms - that kind of thing, with olive oil until slightly charred around the edges, the put through a blender. Makes a lovely sauce - and for those who can, try with the dreaded toms.
also try using the thai style sweet chilli sauce in things - not very authentic i know, but doea give a lovely flavour.

haven't forgotten about you all, just haven't had time to post the white chicken chili recipe as of yet. i'm going to have a better look for it later today and will get back to you! it's one of those things that i scribbled down after making it up and can't find the BIT of paper i wrote it on! will get back to you soon!!! PROMISE!

ok...here goes. i don't really have measurements, but you can figure it out.
saute' chopped onion, celery, garlic and carrot in olive or veg oil. add cooked and diced chicken breasts (about 1 pound), 8 cups of chicken stock, a bay leaf, about 7 oz. chopped green chilis (or to taste) and chili powder to taste. simmer 1-1/2 hours. add rinsed and drained cannelini, harricot or other white beans and about 1/2-1 pint double cream (or in my case milk with thickener). simmer another hour or until beans are tender. dollop with soured cream, creme fraiche and/or cheddar cheese and garnish with a couple of slices of green chilis. yummy!!! there are loads of recipes if you type white chicken chili into a search engine! so give it a go, look and see all of the other MORE complicated recipes! enjoy! let me know what you think!

ok Becca tried it good one used Marscapone instead of cream (like thick sour cream really)

thanks martino...but fogive me if i'm being daft...do you mean you tried making the "faux" cream or the chicken chili???

im gonna give your chicken chilli a go today, sounds loverly!!!my eldest daughter will only eat chicken, no other meat. so should go down well with her. no excuses now!!!

Becca I made your chilli thanks with Marscapone instead of double cream

Becca you mean by faux what was said on another thread?

yep, sorry...i get confused sometimes...FORGIVE ME...i just saw it was you posting, and that you mentioned marscapone and got my wires crossed!! as i said, this is my BASIC recipe, but you can find lots of other REAL recipes through search engines...there are definitely a few on the food network website. keep the comments coming, i'm interested in what you all think of it! Happy Cooking!

Thanks all for the recipes will give them a go at some point when I get more than 5 minutes in the kitchen.
Sharon

anyone else give the chicken chili a go?

hi sharon,
here is one of my bolognaise recipes

minced beef
1 large carrot
1 celery stick
1 large onion
3 cloves of garlic
2-3 bayleaves
2 beef oxo cubes
tsp of sweet paprika
salt and pepper
1/2 pint of water
oil for cooking

first very finely chop the vegetables, add to the pan with oil in, when they become translucent add the mince cook till brown and cooked, then add the oxo cubes, paprika and the rest of the ingredients, put on a very low heat and gentlysimmer for a couple of hours, stir every now and again, add more water if necessary, the consistency should be thick but slack, you know how a bolognaise should be

add more or less ingredients to your tastes and needs, hth