Actor and foodie Stanley Tucci has declared that spaghetti bolognese lovers have been eating the dish incorrectly. During a visit to Holly Willoughby's new cookery and lifestyle series, Holly Willoughby Together, Tucci demonstrated his Italian courgette pasta dish, Pasta alla Nerano.
Tucci on pasta pairings
While cooking, Tucci said: "You know, each pasta, right, is completely...is meant to be paired with a certain sauce, right, for the most part." When Holly noted the tendency to pick a shape and "whack on our favourite sauce", Tucci continued: "Ideally, you would not have spaghetti with bolognese."
Holly asked why the dish is called spaghetti bolognese, to which Tucci replied it was a "British thing". He claimed that "spag bol" as it is sometimes called, "doesn't exist". He suggested a possible historical link but said it is "completely different now". He added: "If you went to a restaurant in Italy and you said, 'I'll have the bolognese, but can I have that with spaghetti?' They'll say, 'F**k off; just leave.'"
Recommended pastas for bolognese
Tucci recommended: "You should have rigatoni, right, but the classic is tagliatelle. Yeah, homemade tagliatelle. It holds the meat, and it's thicker." He added that the original bolognese "didn't even have tomato".
Roast potato secret
The Devil Wears Prada star also shared his recipe for "perfect" roast potatoes on X. He said: "My recipe for the perfect roast potatoes, you're welcome. So we're going to make roasted potatoes. These are the potatoes that I grew up with. Super simple side dish for meat, fish... anything you want." After slicing, he suggested garlic, olive oil, salt, oregano and rosemary, then mixing well. Cooking time is between one hour to ninety minutes.
