What can I tell you about the Great Bear escapade we undertook in August 2019? Not much! My memory has been scrubbed clean since then due to various life events and the global pandemic, but at least I have photographs to remind me that we did do it! My hair has grown to about 1,000x the length it was back then and gone pretty grey too…
The Great Bear Project began way back in 2018 when myself and Mr R began taking day trips out to stations on the Northern Line. All the stations on that tube line have been renamed by the artist Simon Patterson as movie stars. The artwork is called The Great Bear, I have recipes for almost every one of the 50 stations. It had to be done!
Spaghetti Bolognese was the second thing Mr R ever cooked for me I think, and he got that special long pasta so we could recreate the scene from Lady & The Tramp.
When I told him that I had a recipe called “The Saint’s Best-Ever Bolognese Sauce” attributed to Roger Moore he was more than game to take this one for the team.
Even though we were going to be cooking and eating this at his place, we still did the traditional trip up the Northern Line to salute the roundel. Here’s the spaghetti en route…
and here is the salute…
We just zipped up there and zipped back – NO PUB EVEN?! But we did take a “coming next” photo.
Next up, Colindale…
Which in the world of Simon Patterson is of course, Bo Derek (third down on the left)
Was Roger’s spaghetti sauce as good as Mr Rathbone’s own? I cannot possibly say, but we wolfed it down and heartily enjoyed it.
The only other thing I can tell you from photographic evidence is that we listened to the most excellent Das Clamps album after dinner.
Here’s Roger’s recipe.
Mr Rathbone’s Station Factoids
I’m seeing Italian eyes roll at this one , I trust all the dried herbs will be Schwarz ! But as near a definitive recipe of ‘Spag Bol’ as cooked in an English childhood in the 60/70’s minus the wine perhaps. But that lovely long spaghetti. I don’t think we had a clue how to eat it properly until we saw ‘Bueno Sera, Mrs Campbell’ on the telly . As much to do with real Italian cooking as The Saint was to with The Vatican. Sure it’s very passable nosh though but I think I’ll stick to Rudy Val’s sauce for now !
One of my favourite things to eat as a kid was Heinz Ravioli poured out of the tin into a saucepan, heated up and then bunged on toast. I am GUESSING that this is not a “thing” in Italy – hahahahahaha! MMMMmmmm – you are making me want to make some of Rudolph’s “secret” spaghetti sauce now. Definitely going into the top 100 – Jx
I’m still known to do this ! Half a tin of Sainsburys Ravelli on toast makes an excellent flying supper if you’ve no time to do anything more before going out of an evening – [remember going out of an evening !?] I always call it ‘cooking Italian tonight’ !!
Ravelli on toast !! There’s the Marx Brothers on the brain for you ! Ravelli is Chico’s character in Flywheel ! I meant Ravioli of course ! Doh !
Haha! You ALWAYS have the Marx Brothers on the brain! Read a lovely little book written by someone who worked for Marilyn Monroe recently who said that Groucho was lovely to her, unlike many other people in show business! Ahhh, going out of an evening, those were the days!