Bacon, I’ve decided, is a heroic food. Put it in the vicinity of even the humblest ingredient, let’s say, ketchup, and you have a dish from which memories are made.
This revelation comes courtesy of Neal Okimoto, who wrote in search of a recipe for “Japanese-style spaghetti” like his great-grandmother made. He described it as having very few ingredients and a unique but simple flavor. “Having memories of it makes me want it.”
Well, since I couldn’t communicate with the great-grandma, I asked Google. A search for “Japanese spaghetti” pointed in only one direction: Napolitan spaghetti, an oh-so-simple dish that hangs its hat on bacon and ketchup.
If you’re from Japan, this surely seems ridiculously obvious (or if you’re from the Philippines, where spaghetti is often made with banana ketchup). But this recipe is meant for others — those who read the ketchup part and said, “Ack!”
The Japan Times wrote up a history of Napolitan in 2015, tracing ketchup spaghetti to World War II American military rations. After the war, an upscale Japanese version emerged using tomato puree, garlic, bacon and chopped vegetables. (It was called spaghetti Napolitan, a twist on the word Neapolitan, meaning related to Naples, Italy — but this dish has nothing to do with that place.)
The spaghetti became widely popular, but as tomato puree was hard to get in the post-war years, ketchup became the stand-in. Sliced hot dogs also became an alternative to bacon.
I ran this dish past an expert tasting panel — OK, it was three people, but they all grew up in Japan and they all signed off on my version. One even recalled a jingle popular when he was a kid, about a girl who ate spaghetti nearly every day: Yesterday was “meat-o sauce,” it went, and “kyo wa (today is) Napolitan …”
My dish was also heartily slurped up by several regular Americans, so I am confident I have a winner here, a perfect quickie weeknight meal (you could add more veggies for nutrition’s sake).
Ketchup may make the dish a conversation starter, but what makes it great is the bacon, with all its smoky, salty, fatty essence. Sub out the ketchup for canned diced tomatoes or fresh cherry tomatoes and this economy dish becomes passably sophisticated.
My version is saucier than most Japanese recipes, which call for a higher ratio of pasta to sauce. If you prefer that approach (or if you just want to stretch the recipe), increase the amount of pasta, as much as double. The sauce will provide a lighter but still tasty coating.
Some variations: Add sliced button mushrooms or sliced hot dogs; stir in bit of butter along with the ketchup; or serve it with a good dousing of hot sauce.
Napolitan Ketchup & Bacon Spaghetti
NAPOLITAN KETCHUP & BACON SPAGHETTI
By Betty Shimabukuro
- 1 pound dry spaghetti
- 12 slices bacon, cut in 3/4-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 small green bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 cup ketchup
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Shredded Parmesan cheese, for serving
Bring pot of water to boil. Add spaghetti, reduce heat and cook until tender.
Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium-high. Add bacon and onions; saute until onions soften and bacon is cooked but not yet crispy.
Add bell pepper; saute until softened. Stir in ketchup. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
When spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to sauce in skillet. Serve with generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.
Approximate nutritional information, per serving (not including Parmesan cheese and salt to taste): 880 calories, 36 g total fat, 12 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 1,200 mg sodium, 110 g carbohydrate, 7 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 28 g protein.
Write By Request, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or email requests to bshimabukuro@staradvertiser.com.
