A Very British Bolognese Recipes

THE BEST SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Put a large saucepan on a medium heat and add 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Add 4 finely chopped bacon rashers and fry for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
• Reduce the heat and add the 2 onions, 2 carrots, 2 celery sticks, 2 garlic cloves and the leaves from 2-3 sprigs rosemary, all finely chopped, then fry for 10 mins. Stir the veg often until it softens.
• Increase the heat to medium-high, add 500g beef mince and cook stirring for 3-4 mins until the meat is browned all over.
• Add 2 tins plum tomatoes, the finely chopped leaves from ¾ small pack basil, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 tbsp tomato purée, 1 beef stock cube, 1 deseeded and finely chopped red chilli (if using), 125ml red wine and 6 halved cherry tomatoes. Stir with a wooden spoon, breaking up the plum tomatoes.
• Bring to the boil, reduce to a gentle simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for 1 hr 15 mins stirring occasionally, until you have a rich, thick sauce.
• Add the 75g grated parmesan, check the seasoning and stir.
• When the bolognese is nearly finished, cook 400g spaghetti following the pack instructions.
• Drain the spaghetti and either stir into the bolognese sauce, or serve the sauce on top. Serve with more grated parmesan, the remaining basil leaves and crusty bread, if you like.

SIMPLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Season with salt and pepper. This will take approximately 1/2 hour. Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano.

A VERY BRITISH BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Put a large, shallow non-stick casserole pan on a medium-high heat. Pick and finely chop the rosemary leaves, then sprinkle into the pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil to crisp up.
• Add the chopped mixed veg and cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly, while you trim and finely chop the mushrooms. Stir them into the pan with the mince, breaking it up with your spoon. Cook for 15 minutes, or until golden and caramelized.
• Pour in the ale, let it cook away, then stir in the tomatoes and 1 tin's worth of water, mashing it all with a potato masher. Simmer on a medium-low heat for 1 hour, mashing occasionally to thicken the texture. season to perfection.
• For 2 portions, either cut the lasagne sheets into 2cm slices or, for a bit of fun, stack up your sheets and cut 2cm slits into them at ½cm intervals all over.
• Cook in a large pan of boiling salted water for just 3 minutes, then scoop out and toss with 2 portions of Bolognese, loosening with a splash of pasta cooking water, if needed.
• Grate over the cheese, and serve right away. Batch up your leftover portions, cool, and pop into the fridge or freezer for another day. Happiness.

5-A-DAY BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Put ½ tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, add the beef and fry until well browned. Tip out into a dish and put the pan back on the heat with the remaining oil. Turn the heat down and cook the onions and leeks for 8-10 mins or until very soft, then add the garlic, pepper and courgette. Fry until the veg is starting to char at the edges and any water that's been released has evaporated.
• Tip the meat back into the pan and add the tinned tomatoes, purée, stock and oregano. Stir everything together, cover and simmer over a low heat, stirring occasionally, for 35 mins. Meanwhile cook the spaghetti following pack instructions, then towards the end of cooking, stir half the parmesan into the Bolognese. Put a spoonful of the pasta water into the sauce to loosen it, if it looks too thick, then drain the spaghetti. Tip the pasta onto the sauce, toss everything together to coat and season well. Garnish with the remaining parmesan and a few basil leaves.