Recipe for Bolognese Recipe

This sauce is ideal for spaghetti, but can be used with any kind of pasta - great for Lasagne as well. This is not a true bolognese, but quite a variation - but very tasty nevetheless!

Recipe Submited by Vaughan Colley

You will Need

500 g minced lean beef

60 ml olive oil

6 slices of smoked bacon, chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 celery stalks, finely diced

400 g tin of crushed tomatoes

200 g tomato purée

120 ml red wine

1 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

salt and pepper

1 wooden spoon

Preheat the oven

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350ºF) or gas mark 4.

Make the sauce

Place a medium pan under a high heat and warm through, then add the olive oil and the bacon bits. Stir in well with your wooden spoon.

When the bacon has rendered, which means when the fat has melted, start to add the beef, little by little stirring each time to break the meat up and help it brown. Allow it to cook for a few minutes.

TIP!

By placing the meat in little by little ensures that your pan won't cool down, therefore cooking the meat evenly.

After a few minutes add the pork, again adding little by little and stirring well each time. Allow it to cook for a few minutes.

When the meat is thoroughly cooked and separated add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Combine well and let it all cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the tomato purée, mixing it in well. After a few minutes stir in the wine and cook for several minutes allowing it to evaporate. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes and turn the heat off. Season with oregano, salt and pepper and give it a good final stir. It is now ready to bake.

Bake the sauce

Place the pan in the centre of the preheated oven and depending on the size of your pot cook for roughly one hour to an hour and a half.

TIP!

By baking the dish in the oven ensures that it will stew nicely in it's own juices and caramelize, as it has very little liquid and will not burn by cooking from the heat underneath.

It is important that during the cooking process you stir the sauce from time to time to make sure that no part of it is burning.

TIP!

If you see it is getting dry feel free to add a few spoonfuls of water.

Remove the pan from the oven after roughly one hour to one and a half hours, when the majority of liquid has been absorbed.

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