This is my take on the traditional classic bolognese sauce, or ragù alla bolognese, it’s quite simple to make, and you can quite easily change whatever you like, it all depends what you have in the cupboards.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 Large Onion or 2 medium Onions (chopped)
2 to 4 Garlic cloves (chopped)
1 stick of Celery (chopped)
6 to 10 black Olives (chopped)
1 Carrot (chopped)
3 or 4 big Mushrooms (sliced)
500g Beef mince
2 slices of Bacon (chopped)
2 tins of chopped Tomatoes
1 good squeeze of Tomato puree
1 squeeze of Garlic puree
1 tbsp Basil (either dried, or freshly chopped leaves)
1 tbsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Salt
1 stock cube
2 Bay leaves
dash of Pepper
couple of drops of Scotch Bonnet sauce
Olive oil to suit
Method
- Fry up the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery over a medium heat until the onions are translucent (should take about 3 to 4 minutes).
- Put the onions, garlic, and celery into a large pan (probably the largest you have) and then add the meat to the frying pan and brown the meat.
- Add the meat to the large pan containing the onions, add in the tomatoes, the purees, the herbs, the olives, and the mushrooms.
- Fry up the bacon until it is done, then add that into the large pan as well.
- Whilst the pan is still hot, add a little cold water to “de-glaze” the pan, using a wooden spoon stir around the water until the pan apears pretty clean, add this water into the big pan with the rest of the ingredients.
- Crumble a stock cube into one of the now empty tomato cans and then half fill it with boiling water, stir it around and then add that to the ingredients.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan.
- Put the pan on a medium to low heat and simmer away for about 1.5 to 2 hours, this will reduce and thicken the sauce immensely.
- Serve with pasta, whatever takes your fancy.
