‘Bolognese Sauce’
You will need: (Serves 6)
2 medium onions
3 medium carrots
3 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
500g minced beef
4 tbsp tomato puree
1 tsp mixed herbs (mix of marjoram, basil, oregano and thyme)
2 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
300ml red wine
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
Method:
Peel and finely chop the onions and peel and dice the carrots.
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat and cook the onions and carrots for 10 minutes until softened.
Crush the garlic and add to the saucepan to cook for 1 minute.
Push the carrots and onions to the side of the pan, turn up the heat and add the mince. Cook for 10 minutes, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
Add the tomato puree and the mixed herbs and mix well.
Add the plum tomatoes, red wine, black pepper, salt and bay leaf.
Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer for 2 hours until the sauce is well reduced and thickened. Stir occasionally as it cooks and use the back of a wooden spoon to squash and break down the plum tomatoes.
Delicious served with any type of pasta and some crusty garlic bread to mop up the juices. Discard the bay leaf before serving.
Tip: For a quicker version leave out the carrots and bay leaf and simmer for 30 minutes instead of 2 hours.
Eva dished out their dinner into white ceramic pasta bowls that she’d bought ages ago. They were larger than cereal bowls and had the names of different types of pasta scripted in black around the edges.
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