Spaghetti Bolognese
To make this heavenly spaghetti Bolognese, you need time and patience. Don't start cooking at 7:30 at night. That's a night for carbonara. Be prepared to leave this to simmer away for a long time.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 small onion
- 1 small carrot or ½ a carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- 1 l vegetable or beef stock we were taught with homemade stock but not everyone is that organised
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 tsp dried or finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 500 g minced beef
- 300 g dried spaghetti
- Parmesan
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the carrot and finely dice along with the celery and onion. Heat some olive oil in a large, deep frying pan and, once hot, tip in the chopped vegetables. Sauté for a couple of minutes until soft and caramelised.
- Pour in a good glug of stock. Some of it will evaporate so top up to stop it drying out. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and leave to simmer gently. Check on it occasionally to ensure the vegetables stay moist. Keep topping up with more stock, covering with the lid and leaving it to do its thing. Go and sit on the sofa. There’s no urgency!
- Once the vegetables are buttery soft and sweet, the liquid among the vegetables appears creamy, and you have about half your stock left, crush the garlic cloves and add with the rosemary. Sauté until fragrant.
- Tip in the mince and break apart with your wooden spoon to brown all over. Add the tomato purée and mix in with the meat and veg. Dilute with a little veg stock to help mix everything together. Add another large splash of stock, cover the pan with a lid and simmer. Low and slow will keep the meat soft and succulent.
- Keep your eye on it, add more stock when you see it drying out. When you have finished your stock, taste the meat for tenderness. If you think it needs further cooking, make more stock and continue adding it to the meat. Look for creamy-coloured liquid.
- Once the meat is melt-in-the-mouth tender, keep covered over low heat as you cook the spaghetti in salted water according to packet instructions.
- When al dente drain the spaghetti, reserve a little pasta water, and toss in with the Bolognese sauce. Drizzle with a little olive oil, some of the pasta water, a couple of pinches of salt and enough finely grated Parmesan to cover the pasta. Toss everything together to melt the Parmesan. Serve piled high in bowls under a shower of more grated Parmesan.