Possible Allergy warning – please read all recipes carefully
and be aware of any allergies or sensitivities that may affect your health and well-being

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Please Fave the original Here

got good and sauced, so lets enjoy this goodness!

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Okay fine I plated this one up, are you happy?
J/K but I played around with a second batch, managed to get hold of a green pepper which is sometimes a pain in my part of the world.
Some general improvements, so as I've done before my former recipe will be deleted in favour of this one.

Recipe (makes 4-5 portions)

350g Minced Beef
1 Large Carrot, peeled and diced
1/2 Large Onion, diced
1 Small Bulb of Garlic, roasted and crushed
2tbsp Tomato Puree
1tbsp Dried Mixed Herbs
3tbsp Oil (used Rapeseed)
2 Cans Chopped Tomatoes (800g)
200ml Beef Stock (use half a stock cube or equivalent of)
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 180*C (355 F) and start by roasting the Garlic, as this will take about 20 minutes. Peel most of the bulb down, cut off the top just enough to show the tops of the Garlic and drizzle with a small amount of oil. Wrap in foil and bake for 20 minutes. Once it's done, remove and unwrap the Garlic, allowing it to cool before crushing into a fine paste.

2. Next, oil a large saucepan and put it on medium-high heat. Season your Beef with some salt and pepper and add it to the pan, piecing it up with your spoon until the meat has browned. Cook for an extra five or ten minutes until most of the moisture from the Beef has evaporated.

3. Add the Carrot, Onion and Pepper to the pan and cook them for five to ten minutes in the remaining fat. The Onions should be just about turning translucent. This is about the time when you can crush the Garlic and throw it into the pan, along with the Tomato Puree and Mixed Herbs.

4. Cook out the mixture for another couple of minutes, allowing the flavours to come out before adding the Chopped Tomatoes and Beef Stock. Be sure to scrape or rinse out your cans with a small amount of water. Reduce to very low heat, partly cover with a lid and let the Bolognese simmer and thicken up for up to an hour.

5. Serve over freshly cooked pasta and top with grated parmesan.

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From Chris: Above all else, you HAVE to take your time in making a ragu, otherwise you will not get that richness from the sauce. You can certainly 'cheat' a bit by adding sauteed mushrooms (baby bella or portabella would add in that earthy flavor and make it more filling) and some sauces also call for adding in one teaspoon of sugar to help balance the acidity. Others might put in one or two whole bay leaves, that's optional; personally, along with the pureed tomatoes I would add in 1-2 teaspoons of tomato paste plus one or two anchovies for umami.

Browning the meat and then adding in the vegetables with it is a great technique, but if any of that 'fond' sticks to the pan, use a good bit of wine / vegetable / beef stock to deglaze it and keep stirring it from time to time.