Spaghetti Bolognese
My husband is a chef and he has declared my spag bol the best ever. It’s a great all-rounder dish and you can make a batch to freeze and have it for quick midweek suppers or for unexpected guests (yes there will be a day soon when that will happen!).
Ingredients
- 2tbsp olive oil or sun-dried tomato oil from the jar
- 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, chopped
- 2 large onions chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1kg minced beef
- 2 large glasses of red wine
- 2 x 400g chopped tomatoes
- 2 x 290g jars of antipasti mushrooms, drained
- 4 dried bay leaves
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 12 sun-dried tomato halves
- Drizzle balsamic vinegar
- Freshly ground salt & black pepper
- Parmesan rinds (I freeze rinds to use in this dish as well as soups and stews)
- Fresh basil
- Lots of freshly grated Parmesan
Preparation
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan and fry the bacon until golden. Add the onions and garlic, frying until softened. Increase the heat and add the minced beef. Fry until it has browned, breaking down any chunks of meat with a wooden spoon. Pour in the wine and using a gentle rolling boil reduce in volume by a 3rd. Reduce the temperature and stir in the tomatoes, drained mushrooms, bay leaves, oregano, thyme and balsamic vinegar.
- Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add to the pan. Season with salt & pepper and throw in a few parmesan rinds if you have them. Cover with a lid and simmer the Bolognese sauce over a gentle heat for 1-1½ hours stirring occasionally until rich and thickened.
- Take off the heat and leave to settle while you cook the spaghetti. Drain and spoon the pasta into warm bowls. Sprinkle some Parmesan cheese onto the pasta and a grind or two of black pepper, then add a good ladleful of the Bolognese sauce, finishing with a scattering of more cheese and more black pepper.
You can remove the Parmesan rinds before serving up, although they are perfectly edible, if a bit gooey!