Spaghetti bolognese

I’ve tried my fair share of recipes for Bolognese and this is by far my favorite. The recipe is so simple to prepare but the resulting Bolognese is so rich in flavour. The secret to a good Bolognese is the long, slow cooking of 2-3 hours and for this reason I like to make a big batch and freeze several portions. There’s nothing better when you come home from work late than a delicious bowl of spaghetti Bolognese in under 10 minutes. This recipe is from River Cottage’s Gill and was featured in the tv series Every day.

Spaghetti bollognese

From River Cottage Every Day

Serves 6

1 tbsp olive oil
250g pancetta or streaky bacon, cubed
1 onion, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
2 stems celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1kg beef skirt, coarsely minced
2 tins chopped tomatoes
2 glasses red wine
1 bay leaf
About 200g dark-gilled mushrooms, sliced
Grated Parmesan, Cheddar or another hard, flavoursome cheese, to serve
A little extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Heat the olive oil in a large casserole or saucepan over a medium heat. Add the pancetta or bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes, so the fat starts to run.
• Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, reduce the heat a little and sweat the vegetables gently for about 10 minutes. Add the beef mince, increase the heat again, and cook, stirring, until the mince is broken down into little chunks and has completely lost any raw look.
• Add the tomatoes, wine and bay leaf, then the sliced mushrooms. Stir well, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, at a very gentle simmer, stirring every now and again, for at least 2 hours.
• Season, then spoon over hot, freshly-cooked pasta. Scatter with grated cheese, trickle with a little oil and grind on plenty of black pepper before serving.

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