The Beginning Of The Hangry Chef - Best Bolognese
As I mentioned before I'm a chef and I'm Hangry, but now that its after lunch and my hunger has been satiated, I can begin with my first and favourite recipe.
This is one of the first proper recipes I ever made even before I was an apprentice chef and as a result it stuck with me.
Being of Italian heritage, this is a staple in our diet, and when I make it I don't do it by halves, I make a large batch and freeze it in portions and I rely on it for weekdays when I really just want comfort food and couldn't be bothered cooking. Dinner is ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
It's evolved with me over the years and now I'm confident to say it's my perfect Bolognese. It's my versatile best friend, I make Lasagna and Moussaka with it, I cook it down a bit with some Mexican seasoning for awesome meaty nachos, tacos and sloppy burritos. I eat it by itself with a hunk of bread when I'm feeling extra Hangry.
Everyone has their own spin on Bolognese but seriously, once you try this bad boy, you're never going back, so I'll stop carrying on and just get on with it.
You will need...
1 Medium brown onion
2 Garlic cloves
500gr Premium pork and veal mince*
50gr Streaky bacon
300ml Red wine
3 Tins of chopped Italian tomatoes**
3 Tbs of tomato paste
3 Bayleaves (or less if your not a fan, but seriously, the fragrance is my favourite part of this sauce)
1 Basil stalk or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method...
1. Finely dice the brown onion and the bacon, the smaller the better, and crush the garlic. Have all your ingredients on the bench next to the stove ready to go.
2. Grab a large pot, add the olive oil, put on a low-medium heat and add the onion and bacon. Cook until onion is transparent, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and briefly saute- do not brown.
3. Add your meat and turn up the heat to medium-high. Break it up with a small spoon. If you see it starting to clump together, use a potato masher (yes, I know its odd but it works!) to break it up.
4. Once your meat is browned, add your herbs and seasoning. Pour the red wine in and turn up to high to cook out some of the liquid. Add your tomato paste and stir to coat all the meat.
5. Carefully pour in your Italian tomatoes, reserve 1 tin and use it to fill with water and pour into your pot, do this THREE times.
6. The heat should still be on high, so cover the pot and let it come to the boil. Remove the lid, turn the heat down to low and give it a quick stir.
7.Walk away and leave it to cook for 2 hours.... Not really, but don't stress, just return to the pot periodically and give it a stir, make sure its gently simmering but not boiling (there should be a slight, steady steam coming from the pot) and make sure your kitchen hasn't burnt down while you're outside gardening, watching TV or tending to the little ones (in my case my two dogs).
8. After about 2 hours, your sauce should be ready. It all depends how thick you like it, if you'd like to keep cooking to make it heartier, or if you'd like to add a little water throughout the process to have it a bit thinner. The main thing is that by this time the meat has tenderised and all the flavours have infused.
ENJOY!
*Seriously, once you have Pork and Veal mince you'll never go back to a beef Bolognese, but hey, if you prefer beef- roll with it!
**The better quality tomatoes, the better your sauce will be- try to get an actual Italian brand from an international grocer, alternately get your Nonno to make some for you as long as he wears his hankerchief on his head so only a little bit of sweat ends up in the mix :-)
This is one of the first proper recipes I ever made even before I was an apprentice chef and as a result it stuck with me.
Being of Italian heritage, this is a staple in our diet, and when I make it I don't do it by halves, I make a large batch and freeze it in portions and I rely on it for weekdays when I really just want comfort food and couldn't be bothered cooking. Dinner is ready in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
It's evolved with me over the years and now I'm confident to say it's my perfect Bolognese. It's my versatile best friend, I make Lasagna and Moussaka with it, I cook it down a bit with some Mexican seasoning for awesome meaty nachos, tacos and sloppy burritos. I eat it by itself with a hunk of bread when I'm feeling extra Hangry.
Everyone has their own spin on Bolognese but seriously, once you try this bad boy, you're never going back, so I'll stop carrying on and just get on with it.
You will need...
1 Medium brown onion
2 Garlic cloves
500gr Premium pork and veal mince*
50gr Streaky bacon
3 Tins of chopped Italian tomatoes**
3 Tbs of tomato paste
3 Bayleaves (or less if your not a fan, but seriously, the fragrance is my favourite part of this sauce)
1 Basil stalk or 1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp Oregano
2 Tbs Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Method...
1. Finely dice the brown onion and the bacon, the smaller the better, and crush the garlic. Have all your ingredients on the bench next to the stove ready to go.
2. Grab a large pot, add the olive oil, put on a low-medium heat and add the onion and bacon. Cook until onion is transparent, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the garlic and briefly saute- do not brown.
3. Add your meat and turn up the heat to medium-high. Break it up with a small spoon. If you see it starting to clump together, use a potato masher (yes, I know its odd but it works!) to break it up.
4. Once your meat is browned, add your herbs and seasoning. Pour the red wine in and turn up to high to cook out some of the liquid. Add your tomato paste and stir to coat all the meat.
5. Carefully pour in your Italian tomatoes, reserve 1 tin and use it to fill with water and pour into your pot, do this THREE times.
6. The heat should still be on high, so cover the pot and let it come to the boil. Remove the lid, turn the heat down to low and give it a quick stir.
7.Walk away and leave it to cook for 2 hours.... Not really, but don't stress, just return to the pot periodically and give it a stir, make sure its gently simmering but not boiling (there should be a slight, steady steam coming from the pot) and make sure your kitchen hasn't burnt down while you're outside gardening, watching TV or tending to the little ones (in my case my two dogs).
8. After about 2 hours, your sauce should be ready. It all depends how thick you like it, if you'd like to keep cooking to make it heartier, or if you'd like to add a little water throughout the process to have it a bit thinner. The main thing is that by this time the meat has tenderised and all the flavours have infused.
ENJOY!
*Seriously, once you have Pork and Veal mince you'll never go back to a beef Bolognese, but hey, if you prefer beef- roll with it!
**The better quality tomatoes, the better your sauce will be- try to get an actual Italian brand from an international grocer, alternately get your Nonno to make some for you as long as he wears his hankerchief on his head so only a little bit of sweat ends up in the mix :-)
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