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Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti Bolognese is such a great pasta dish so full of flavour and excitement. It's amazing to me that almost everyone can cook it but almost no two people will cook it the same, and entire companies have built up just on making jars of the sauce. So is it too popular a dish to bother writing a recipe for?

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I don't think so, I've checked out loads of recipes over the years and pulled in little bits from many of them to create my favourite way of cooking this classic so hopefully there may be a bit in here that inspires you to go your own way.

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I always make the sauce for four or double it up even though there is only usually two of us as it freezes really well. Make sure you have plenty of time though for this as it's the most important ingredient.

Ingredients

Serves 4

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  • 500g beef mince

  • 150g smoked pancetta cubes

  • 400ml tin of plum tomatoes

  • 250ml beef stock

  • 1/2 bottle of red wine

  • 1 onion

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • 1 tsp dried thyme

  • 1 tsp dried oregano

  • 2 bay leaves

  • salt and pepper

  • 300g dried spaghetti

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Method

First off in a large saucepan fry off the pancetta in a little olive oil for 3-4 minutes until it starts to crisp. If you can't get pancetta small strips of bacon will work as well.

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Whilst that's doing you can dice your onion and chop the garlic ready to add to the pan. Turn down the heat to low then add in the onion and sweat down for 8 minutes until it is starting to soften. Then add in the chopped garlic and the 2 bay leaves and continue to sweat for another 3 minutes.

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Now turn up the heat and add in the mince turning continuously until it has nicely browned all over. Then you can add in the wine and bring to a simmer. You want to cook this with the lid off until the wine has reduced by half.

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Next add in the tin of plum tomatoes, the stock, the thyme and oregano. Then season with a good pinch of salt and pepper, put the lid on and simmer this all together for 20 mins to allow all the flavours to mingle.

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Once it's had that 20 mins we can add in the last ingredient "time". Remove the lid or prop it so it's only half covered and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour stirring every so often to break up the tomatoes. Doing it low and slow like this really intensifies the flavours and gives you an almost silky sauce that will stick to the pasta rather then drown it.

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After an hour you should have a sauce that when you pull a spoon across the bottom of the pan it oozes back rather than pours. If not then just leave it going for a bit longer. When you are happy pop the lid back on and turn it off as it will stay warm while you cook the pasta and can just be given a quick blast to bring it back up to temperature when the spaghetti is ready.

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Pop the spaghetti into a pan of salted boiling water and cook until it's done to your taste then drain and plate pouring over that beautiful meaty sauce.

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