by David Chaproniere

Created on: July 22, 2008   Last Updated: December 10, 2011

This may not be an entirely authentic Bolognaise sauce, but it is a very good and very rich one. The trick here is long, slow cooking, so it can be pretty much ignored for two to three hours and given the occasional stir to stop it catching - perfect for a dull rainy day, when the house will be filled with the aroma of comforting, cooking meat, tomatoes, wine and herbs. If you have a pan big enough, make this in bulk and freeze in batches of one to four servings - very useful for defrosting, reheating and then serving with pasta and fresh Parmesan when you have little time to prepare a meal. This is also the ideal sauce to use in a meat lasagna.

The ingredients are guidelines only, so feel free to add more or less depending on taste. I tend to like my Bolognaise sauce garlicky, so do reduce to one fat clove of garlic if you feel so inclined.

1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large red pepper, deseeded and chopped
Large can (approx. 14oz) chopped tomatoes
2-3 tablespoons tomato puree
1 and a half pints hot beef stock (made with stock cubes or bouillon if preferred)
1 teaspoon sugar
Good slug of red wine (a glass or two will do!)
2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
2 bayleaves
Freshly ground black pepper
Salt

Heat oil in a large, deep frying pan (although a good size saucepan will do). Add onion and red pepper and soften over a medium heat, about five minutes. Add garlic and cook for further two minutes. Turn up heat, add beef, and brown, turning the meat around and breaking it down in the pan to ensure all of it is browned through.

While the meat is browning, stir the tomato puree into the stock with the sugar (which takes the bitterness off the tomatoes). Once the meat is browned, stir in the canned chopped tomatoes with their juice, followed by the stock mixture, wine and herbs. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and tuck the bayleaves into the meat. By now the sauce will look very watery, as though you have too much stock - don't panic, it's meant to be this way!

Bring the sauce up to simmering point, then turn the heat to its lowest level. Allow the sauce to simmer very gently, without a lid, for at least two, preferably three hours. Stir occasionally to avoid the sauce catching on the bottom of the pan. The sauce should reduce and thicken substantially, producing an intense flavour.

If freezing, allow to cool completely before bagging up and placing in the freezer.

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