Bolognese from scratch...

When people say they can cook, and I ask them what they cook best, and they say 'Bolognese', I (perhaps unfairly) judge them. The reason for this is it is a dish with many variants, the majority of them being shitters pulled from student cookbooks, or worse (and probably most commonly), poured from a purchased jar labeled 'Bolognese' onto a pile of mince and a chopped onion, served onto a 99 cent bag of pasta

I'm sure many a woman has been served the Bolognese equivalent of a Justin Bieber album during one of those 'home dates' you inevitably have after meeting in a public space a few times. The Dolmio grin is one to be worn alone, or at least at the stage of a relationship where there are hole ridden underwear hanging in the bathroom, and you are comfortable enough with each other to wear ludicrous combination's of warm sleepwear for the five hours leading up to bedtime.

A good Bolognese is hard to beat, and here is a recipe I swear by, and one of the dishes I cook most often. I believe, as with any recipe that calls for stock, you are not really doing the recipe any justice if you purchase said stock. Take the time to make up good homemade stock, ideally in bulk for further recipes...


Bolognese Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

* 1 onions, finely chopped

* 1 stalk celery, finely sliced

* 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

* 2 tablespoons olive oil

* 400 g minced beef or veal

* 100 g pancetta or smoked streaky bacon, chopped

* 2 teaspoons plain flour

* 1/2 cup dry white wine

* 1 to taste salt

* 1 to taste fresh ground black pepper

* 1 to taste freshly grated nutmeg

* 2 cups veal stock or chicken stock or tomato juice

* 400 g ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped or peeled tomatoes with juice, pureed

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste

* 1 sprig thyme

* 1 bay leaves

Directions:

Prep Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs

1. 1 Saute onion, celery and garlic in oil in a large saucepan until softened.

2. 2 Add minced meat and pancetta and fry until meat breaks up into small lumps.

3. 3 Sprinkle in flour, then stir well.

4. 4 Add wine, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

5. 5 Mix well, then increase heat and boil to evaporate liquid.

6. 6 Add stock, tomato, tomato paste and herbs.

7. 7 Reduce heat again and simmer for 1 hour, stirring from time to time.

8. 8 Taste for seasoning.