Simple Bolognese Sauce

When it comes to Italian pasta sauces, Bolognese is the champion. We like our Bolognese simmered with red wine, oregano, and chili. It gives an incredible aroma and rich flavor to the sauce. This recipe makes six servings what’s more than enough for two of us, so the next day, I always make some Bolognese toasts. It’s a good, delicious way how to eat leftovers.

INGREDIENTS

Serves 6

• olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• 4 medium carrots, grated
• 1/3 celery root, grated
• 500 g/ 1.6 lbs fresh beef mince
• 200 ml red wine
• 2 cups/ 500 ml canned plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juice
• 3 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 medium chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper
• 500 g dried spaghetti 

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a splash of olive oil in a big pot and turn the heat on the medium. Add grated carrots and celery, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chopped onion, cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Then add chopped garlic cloves and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to mix everything together.
2. Add the mince and break apart any lumps with a wooden spoon. Cook until the beef is browned all over, then pour in the red wine. Give everything a stir and cook for about 7 minutes.
3. Add the cut plum tomatoes with their juice. Season with salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, chilli and stir well. Reduce the heat to low-medium, cover with a lid and cook for about an hour and 20 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure it doesn’t catch. If it looks a little dry, give it a splash of water ar vegetable stock to help it along.
4. Just as the sauce is nearly ready, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions – you want to cook your pasta until it is al dente. Divide the spaghetti and the sauce between the plates or bowls and enjoy!

If you serve the sauce on toasts, put slices of bread in a toaster. Meanwhile, rinse the rocket. When toasts are ready, put Bolognese sauce and some rocket on each of them. Then grate a little bit of cheese on top.