Spaghetti Bolognese

This recipe was heavily influenced by the marvel that is Jamie Oliver. He was the person who taught me how to make a proper spaghetti bolognese and the genius behind the sun-dried tomatoes trick… (check it out)

• 100g pancetta, cubed
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 250g beef mince
• 250g pork mince
• 175ml red wine
• 1 x 280g jar of sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 2 bay leaves
• spaghetti and parmesan to serve

Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.

Fry your pancetta in a large saucepan on medium-high heat with 1 tsp of oil. Cook until it’s crispy then decant to a plate, keeping as much of the oil in the pan as possible.

Turn the heat down a tad and add your onions, rosemary and a generous sprinkling of salt. Soften for 2-3 minutes and then add your garlic. Continue to soften for 5 minutes then decant.

Turn the heat back up and sear your mince in one piece for 3-4 minutes, before slicing up with a spatula and allowing the middle to start to brown. Add back your pancetta and onions and pour in the wine, keeping the heat high and allowing the wine to bubble and reduce (the alcohol will burn off so it is safe to serve to the family).

Drain the sundried tomatoes of their oil and blitz into a smooth paste in a food processor. Add to the pan with the plum tomatoes (giving them a squeeze as you empty them into the pan) and bay leaves. Give everything a loving stir and then cover with a lid and pop in the oven for 1 hour. Keep an eye on it and have a midway stir to check it isn’t catching. If you need to, you can add some water to loosen it up if it’s getting too dry.

Serve stirred through al dente spaghetti or linguine and grated parmesan.