Ragù alla Bolognese

Bolognese Sauce

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1. Dicing up your onion and garlic, placing in separate bowls as they are introduced to the pot at different times.

2. Pull the leaves off the fresh herbs if you are using, leave a little aside to garnish if you wish.

3. Slice your vegetables quite thin as you almost want them to disappear, this is a personal preference as if you are cooking for children it’s a nice little trick to introduce some veggies to the dish.

4. Place a large pot on a medium/ high heat with some vegetable oil. Add and cook the onion, when you start to see a little colour throw in the garlic and stir for about 2 minutes.

5. Add a little more vegetable oil to the pot and add your meat. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and stir into the onion, add in a little pepper at this stage.

6. Once you see the meat is 80% cooked make a well in the mixture and put in your tomato paste and stir in for approximately 2 minutes.

7. Add  the canned diced tomatoes with the juice and stir to combine.

8. Throw in your chosen vegetables (not your mushrooms just yet.) Then add a cup of boiling water and stir.

9. Add the desired dry or/ and fresh herbs and bay leaves, stir to combine and lower to the lowest heat to simmer.

10. Start cooking the desired pasta so you can pinch some of the water to place in the bolognaise sauce and little later.

BECHAMEL SAUCE METHOD 

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1. Start on your béchamel sauce by melting the butter ensuring you are constantly stirring as your butter will burn.

2. Slowly start adding your flour 1/2 teaspoons at a time, constantly stirring until each spoonful has fulling mixed in.

3. Slowly add milk, the mixture will thicken quickly so be ready to add small pours of milk to thin the mixture.

4. Once your milk jug is empty slowly introduce your cheese on a low heat. Once fully incorporated you can add your spices.

Time to plate up!

Layer pasta then your bolognaise sauce then drizzle your béchamel then your cheese and fresh cut herbs. It’s a winner!