Bolognese done differently
If there was one meal that a child would happily eat every day of his or her young life, my guess would be Spaghetti bolognese.
Thankfully as parents we’re likely to incorporate a little more variety!
But the humble bolognese sauce really does pack a nutrient punch, especially when cooked with love, care and a load of good ingredients.
And you know what, it doesn’t always have to mean eating it with pasta too.
Recipe serves 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1hour 20 minutes
Ingredients :
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
150g grass fed beef mince
150g free range pork mince
70g chicken livers, finely chopped * (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped or grated
2 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup button mushrooms, broken into small pieces
1 zucchini, finely chopped or grated
1 red capsicum, deseeded and chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
400ml peeled tomatoes, organic.
2 tins water
2 tbs dried oregano
1 bunch Italian parsley, chopped, stems and all.
Method:
In a heavy based saucepan heat half of the olive oil over medium heat and fry the meats, adding in half at a time and breaking up with a wooden spoon, cook until all the meat including the livers are browned. Remove the meat from the pan and set aside.
Add remaining oil to the pan and cook the onions for around 5 minutes until they’re softened and translucent. Begin to add the remainder of the vegetables and cook until they’re beginning to soften, around 5 minutes, then add the meat back to the pan along with the tomato paste and fry all together for a minute or so.
Pour the juice of the tomatoes into the pan and crush the whole tomatoes with a fork or your hands and add them in as well along with two tins of water and the dried oregano. Adjust seasoning with sea salt and cracked pepper if desired.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and cook on a low heat for 1 hour,
Finish by stirring through the parsley once the sauce is ready.
