I made a few bolognese and refined the recipe so here it is

[Manc33]

Bolognese Recipe

This serves 2 and takes 5 hours. If cooking for 1 person, use half amounts.

To end up with this recipe, I averaged out about 7 or 8 other recipes. If they used tinned chopped tomato or puree, I have a thing to convert it to passata. With 250ml passata this comes out just the right amount. No other tomato item is added... you don't want tomato seeds in it!

Ingredients (In order of cooking)

4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion
1 Medium Carrot
2 Celery Sticks
360g Mince Beef
125ml White Wine
250ml Passata
100ml Whole Milk
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
250g Pasta Shells


Cooking:

This is on my electric hob where it is numbered from 0-9.

1. Finely chop the veg. Fry for 10 mins on 6/9 in 4 tablespoons Olive Oil.

2. Add 360g minced beef to pan, break it up. Put heat on 4/6, cook 10 mins.

3. Put heat on 3/9. Add 125ml white wine, stir every 5 mins, for 15 mins.

4. Put heat on 6/9. Add 250ml Passata, 400ml water, 1 tsp black pepper. Stir, add 100ml milk, stir again. If you’re only making 1 serving, add 400ml more water at this stage. Put heat on very low (2/9) with a lid on the pan. Leave cooking for 2 hours (stir every hour).

5. After 2 hours, take lid off the pan. Put heat on 3/9, stir every 10 mins.

6. After about 40 mins, add 250g pasta shells to boiling water with 1 tsp salt and a bit of oil. The ones I use take 16 mins to go soft. Drain in a sieve.

7. Add pasta shells to Bolognese sauce and fully mix together. Split Bolognese between two plates. Add a bit of salt if needed and it’s all finished.

Some might argue that tagliatelle should be used but I found pasta shells to be the best for holding the sauce.

Calories: 1,100 per person.

No herbs?
Nope, it doesn't need it.

No garlic?
Nope, it doesn't need it.

No stock?
Nope, it doesn't need it.

Adding herbs, or garlic, or stock, or any combination of those, upsets the balance of the flavours. If you make it exactly as shown above it comes out amazing. This is maybe the only food where I can try a bit of the sauce from the pan and it actually makes me smile because it's that nice.

[paulinkansas]

Bolognese Recipe

This serves 2 and takes 5 hours. If cooking for 1 person, use half amounts.

Does that include the cooking time as well? I don't have 5 hours to stand by an oven with my fire extinguisher in hand. I normally do all my cooking with a fire extinguisher within arms reach.

[Manc33]

Does that include the cooking time as well? I don't have 5 hours to stand by an oven with my fire extinguisher in hand. I normally do all my cooking with a fire extinguisher within arms reach.

It takes 4 or 5 hours waiting for it to be done but the time at the pan is probably about 45 mins at first. Once the lid goes on the pan there's not much else to do.

I chop the onion, carrot, celery, put each batch in separate freezer bags then freeze it. That part saves about 30 mins, it just has to be put in the fridge the day before, takes ages to thaw out, at least 24h. Same with the meat.