Noelle Anne’s Bolognese

I couldn’t have a pasta section without including our family’s favourite recipe. We ate this every Saturday night for as long as I can remember, usually in front of Jim’ll Fix on BBC 1 or the Generation Game when we were very young! It is the most flavoursome and delicious Bolognese sauce I have ever had, as she uses a lot of tomatoes and a generous glug of red wine. I have used normal quantities for the full recipe, as you can freeze it in individual portions or use portions to make your own individual Lasagna. So you can freeze individual portions in little freezer bags, and dinner is nearly ready once you boil some pasta; it freezes really well. I also add milk for the last 20 minutes of cooking as this really enriches it and tenderises the meat!

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds of round steak mince

3 tins of chopped tomatoes

3 small tins of tomato puree

3 cloves of garlic

2 finely chopped onions

2 large glasses of good red wine

1/4 pint of milk

A little oil

2 tsp sugar

Method

Firstly, heat the oil in a large saucepan with a lid. When it is spitting, add the onions and garlic and lower the heat slightly; cook for a few moments until softened. Now add the mince and cook until well broken up and browned all over; reduce the heat again and add the tomatoes, puree and red wine. Mix it well, bring to the boil and season well with salt and pepper, add the sugar, as this helps to bring out the tomato flavour. At this stage, clamp the lid on top and put it in the oven for about 45 mins. Take it out at this stage and give it a good stir, add in the milk and stir again, and place back in the oven for another 40 mins. Keep an eye on it and stir throughout the cooking. What you want is a really well-reduced sauce that is jammy and thick in texture. Serve with pasta or freeze in portions! Enjoy.