SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

SERVES 8 PREP 20 MINUTES COOK 3 HOURS 35 MINUTES

● ½ cup (125 ml) olive oil

● 100 g pancetta or bacon, finely chopped

● 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped

● 2 large celery stalks, finely chopped

● 2 brown onions, finely chopped

● 1 tablespoon brown sugar

● 4 garlic cloves, crushed

● ¼ cup (70 g) tomato paste (puree)

● 500 g pork mince

● 500 g pork and veal mince

● 500 g beef mince

● 2 cups (500 ml) red wine

● 2 × 400 g cans diced tomatoes

● 3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock

● 2 cups (500 ml) tomato passata

● 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

● 6 cm piece of parmesan rind

● 4 cm piece of pith-free lemon peel

● 3 bay leaves

● sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

● cooked spaghetti (or your choice of pasta),

● grated parmesan, to serve

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta or bacon, carrot, celery and onion, and cook, stirring, for 8 minutes until the vegetables are soft.

Add the sugar, garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the tomato paste starts to darken slightly. Transfer mixture to a large heatproof bowl.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the remaining oil in the pot. Cook the pork mince, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables. Repeat in two more batches with the remaining oil and pork and veal mince and beef mince. Set aside.

Increase the heat to high. Add the wine to the pot and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced by half. Deglaze the pot as you stir. Return the mince and veggie mixture to the pot. Add the tomato, stock, passata, Worcestershire, parmesan rind, lemon peel and bay leaves. Season well with salt and pepper.

Cover and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to very low. Tilt the lid so the pot is partially covered, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours or until the sauce has reduced and thickened and is a glossy dark red colour. Serve with cooked pasta and grated parmesan. ●

While this dish has roots in Italy, it was Italian migrants living in the UK, Australia or the US who created the dish as we know it – a combination of tomatoes, mince and spaghetti.