Simple mince

Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serves 6

This is not as simple as the mince and tatties – mince and potatoes –thatigrewupon,but it’s still kept plain so that ingredients can be added afterwards to flavour each portion differently. It’s basically an Italian-style ragu but without the herbs that would be used in Italy.

INGREDIENTS

– 2 tbsp olive oil

– 1kg good-quality

minced beef

– 100g bacon lardons

– 2 celery sticks, diced

– 1 medium carrot, diced – 1 large onion, finely

chopped

– 500ml beef stock (or chicken stock if that’s all you have)

– 2 x 400g tins chopped

tomatoes

– 1 tbsp tomato purée

METHOD

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and brown the beef in batches; if you overcrowd the pan it just steams. As each batch is done, remove it to a bowl. Cook the bacon in the pan until golden and add it to the beef.

Tumble the celery, carrot and onion into the pan. Sauté for 12-15 minutes, or until they’re softening and golden brown.

Put the mince and bacon back into the pan. Season with salt and pepper, and add the stock, tomatoes and tomato purée. You might need a little water too – about 75ml – if the mixture is dry.

Bring to the boil then turn the heat down low, cover the pan – leaving a little gap between the lid and the pan at one side – and cook for an hour (75 minutes if you have time), stirring once in a while.

Make sure everything stays moist; add a splash of water if you need to.

Taste for seasoning and leave to cool.

Divide between 3 boxes, label and date them, and freeze.