Homemade Bolognese Sauce

Bottled pasta sauces have always been my preferred choice. It is cheap, convenient and delicious. I used to make packed lunches of pasta for hubby and myself when we were newly weds almost 13 years ago. I love brands like Ragu, Prego and Leggo! ;) 

Fast forward to the present - My 2 sons, prefer cream based pasta, in particular Carbonara! Whenever I made tomato based pasta with bottled sauces, they ate very little of it and would tell me that the sauce is too sour, has a strong taste of herbs etc =(

I searched for home made bolognese recipes but was a little apprehensive of trying them out as they usually had red wine as part of the ingredient list. You see, I had made beef stew with red wine and the family did not like it because the taste of the wine was overpowering. Hence I was a little worried about what a bolognese sauce with red wine would taste like! 

I have many cookbooks at home and love to read them over and over again. I perused this bolognese recipe many times before deciding to go ahead with it. Have made it twice and I am so glad that I can finally enjoy my tomato based pasta with my family members, the 2 young fuss pots in particular.

Ahhh... The red wine chosen correctly this time!

Before I took the plunge, I did some research online for the best type of red wine used to cook pasta (See Here), which was done on hindsight after my beef stew experience. I decided to use the Pinot Noir since it is supposed to have a lighter taste. I had used Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in my beef stew attempts which were too strong for the family's tastebuds! If you are not a wine drinker like us, my suggestion is for you to get those with screw caps as opposed to those with wooden corks. No need to buy corkscrew! 

If you will like to try your hand at making a bolognese sauce from scratch, I hope you will enjoy this sauce with a nice plate of pasta. It is chock full of chopped veggies and meat, and it tastes so homey without any additives or preservatives too!

Homemade Bolognese Sauce (Mary Berry's recipe) - serves 6

Ingredients:

500g minced beef (I used a mix of beef and pork mince)

1 brown onion (I used 3 small shallots because the older Fuss Pot commented there were too many onions in my first attempt)

1 large carrot

2 celery sticks

150ml red wine (I use Pinot Noir as it has a lighter taste)

150ml beef stock (Ok to increase to 200-250ml if you like the sauce less thick)

1 TBSP plain flour

400g unsalted diced tomatoes, tinned

3 TBSP tomato paste/puree

25g unsalted butter 

Salt and pepper for seasoning

Method:

1. Finely dice onion(or shallots), carrot and celery sticks
2. Heat up a big pot, add olive oil and unsalted butter
3. When butter has melted, add in diced vegetables and fry for about 5 minutes till vegetables are softened but not browned
4. Add in minced meat and break it up
5. When meat has brown, sprinkle 1 TBSP plain flour over meat and mix well
6. Now add in diced tomatoes, tomato puree/paste, beef stock and red wine
7. Let the sauce bubble, after which turn it to low heat and simmer with a lid on, taking care to stir the sauce every few minutes to prevent bottom from getting burnt
8. Simmer sauce for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, season with salt and pepper
9. Serve with a pasta of your choice, and top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese

Enjoy!

Pics for reference:

Heat pan, add olive oil to warm up, and followed by butter

Add in vegetables to cook till softened (5min)

Add in minced meat, and break it up with your spoon

Sprinkle plain flour on the browned meat