Pasta Bolognese

I have no doubt any sensible Italian will freak at this recipe, anyway whatever name it goes by this is delicious, especially after a day sitting around in the fridge:

Pasta Bolognese For four people. You’ll need an onion, garlic, a tin of plum tomatoes, tomato puree some bacon (rashers or lardons), 250g of lean minced beef, oregano, salt and pepper and freshly grated parmesan.

Pour a tablespoon or so of olive oil into a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium heat. Chop the onion coarsely and add to the hot oil. Allow the onions to sizzle away giving them a gentle nudge so they don’t burn. Peel about four fat cloves of garlic and finely chop. Add to the onions, again stirring so the garlic doesn’t burn. When the onions are translucent and just about to go brown add the chopped bacon rashers or lardoons. Stir and cook for three to four minutes. Then add the minced beef. Brown all the meat. Add a tin of tomatoes (clean out the tin with a splash of water if the mix looks a bit dry). I almost always put sugar in the tinned tomatoes as they are rarely sweet enough. Of course if I had access to the sweetest juiciest tomatoes everyday I’d use them!

Stir the mixture and allow to bubble. Add in a squirt of tomato puree (about a desert spoonful), a generous pinch of dried oregano, a few twists of ground black pepper and some salt. The simmer the whole mix gently for 3/4 hour to an hour. It is worth pointing out that the mixture tastes even better if left lying around for 24 hours (covered of course). Cook the pasta as above. Drain and serve with bolognese scooped on top of the pasta. Grate over parmesan, add a few more twists of pepper. Open a bottle of full bodied red and relax.