Bolognese sauce

Everyone thinks they know how to make a bolognese sauce. But I think it fair to say that there are some recipes that are much better tasting than others. This week I made Jamie Oliver's recipe from his Ministry of Food book. Bleurgh! If that's all Jamie can manage, then I am well on my way to being a celebrity chef.

This recipe is so easy to prepare, but the longer you cook it the better tasting it will be. Traditionally bolognese sauce is made with white wine but I don't include any in mine.

Bolognese sauce - for pasta, lasagne, cottage pie, jacket potato topping...

Ingredients

• 500g beef mince
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 large onion
• 2 medium carrots (optional)
• 250g mushrooms (optional)
• Any other vegetables you feel like adding - red or yellow pepper and celery go well
• Oxo cubes - 1 beef, 1 Italian
• Balsamic vinegar
• Worcestershire sauce
• Dried herbs - basil, thyme, oregano are all good
• Tomato ketchup
• Tomato puree
• Olive oil

Method

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic.
2. Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large saucepan over a medium heat. Fry the onion for about 3 minutes until it starts to go soft, then add the garlic and fry for a couple more minutes
3. Chop the carrots into small pieces (and any other vegetables you are using).
4. Add the minced beef to the saucepan. Bash it around with a wooden spoon to break it up into a fine, crumbly texture (or you can use your hands to do this beforehand - just put the mince in a bowl and scrunch it up). Fry until browned and stir frequently so it doesn't stick to the bottom. If it seems a bit dry and keeps catching, add a little bit of water
5. Add the tinned tomatoes, carrots and any other vegetables and stir into the mince.
6. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a dash of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of tomatoe puree, and a good squirt of tomato ketchup. Crush up the Oxo cubes and sprinkle them in. Then add a good sprinkling of any herb you feel like using. Stir this all into the sauce along with the mushrooms.
7. Bring it to the boil, then turn down and simmer for at least 30 minutes and preferably more like 1-2 hours, stirring occasionally and making sure it doesn't catch on the base of the pan. If you're going to cook it for a long time, fill up one of the tomato cans with water and add it, and make sure the sauce doesn't dry out.

I have had a few culinary disasters with bolognese. Once, my husband and I decided it would be a good idea to add some cinnamon. Bad choice! Cinnamon goes well in chilli but not in bolognese!

I think I've perfected it now, but as you can tell from the recipe above it's not exactly science!

Bacon and butternut squash risotto

This is a delicious, seasonal recipe using only a few ingredients, many of which will be in your store cupboard. Not really one for a dinner party since it needs constant stirring. The result is well worth it though! I have adapted the recipe below from one found on the BBC's food website.

Bacon and butternut squash risotto - serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 125g bacon or pancetta
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 large butternut squash - buy it a few days in advance and store it on the counter, not in the fridge, so it can ripen
• 2 glasses white wine
• 400g arborio risotto rice
• Olive oil
• Sage - fresh (15 leaves) or dried (2 tbsp)
• Butter
• 1 litre hot vegetable stock - keep it simmering gently in a pan as you make the risotto
• About 125g grated parmesan cheese
• Handful of pinenuts (optional)

Method

1. At least 1.5 hours before you want to serve: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Peel the squash. Cut it into four chunks (one cut width-wise and one length-wise). Remove the seeds using a spoon - don't be afraid to give it a good scrape to get the stringy flesh out. Cut the squash into 2-inch chunks. Roughly chop the garlic cloves. Put the garlic and squash into a roasting dish, drizzle generously with olive oil, sprinkle over about 1 tbsp of dried sage (or about 7 chopped fresh sage leaves), and season with sea salt and ground pepper. Toss the whole lot together with your hands. Roast in the oven for 40-50 minutes until the squash is softened.
2. Once the squash is cooked, lightly mash it with a fork and set aside.
3. Chop the onion and the bacon. Heat 2 tbsps olive oil plus a generous knob of butter in a heavy-based large saucepan. Gently fry the onion and bacon until the onion is soft and the bacon browned.
4. Add the rice and stir for about a minute until the grains are coated with the oil.
5. Pour in the wine. Stir continuously until it has all been absorbed into the rice.
6. Add a ladle of hot stock and a tbsp dried sage and stir continuously until the stock has been absorbed. This should be done over a low to medium heat.
7. Keep adding ladles of stock until it has all been used up. Keep stirring! After about 15-20 minutes the stock will all be used and the rice will be soft. The texture should be thick and creamy.
8. Remove the pan from the heat. Gently stir in the butternut squash and parmesan. Season to taste.
9. Cover with a lid and leave to stand for two minutes.
10. If you like, serve with some toasted pinenuts. While the risotto is standing, place a handful of pinenuts in a fairly hot frying pan. Move them around until they are golden.
11. Serve the risotto with extra grated parmesan.