The perfect ragu bolognese

Now this is slow-cooking at its best. No-one knows what a true bolognese sauce is but one thing's clear; its origins come from the italian town of Bologna and the meat sauce there is called a ragu.
        And this ragu can be used as the base for many things
        The tastiest ragu is made by slowly cooking the finely chopped vegetales in olive oil before adding onions and then your favourite minced meat selection. I go for 2/3 beef to 1/3 pork; my friends in Belgium use 50/50 ground veal and pork; Paul in London just uses beef while Karim uses lamb!
        The Recipe is time consuming so make industrial quantities and prepare your freezer bags.

• Finely chop 300 gm of leek/carrot/celery mixture; then slowly cook in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for 20-30 minutes so that they change colour but don't brown (onions OK if you have no leeks).
• Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic and add to the mixture in the pan after 5 minutes.
• Set aside.
• Add 800 gm of mixed meat; cook in batches to lightly brown the meat in 1 tablespoon of olive oil per batch (assumes two batches).
• Tie up a bundle of fresh herbs - parsley, rosemary and thyme (dried will do) with a spoonful of oregano and a bayleaf together with one star-anis (it won't change the taste... it brings out the flavour).
• Put all together in a large saucepan before adding 100 gm tomato puree.
• Also add 100ml of red wine and 300 ml of chicken stock (add a can of chopped tomatoes if you want to stretch the quantities).
• Bring to the boil and then cook very gently with the lid off for at least 45 minutes up to 2 hours or longer for the most flavour, stirring occasionally. The stock/wine mixture will reduce and thicken and a luscious emulsified sauce is the result. You can further thicken the sauce by adding a slurry of arrowroot or gluten-free flour mixed with a little water but it's not really needed.

        Leave to cool a bit before using this sauce if it is to stuff vegetables such as courgettes, large mushrooms and aubergines (see photos top right) or set aside for further cooking as: Cottage Pie - click to see separate feature    

Chili con Carne

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        Remember: after making this once, you can vary the taste as you like it. Some people add a small spoonful of sugar to sweeten the sauce and some already add a little chile at this early stage.

The Ingredients

 - 200 gms leek, celery, carrot (finely chopped 'brunoise' style)
 - 100 gm onion & 3 cloves garlic
 - I kg of ground, minced meat (my preference is 2/3 beef and 1/3 pork) - grass fed animals taste best and are healthier... but they add to the price!

nb; Don't pay extra for low fat meat!

 - Bundle of fresh herbs if available (if not; two tablespoons of mixed herbs including oregano)
 - 1 tin (400 gm) chopped tomatoes
 - 1 tin (150 gm) tomato puree
 - 1/4 bottle red wine
 - 150 ml chicken stock (use Kallo organic if you have none home-made)
 - 1 star anise adds flavour

Chili con Carne
Taking half of the above quantity, add 1 espresso cup of coffee and two squares of 85% chocolate to start building the vintage Mexican taste. Then add chopped Chipotle peppers (dried, smoked jalapeños), although dried chile powder will be fine too.
        Simmer for a further hour.
        Then add one or two cans of red beans depending on how far you want to stretch the meal(and how many carbs you want to add), before warming through. It tastes fantastic and authentic either way, but remember that two cans will boost the carb levels. Though rich in fibre, they add up to 20 grams of carbs per 100 grams.
        Just before serving, sprinkle with chopped coriander.
        Now some would dispute whether tomatoes belong in a real Chili con Carne; some would insist on pure beef, but I invite you to taste this one. You'll love it.