Ragu is by its definition is is a meat-based sauce that is commonly served with pasta. My one works as a base for Bologonese, a Pasta bake Ravoli or Canneloni. You can of course top it with spuds or cheese too. I love using freshy ground mince from the butcher but the cooking makes the meat nice and tender anyway.
There might seem like a lot of ingredients but it is far tastier than a jar of sauce and freezes really well. It’s also good for slimmers and you can chop the veg as finely as you like.to make it child friendly.
454 G of Hereford Minced Beef
1 Small Carrot – Diced
1 Celery Stalk finely Chopped
1 Red or Green Pepper chopped
1 Cup Button Mushrooms
3 Cloves of garlic ( tailor this for your preference)
10 basil leaves torn. If you are using dried basil this equates to a teaspoon.
2 Bayleaves
Dash of tabasco
1 tablespoon of Worchester Sauce
250 Mls of Beef Stock – I use a stock cube or stock pot dissolved.
Tin of Chopped Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons of tomato Puree
Parmesan to serve.
Method
1.Brown the mince, onions, carrot, celery and peppers for two to three minutes.
2.Add garlic basil and bayleaves and continue to brown for a further 5 mins.
3. Add mushrooms, tabasco and worchester sauce and cook for a futher 2 minutes.
4. Add the beef stock and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the tinned tomatoes, puree and simmer for another 20 minutes.
If you wanted to do a slow cooker you would just just add it to the slow cooker and cook for two hours on low at step 5.
You can of course add a glass of red wine to the sauce to make it extra rich.
Serve with your pasta of choice and some parmesan.
GlamityJane 