Bolognese

nutmeg, brown meat, blitz all, no cheese at end

No sage

Serves: 8+, or a good meal and loads of freezer leftovers
Time: 5 hours
Notes: this is for 5 litre dutch oven



USUAL RECIPE (adapted from America's Test Kitchen)

1400g beef mince 15% fat
250g unsmoked streaky bacon/lardons
2 cans peeled plum tomatoes
500ml passata
400ml beef stock
300ml red or white wine
2 big carrots
4 medium onions
4 cloves garlic

3 tbsp tomato puree
3 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp worcester sauce
herbs (whatever from bay leaves, parsley, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, oregano)
salt (pepper)

• Slice bacon into thin strips.  In two frying pans, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over a medium heat in each. Fry bacon so the fat runs.
• Add mince to each pan and brown it well (do this in batches, don't crowd the pans). Transfer to your waiting cold large casserole.  If using wine, deglaze the frying pan add all the wine if  to the casserole.
• Meanwhile prep and add the veg. Mince garlic and dice onions, put aside together.
• Mince/dice carrot, rough chop mushrooms, put aside together.
• In the frying pans, add 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil and heat gently.  Add garlic and onions and sweat. 4 mins later add carrot, cook until onions soft and translucent.  Add to casserole.
• Add beef stock, plum tomatoes, passata, 3tbsp puree, 3tbsp ketchup to the casserole. Stir well, breaking up the tomatoes with a spatula.  
• Add the herbs, 1tsp sugar, 1tsp worcester sauce, chilli, 2tsp salt and 1tsp pepper.
• Bring to a gentle simmer and transfer uncovered to the oven (150C/gas mark 2). Cook up to 4 hours, stir every hour or so, check liquid level.  Continue cooking until really thick and rich.  Season to taste.

Serve with tagliatelle linguine, and lots of grated parmesan.

NEW RECIPE (adapted from Serious Eats)

1 litre chicken stock

30 to 45g powdered gelatin (optional, used 1 pack leaf gelatin, follow instructions)

800g can whole toms

225g finely minced chicken livers

450/500g each ground beef, pork, lamb (20% fat each)

60g unsalted butter

225g unsmoked lardons/bacon

1 large onion (225g), finely minced

2 carrots (225g), finely chopped - can process

4 medium cloves garlic, minced

475ml dry white wine

1 cup (235 ml) whole milk

1 cup (235 ml) whipped cream

2 tablespoons (30ml) fish sauce

2 bay leaves (optional)

salt, pepper

1. Reduce wine to 20% in small pan - add to dutch when it's done
2. High heat fry ground meat in veg oil in large frying pan and dutch oven simultaneously, brown to tasty (try mix) then set aside into big pyrex bowl
3. Fat into dutch oven
4. Meanwhile 
1. prep veg
2. make stock, add gelatin to stock, let sit
5. Cook lardons in frypan
6. Veg in dutch oven, brown nicely, add garlic until fragrant
7. Add tomato and chicken livers, then blend
8. Add meat, stock, milk, bay leaves, salt, pepper
9. Cook 150C, 3-4 hours cook occasionally,sauce should be rich and under big layer of fat
10. skim off fat leave one cup (?)
11. add cream, fish sauce, (and taste, then if needed add tomato paste, worcester, ketchup, sugar, tomato puree, more salt)