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12/12/06 : Spaggy bolly

Having just watched entertainingly weird "culinary alchemist" Heston Blumenthal make Spaghetti Bolognese, I thought I'd offer my own - rather simplified - version for those who don't want to get up at the crack of dawn to prepare their evening meal.

The name "Spaggy Bolly" by the way comes from a silly rhyme that happens to fit to a song by Madness. It still sounds better than "Spaghetti Bolognese" - and considerably better than "Spag Bol", which is used by posh people who think that they can make themselves sound cool by abbreviating words.

Anyway, you will need:

500g good quality minced beef
3-4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion
1 carrot
3 large cloves garlic
600g chopped tomatoes in juice (1½ normal tins)
1 tsp dried oregano (you can add fresh herbs near the end if you want)
200ml beef stock
200ml dry-but-fruity red wine

Put a large pan over a medium-high heat. Chuck in the beef cook for about 5 minutes, stirring pretty much continuously, until thoroughly browned. Push it to one side of the pan and then tilt the pan so the fat and gunge runs into the gap. Skim off with a spoon. Stir in the stock and put the pan a low heat while you sort out everything else.

Dice the onion and carrot. Put another pan on a low heat, add the oil and gently fry the onion and carrot until soft.

Crush the garlic and add to the pan, cooking for a minute or so before adding the oregano and, after a few seconds, the wine.

Turn up the heat and add the tomatoes, then the beef and stock. Stir until the mixture comes to the boil, then turn the heat down to the lowest setting and cook, stirring occasionally, for as long as possible (about 2 hours).

The mixture will serve four - still make the same amount if there are only two of you and freeze the rest.

If serving over spaghetti, use good quality dried pasta (125g per person) and make sure it's slightly undercooked. Alternatively use the sauce to make lasagne.