Bolognese Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 30g butter
  • 1 small stalk celery, finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • 350g mince
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • black pepper, to taste
  • 2 fresh bay leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 c dry white or red wine
  • 400g can crushed Italian tomatoes
  • 700g jar tomato passata (or tomato puree)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste

Method

  1. Put onion in a deep saucepan with olive oil and butter. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until pale golden, stirring often
  2. Add celery and onion; cook gently for 7 minutes
  3. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
  4. Increase heat to high; move veges to one side of the pan and add mince to cleared side. Break meat up with a fork and cook until it loses its raw look, moving it around the pan
  5. Add salt, pepper, bay leaves and nutmeg
  6. Pour in wine and cook until it has evaporated by half
  7. Lower heat to medium; add milk and cook gently for 6 minutes
  8. Add tomatoes, passate and paste, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a gentle simmer, stirring
  9. Turn heat to very low, and cook very gently, partially covered, for 1 1/2 hours until pulpy, stirring often