“When Pippa was a child, she’d go to Devon with her grandparents, and they’d visit a restaurant called Luigi’s. Every time they go, they’d sit at the same table and she would choose spaghetti Bolognese. Gennaro’s recreation of this classic includes a mixture of beef and pork mince for maximum flavour, plus plenty of red wine and fresh herbs. ”
Ingredients
- ½ an onion
- ½ a carrot
- 1 stick of celery
- 50 g higher-welfare pancetta
- 15 g unsalted butter
- olive oil
- 250 g higher-welfare minced pork
- 250 g minced beef
- 150 ml red wine
- 3½ heaped tablespoons tomato purée
- 1.2 litres organic chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- 2 sprigs of fresh oregano
- 300 g dried spaghetti
- Parmesan cheese
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Method
- Peel the onion, scrub the carrot, then very finely chop along with the celery. Finely chop the pancetta.
- Melt the butter with 1 splash of olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat.
- Fry the pancetta for 1 minute, then add onion, carrot and celery and cook for 10 minutes, or until starting to soften.
- Add the mince and fry for 5 minutes, or until lightly browned all over and any liquid has evaporated. Stir regularly, breaking the mince up with the back of a spoon.
- Pour the wine into the pan and let it bubble away, then stir in the tomato purée, and cook for a minute or two, before pouring in the stock.
- Add the bay, then pick, finely chop and stir in most of the oregano.
- Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, stirring every now and then.
- When the Bolognese is nearly ready, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water according to packet instructions.
- Season the Bolognese to perfection with sea salt and black pepper, then remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Reserving some of the cooking water, drain the pasta and add to the Bolognese. Toss well until lovely and glossy, adding a splash of the cooking water to loosen, if needed.
- Divide the spaghetti between plates and finely grate over a generous amount of Parmesan. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle over the reserved oregano leaves and pick over the rosemary.
Source: Jamie Oliver
