Rigatoni Bolognese with Peas and Basil

100ml extra virgin oil, plus extra

50g butter

1 small brown onion, finely diced ( I do this in the food processor, but pulse to avoid mushed vegetables)

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 large carrot, peeled and finely diced ( I do this in the food processor, but pulse to avoid mushed vegetables)

2 celery stalks, washed and topped and tailed and finely diced ( I do this in the food processor, but pulse to avoid mushed vegetables). Don’t be tempted to overdo the celery.

100g bacon, finely diced, or process in the food processor but don’t process it so much that it ends up as a paste.

500g pork and veal mince

200ml dry white wine

400ml milk

2 bay leaves

1/2 tsp nutmeg

salt flakes and freshly ground pepper

500ml chicken stock

2 tbs tomato paste

2 x 400g cans crushed tomatoes, or large bottle of tomato passata (we prefer this at the moment).

500g rigatoni

100g frozen peas

2 handfuls basil leaves

add 100ml oil and the butter to a large ovenproof dish frying pan/saucepan over medium heat.

add the onion and garlic, stir and cook for around 5 minutes until softened.

add the carrot and celery and cook, stirring frequently , for around 15 minutes until the vegetables are sticky and nicely caramelised.

add the bacon or pancetta, stir through and fry briefly.

add the mince into the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon while frying on high heat to brown and caramelise.

once all of the meat is browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, add the wine and simmer for a couple of minutes, lifting any of the caramelised bits off the base of the pan with a wooden spoon.

once the liquid has almost all evaporated, add the milk, bay leaves and nutmeg and season lightly.

reduce the liquid by two-thirds.

add the stock, tomato paste, tomatoes and a tomato can of water to the pan and cook over low heat for a further two hours or so.

continue to evaporate the liquid by placing the saucepan or frying pan in the oven at 110 degrees celsius for another 2 to 3 hours. this step is not essential but it really works very well.

Remove the bay leaf and discard.

to serve, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

warm half of the sauce in a deep frying pan or large saucepan, add the peas and pasta, tear in the basil and toss through.

add a handful of cheese and a splash of olive oil, toss through again and serve with plenty of grated cheese on the side.

Try this with pureed sofrito. Ie cook the sofrito, and then puree then add back to pan and continue with the recipe.

This works as the meat sauce for lasagne, finish the top layers as follows;

make sure sauce is quite reduced but not dry.

bolognese, pasta, bechamel, tiny handful of pizza cheese, pasta, bolognese, bechamel, tiny handful of pizza cheese, bolognese, bechamel, tiny handful of pizza cheese, Cover with foil and bake at 180 degrees celsius (fan-forced), then remove foil and bake for another 15 minutes. You can also ditch the peas if you wish.