Melanie's Spaghetti Bolognese

It is very seldom that I make My classic Spaghetti Bolognese. Note: I said My and not The classic Bolognese and that is because over the years I’ve taken The classic Bolognese and played around with it and adapted it to My classic Bolognese. One thing I am certain of though, is that a proper Bolognese cannot be cooked in under a minimum of 2 hours. Not that I don’t have a quickie spaghetti and mince recipe but I’d hardly call it Bolognese.
Ingredients
1 Pkt Spaghetti
l kg gr ground beef
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
¼ cup diced bacon
½ cup finely grated celery
2/3 cup finely grated carrot
½ cup finely diced onion
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 teaspoons fresh oregano, chopped)
1 tbsp fresh Italian parsley
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp Italian Herbs
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup milk
1 cup dry white wine (always use a wine that you drink)
1 cup beef stock
1 sachet tomato paste
1 can plum tomatoes, chopped with liquid
Parmesan cheese and parsley to garnish
Method
In a saucepan heat oil and butter.
Add bacon and cook for 6 to 8 minutes.
Then add carrots, celery, and onions and saute for 3 minutes.
In a separate pan brown the beef, salt and pepper to taste and cook until the beef is no longer pink.
Add to vegetables. Add the rest of the herbs and the nutmeg.
Add wine and simmer until evaporated.
Finally, add the tomatoes, bay leaves, tomato paste, sugar and beef stock and simmer slowly, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours partially covered. It’s important to reduce as slowly as possible.
Add the milk and parsley and simmer for another hour.
If sauce becomes dry, (which it shouldn’t) add ½ cup stock or passata whenever necessary.
When almost ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the pasta until it is tender but still firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes.
Drain, and add either some more olive oil or butter.
Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and parsley.
Prepared, tried and tested by Melanie Kramar
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