Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredients:

• 500g of mince (lamb or beef)
• 2 Large onions finely chopped
• 3 or 4 cloves of garlic peeled and finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tins of plum tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons of Tomato puree
• 1 - 2 heaped teaspoons of dried Oregano
• 1 - 2 heaped teaspoons of dried Basil
• Olive oil
• Salt and ground pepper to taste

Take a large frying pan and cover the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Put the pan over a moderate heat, add the mince. Brown, but keep well stirred. Once the mince is cooked through add the onions, garlic and herbs. Add the herbs to taste, you could omit the basil altogether if you do not like the flavour, my own preference is for 2 of Oregano and 1 of Basil, experiment until you find a flavour you prefer. Cook until the onions fit your tastes, if you want them to be slightly crunchy, the 2 - 3 minutes, or soft 5 - 6 minutes, I think crunchy gives the dish a much nicer texture. Now add the plum tomatoes and puree, if you prefer a smoother texture whizz the tomatoes in the blender first, if not break them up with a wooden spoon. Add a tea spoon of salt. Cook until the liquid has reduced and become thick, about 20 minutes. As you start the reduction put on a pan of salted water for the spaghetti, and cover the surface of the water with Olive oil. Once the water is boiling add the spaghetti and cook to your preference, but between 10 and 14 minutes. My advice is do not use quick cook it does not taste as good as the real thing. Drain the pasta, put on a plate and spoon the bolognese over the top. You can also use this sauce as a basis for lasagne, but instead of using Bechamel sauce in it use a strong cheese sauce, delicious.

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