Bolognese is a tasty dinner because it’s versatile, flavourful and can be made in a variety of different ways.
Cooking it on the hob is often the way most families make their bolognese, but letting it slow cook can help to release the flavours and make the mince super tender.
I recently tried out the Laura Ashley slow cooker from AO.com, and now there are certain dishes I’d never cook on the hob or in the oven again.
Poppy Cooks rose to fame several years ago thanks to her delicious potato recipes, but she now shares a variety of slow cooker recipes, including this bolognese one.
I find chucking it all into the appliance and letting it slow cook much easier than standing over a hob, and the results are much better.
Ingredients:
500g pork mince
500g beef mince
One large onion, finely diced
Two carrots, finely diced
Two celery sticks, finely diced
Three tablespoons of tomato puree
One 400g can of chopped tomatoes
200ml of red wine
200ml of beef, chicken or vegetable stock
Half a teaspoon of white sugar
Two bay leaves
Pinch of grated nutmeg, optional
One parmesan rind, optional
Splash of olive oil
100ml whole milk
300g spaghetti
One tablespoon of cornflour, slackened with water
Salt and pepper
Method:
Simply add the pork, beef, onions, carrots, celery, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, red wine, stock, sugar, bay leaves, nutmeg, parmesan rind, one teaspoon of salt, lots of pepper and a splash of olive oil into the slow cooker bowl.
I mixed it around a little to ensure even distribution and then let it cook for eight hours on low, but you can also cook it for five hours on high.
Stir it once or twice during cooking, making sure it is all cooking evenly and not sticking out the top of the liquid.
When the timer has an hour left, stir in the milk until it is all combined.
Then, when there are 25 to 30 minutes left, add the spaghetti and turn up the heat to high, if it’s not on high already.
By the end of the cooking time, the spaghetti will be a delicious al dente. At this point, remove the parmesan rind, if using, and stir in the cornflour mixture with plenty of olive oil.
The result should be a glossy, meaty sauce which coats the pasta. Make sure to check the seasoning and adjust accordingly.
This pasta dish tasted like something out of a restaurant, if not better, and my family thought the same.
It was absolutely delicious. I’ve made it several times since, and now I’d never go back to cooking it on the hob.
