Mary Berry has shared a plethora of recipes throughout her career, but there’s nothing tastier than a flavoursome ragu which has been cooked for a couple of hours to release the flavours. Mary Berry’s recipe is super simple to prepare, with ingredients you probably already have in your fridge and cupboard. The recipe notes said: “Mary’s controversial bolognese is as gorgeous as she is.
“Even though it’s a bit of an everyday dish, it will be loved by young and old.” The sauce can be made up to a day in advance and reheated. It can also be frozen for up to a month, perfect for batch cooking.
How to make Mary Berry’s bolognese
Ingredients (serves six):
Two tablespoons of olive oil
Two onions, finely chopped
One large carrot, finely chopped
Two sticks of celery, finely chopped
500g pork mince
500g beef mince
Three garlic cloves, crushed
Three tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste
150ml white wine
500g passata
400g tin chopped tomatoes
200ml beef stock
Three bay leaves
Two tablespoons of chopped thyme leaves
Four tablespoons of double cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
450g pappardelle pasta, to serve
Parmesan, to serve
Basil leaves, to garnish
Method:
Preheat the oven to 160C/140C Fan and then heat the oil in a deep, ovenproof casserole dish. Add the onion, carrot and celery, drying over high heat for five to six minutes.
Add the beef and pork mince and fry until browned and any excess liquid has evaporated. Add the garlic and fry or a further 30 seconds.
Then, add the tomato paste and stir before putting the passata, tomatoes, stock, herbs and wine into the pot. Season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and bake for abour an hour.
Stir in the cream, returning it to the oven with the lid off for another hour, until tender and reduced.
Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the pasta and cook according to packet instructions before draining.
Divide the pasta between six plates, top with the tender ragu, then grate over some Parmesan, garnishing with basil leaves if you fancy.