There is nothing more satisfying than a bowl of steaming hot, al dente spaghetti, with a rich tomato bolognese sauce. Here we have taken a traditional bolognese sauce, added mushrooms for an extra depth of flavour and fresh basil for a sweet, savoury tang. This recipe, is perfect for these cold winter nights and a will definitely be a winner with the whole family.
500 g packet spaghetti
700 g ground beef mince
1 onion finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
200 g sliced mushrooms
1 tin whole tomatoes 400g
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 cup tomato purée
1 cup red wine
20 g fresh basil leaves
3 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, stalks removed
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Parmesan shavings
Heat the olive oil in a pan and place in the chopped onion, garlic, chilli and sugar. Gently fry these ingredients together, stirring them regularly, until the onions have lightly browned and caramelised.
Scrape in the sliced mushrooms and cook them for a minute or two.
Add the ground beef mince and cook until the meat has browned. Season with some freshly ground salt and pepper.
Place the whole tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato purée, red wine, basil leaves, fresh oregano and cinnamon in a blender and blitz on high, until the basil leaves have blended. Pour this liquid into the pan of browned meat and cook on a moderate heat, for 20 – 25 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and thickened. Taste, season accordingly, then set aside.
Cook the spaghetti according to the packets instructions. Twirl, the cooked, drained spaghetti onto a serving dish and ladle the hot bolognese sauce over. Dot with Parmesan shavings, basil leaves and serve immediately.
