A bolognese sauce that’s half meat, half vegetables. If someone in your house doesn’t like seeing chopped vegetable in their favourite spag-bol sauce, or perhaps dislikes particular textures, use a food processor to blitz, so that there’s no recognizable chunk in sight. The long slow cook in the oven also ensures all the ingredients disintegrate into the sauce and meld together into a deep intense flavour. Another bonus is producing a greater volume of sauce for the same amount of effort, giving more bang for your buck. There’s a slow cooker option at the end of recipe, to set in the morning ready for the evening meal.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 leek, white part cut into four, green top and end discarded

1 bunch Dutch carrots, tops and ends trimmed, chopped roughly

2 celery stalks, chopped roughly

200g Mushroom Forestry mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

400g pumpkin, seed and skin removed, cut into chunks (optional)

500-700g beef mince

180ml (3/4 cup) white wine, or verjuice

bay leaf

6 sprigs thyme

6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley

400g can chopped tomatoes

500ml bottle tomato passata

piece parmesan rind (optional)

2 teaspoons sea salt, plus extra to taste

black pepper

Preheat oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced).

Using a food processor, and working in batches, pulse the onion and leek until finely chopped. Avoid using the auto setting to prevent the mixture becoming mush. Remove the onion mixture. Then blitz the carrots, celery and pumpkin if using. Transfer to the onion mixture. Finally add the mushrooms and garlic and pulse to finely chop. Alternatively, use the coarse side of a box grater to grate all the vegetable ingredients.

Heat the oil in a large heavy based saucepan (enamel cast iron is good) over a medium heat. Add the onion, leek, carrot, celery and pumpkin, if using, and cook for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Reduce heat if mixture catches on the base. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the mince, breaking apart any lumps with a spoon. Cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally, until meat starts to brown and the liquid had evapourated. Stir in the wine or verjuice and cook for 2 minutes. 

Tie the bay leaf, sprigs of thyme, and parsley in a bundle with kitchen string. Add the herb bundle, provisto sugo and tinned tomatoes to the meat mixture. Fill the empty provisto sugo bottle and can with water then pour into mixture, adding extra if required, to cover the mixture by about 1cm-2cm. Season with salt and generous grinding of pepper. If using Parmesan rind, pop it in. Stir to combine. Increase heat and bring to the boil. Cover the surface with a sheet of baking paper then cover with a tight fitting lid. Transfer to the pre-heated oven and cook for 2 hours, checking after one hour, stirring in a little extra water if mixture is drying over the surface (this will depend on surface area of pot used, as the greater the surface area, the more moisture evapourates).

Remove the paper, herb bundle and Parmesan rind. Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To serve, toss the hot bolognese sauce and with al dente cooked pasta to coat well. Divide between warmed serving bowls and pass around grated parmesan.

SLOW COOKER OPTION:

If using a slow cooker, start preparing the bolognese mixture up to where you add the herb bundle, tomato passata and canned tomatoes. Then, at this point, transfer the mixture to the bowl of the slow cooker. Season with salt and generous grinding of pepper. Pour in enough water to cover the mixture. Place a sheet of baking paper over the surface, then cover with the lid. Turn setting to low and cook for six to eight hours.

 Recipe by Fiona Hammond, Nov 2023.