Bable Bolognese

Bolognese

INGREDIENTS

•    3 garlic cloves, crushed

•    1 onion, roughly diced

•    1 cup mushrooms, roughly chopped

•    1 cup broccoli, roughly chopped

•    1 zucchini, roughly chopped

•    1 carrot, roughly chopped

•    2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

•    1–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

•    500g minced beef

•    2 tbsp tomato paste

•    680g tomato passata

•    ½ tsp dried thyme

•    ½ tsp dried parsley

•    ½ tsp dried basil

•    ½ tsp dried oregano

•    ½ tsp coconut sugar, raw sugar or brown sugar (optional)

•    Salt and pepper, to season

METHOD

1.     Blitz the garlic, onion, mushroom, broccoli, zucchini, carrot and celery in a food processor until finely chopped. (This takes seconds and helps veggies go undetected it also gives the sauce a smooth texture. You can also finely chop or grate everything by hand.)

2.     Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium–high heat. Sauté the blended veggies for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly, then add the beef and stir until browned.

3.     Stir in the tomato paste, passata and herbs. Cover with a lid, turn the heat down to medium and let the sauce simmer for 30–45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes or so. Season to taste.

4.     A few minutes before removing from the heat, stir in the sugar (if using) to balance the acidity.

5.     Serve with pasta of choice.