Cooking Series Part 1 – Beef Bolognese

I have loved cooking ever since I first recreated a simple pasta, meat & cheese dish I saw on TV, that was about 13 years ago, since then I have cooked for myself, my friends & family, and I have created my own recipes, some new and some are simply my own takes on existing recipes, or trying to recreate dishes I have enjoyed in restaurants.

I was recently complimented on some of my recipes, and my friends asked me to write up some of my recipes on my blog, so I decided to share my cooking genius or insanity with the world!  This is the first in what will become a series of mine around cooking.

My first Recipe will be Beef Bolognese.

Ingredients:

Step 1: Gather together all your ingredients.

Step 2: Chop up all of the vegetables and the chorizo. How finely you chop up the ingredients, depends on how you like it. Personally I like them chopped up real small, and it helps hide the veg when you are making it for young kids, like my nephews!

 

 

Step 3: When you are nearly finished with the chopping, put some olive oil in your pan and turn the heat to a low high setting (ie 5 on a 6 scale dial).

 

Step 4: Place all of the chopped ingredients into your pan and cook them until they are all cooked through and have reduced in size – by about a third.

Step 5: Make a whole in the centre of the pan, and place your mince there, allowing it to cook in the hottest part of the pan. Cook the mince until it has all browned, constantly break up the mince with your spatula, which will leave you with a smoother finished product.

Step 6: When the mince is almost completely browned off, start to mix it with rest of the ingredients in the pan.

Step 7: Now add your seasoning, the Paprika, Basil & Oregano. Make sure you mix them through thoroughly. How much you use is up to you, I like plenty 😉

Step 8: Next add the 3 Cheese Triangles, as well as the Tomato Paste and mix through well, before making a hole in the centre of the pan.

 

 

Step 9: Empty the tin of tomatoes into the pan, break them up and then allow them to reduce by about a third, before you mix them through with the rest of the ingredients on the pan.

 

Step 10: Add the chopped up cheddar, allow it to melt slightly, then mix it through the rest of the dish. Then add the Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Brown sauce and Sweet Chili and mix through. How much you use is totally up to you, but they do add some great flavour to the dish.

Step 11: Next add in the frozen peas and sweetcorn, and mix them through. Penultimately, turn the heat don to a low-high heat (2 on a 6 scale dial), and allow the bolognese to reduce, which will intensify the flavours.

Step 12: Plate up the bolognese, add whatever sides you like: pasta is a classic, but if you want something a little different, rice or boiled baby potatoes are also a really nice alternative, and so tasty! I chose this time to just eat the bolognese with some lovely brown bread.

Step 13: ENJOY!!!

I hope you try this recipe, and I really hope that you enjoyed the dish.
I have 2 more recipes that are ready to go and they will be published over the next 2 weeks, keep coming back and you won’t be disappointed, I hope 😉