Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

A deliciously, healthy and hearty meal that needs to be slow-cooked to ensure a full release of flavour. Make up a batch and freeze some for those nights when you don't have time to cook.

I use extra lean mince for this bolognese to reduce the amount of fat. Not only is it kinder to the waistline but I think if the sauce is too fatty it tends to be a bit claggy and thick. I like my spag bol to be a chunky mix of veggies and mince meat but the tomato sauce must be runny. When heaped on a spoon you should be able pour it off a bit like a hearty soup.

Passata is essentially pureed tomatoes that have been strained so all the seeds and bits are removed. You can get it in the Sauce aisle in most supermarkets in 700ml jars. If you can't get Passata then canned tomatoes or even tomato paste would do the trick. If you were going to use paste then I recommend heating the tomato paste up before putting in the slow cooker to help get rid of any bitterness (see recipe). I also add a couple of fresh tomatoes for a bit (but not too much) of chunk.

I generally serve this with either Fettucine or Spaghettoni. I like using the freshest pasta I can get my hands on and sometimes we make our own (future recipe idea!). Sometimes all that is available is the highly processed stuff which does the job when you can't get anything else. I like the Barilla brand, not entirely sure why - maybe it's the blue box?! Anyway, to cook pasta I take a large pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Once the water is boiling I add a good handful of salt, the pasta always cooks better when the water is really salty. I leave the burner on high and the lid off, a good roiling boil will cook the pasta evenly and quickly. Check instructions on pack for cooking time, and test a minute or so before to see if it is done. Drain all but a couple of spoonfuls of the cooking water in the sink and return to the pot. Add a handful of Parmesan Cheese and a fleck of butter. Mix it through. The butter and cheese will mix with the water and coat the pasta causing the sauce to stick to the pasta more.

When it comes to red wine in cooking I tend to just use whatever is lying around. A bit leftover in a bottle from the weekend is easily enough for this dish, if not it's a good excuse to open one! ;) My only rule with using wine is that you should never cook with one that you are not prepared to drink. Red wine adds a beautiful warmth to this bolognese but you could also replace it with a nice chicken or beef stock and get a similar effect.

I use a slow-cooker for this because it means once the initial prep is done I can walk away and forget about it. You could use a heavy based pan on low heat on the stove or even an electric frypan that enables you to set it to a low temperature. Be sure to check on it intermittently to ensure it doesn't burn.

Now to the recipe...

Fabulous slow-cooked "Spag Bog"

Serves: Heaps!

500g extra lean preservative free beef mince
3 rashers of bacon (short cut, fat removed)
garlic to taste
4 small carrots
2 pieces of celery
1 yellow onion
1 zucchini
1/2 bottle red wine
1 bottle organic tomato passata
2 tomatoes
2 bay leaves
1 tblspn dried oregano
1 tblspn brown sugar

Garnish:
Sharp parmesan
Fresh basil leaves - washed and torn


Chop bacon, onion, celery, carrot and zucchini into small, evenly sized pieces.

Heat 1 part butter, 1 part olive oil in large heavy based pan.

Cook onions and garlic slowly until yellow and transparent - put the lid on for a couple of minutes to get it nice and steamy.

Add bacon and fry until colour changes.

Add carrots. Cook for a couple of minutes - until the onions start to turn orange.

Add celery. Cook for another couple of minutes.

Add zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until everything is heated through and bubbling.

Push veggie mix over to one side of the pan, to make room for the mince. Allow the juices from the bacon and veggie mix to drip back down to where you put the mince.

Add mince to the pan in batches and fry til colour changes. Mix through with veggies.

** If you were using tomato paste I would add it to the mix and heat through now to help reduce any bitterness.

Pour entire contents of the saucepan into a large (5.5l at least) electric slow cooker.

Pour in red wine and tomato passata.

Chop Tomatoes roughly and add to the pot.

Season with salt, pepper, bay leaves, oregano and sugar.

Stir through well.

Put lid on and cook on high for 3 hours and then on low until serving.

Serve with fresh cooked pasta and garnish with torn fresh basil leaves and grated Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!