This is a family favourite and a great easy recipe to make for visitors. It’s a slightly different take on a Bolognese, and the pork mince and pancetta give this dish a lovely Italian flavour.
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Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
100g piece pancetta (diced into small cubes)
Mirepoix: 1 small onion, 1 small carrot and 1 stick celery (all finely diced)
500g pork mince
¾ cup white wine
140g tomato paste
200ml water
2 tsp Massel chicken stock powder
400ml water extra
3 tsp Massel chicken stock powder
4 sage leaves finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp sugar
½ cup freshly grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese
350g pasta
¼ cup pasta water
2 tsp butter
Drizzle of olive oil
Method:
Bolognese:
Heat the oil and butter in a frypan on medium heat until the butter is melted then add the diced pancetta. Stir for a few minutes until the pancetta is slightly brown then add the mirepoix and sage and sauté for 5 minutes on a low heat (you just want to sweat the vegetables, not brown them).
Turn the heat up to high and add the pork mince in two batches, breaking up the meat and browning the meat in each batch. You will notice water comes out of the meat first then when it browns it turns to more of an oily juice, then it’s time to add the white wine and simmer to reduce the liquid by half (around 4 to 5 mins).
Mix the tomato paste with 200ml of water and 2 tsp of Massel chicken stock powder and add to the meat mixture. Simmer again on a medium/low heat for around 5 mins (this takes the rawness out of the tomato paste and adds a better flavour).
Add the extra 400ml of water mixed with 3 tsp of Massel chicken stock powder, sugar, half the chopped parsley and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour covered, with the lid slightly ajar.
Pasta:
Bring a large pot of water to the boil, making sure to add some salt to the water. Cook pasta as directed. When cooked, drain the pasta and keep some of the pasta water.
Return the pasta to the same pot, pour a little of the reserved pasta water (around ¼ cup) in with the pasta then add half the Bolognese sauce and 2 tsp of butter and toss through, coating the pasta for a few minutes.
To finish, drizzle with a little olive oil.
Serve on a platter or in individual bowls, topped with the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with the grated pecorino cheese and garnish with the rest of the parsley.
Deb’s tips:
Start with a clean surface and chop all your ingredients first.
Pork mince gives a lovely flavour to this Bolognese and is a nice change from using beef mince. You can substitute pork mince for chicken mince if you like or use a combination of both. Chicken thigh mince is preferred to breast mince, as breast mince can be a bit too dry for this recipe.
Mirepoix is simply finely diced onion, celery and carrot and is the base to a great deal of dishes such as soups, casseroles and of course some pasta sauces. This basic technique is loved by Italians and the French, and adds a lovely subtle flavour to the dishes.
You can use bacon instead of pancetta if you like; however, pancetta gives the Bolognese a delicious flavour.
I like using Massel chicken stock powder, but you can use a liquid stock (such as Campbell’s) or another brand of stock powder.
Using tomato paste instead of tinned tomatoes or passata makes this recipe a lighter, more stocky, but very flavoursome Italian-style sauce.
Instead of sage you can use oregano, thyme or marjoram — or add a bit of some or all of them. Just use a couple of sprigs of each, take the leaves off and chop them finely or add the whole sprigs and take out the woody stems once the sauce is cooked.
This recipe was made with San Remo Elbows. One of my favourite pastas, which is also great for this recipe, is Barilla Spaghettini n.3 (cooks in 5 mins).
Cooking columnist