Spaghetti Bolognese

The secret of a real bolognese ragout is the long, slow cooking: this is what makes the sauce deep, rich and velvety. Do not rush it – patience pays off here. Serve it with grated cheese on top.

For the ragout:

1. Chop the 1 onion, the 1 carrot and the 1 celery stalk very finely, and sweat them slowly in the 2 tablespoons of oil.

2. Add the 600 g of minced beef, and fry it through thoroughly, until crumbly.

For the sauce:

3. Pour in the 400 g of tomatoes and a little water, salt and pepper it.

4. Over a low heat, uncovered, cook it long (for at least 1 hour), stirring occasionally, until it thickens.

For serving:

5. Cook the 400 g of spaghetti in plenty of salted water al dente, then drain it.

6. Toss it with the sauce, and serve it sprinkled with the grated 100 g of cheese.

Tip: The longer the ragout cooks, the richer it is – if you have time, over 2 hours it develops a really deep flavour.