Bolognese will be tastier and richer if you stir in 1 simple ingredient Mary Berry loves
Mary Berry's bolognese recipe transforms the classic dish with one simple addition.
A reliable bolognese recipe is essential for any home cook, and Mary Berry's approach is certain to deliver impressive results. This warming, satisfying dish works perfectly for weekday dinners, with Mary's version proving particularly delectable thanks to an ingenious cooking method.
Sharing her "delicious" recipe with the BBC, she said: "Nothing beats a hearty supper when you've worked up an appetite, and this recipe is my delicious version of one of our nation's go-to dishes. We Brits cook bolognese more than any other meat recipe, so here is how it goes." Mary advises allowing the sauce to simmer for an hour both before and after incorporating the secret ingredient, which is double cream.
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Ingredients
- 500g of pork mince
- 500g of beef mince
- 500g of passata
- 400g of chopped tomatoes
- 200ml of beef stock
- 150ml of wine
- Two chopped onions
- Two sticks of chopped celery
- One large chopped carrot
- Three crushed garlic cloves
- Three tablespoons of sundried tomato paste
- Four tablespoons of double cream
- Two tablespoons of chopped thyme leaves
- Four bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to serve
- 450g of pappadelle pasta
- Salt for the pasta water
- Parmesan cheese
- Basil leaves, to serve
Method
Start by preheating your oven to 160C/140C Fan, then heat the oil in a large pot on the hob.
Add the chopped carrots, celery and onions, cooking on a high heat for roughly five minutes, or until the vegetables begin to soften.
Brown both the pork and beef mince in the same pot over a high heat. Mary explained: "Having the two meats means you get a wonderful deep flavour, and it's what the Italians do." Should the meat clump together, simply use two wooden spatulas to break it apart and combine the ingredients thoroughly.
Once the meat has separated, add the crushed garlic and fry for approximately 30 seconds before stirring in the tomato paste and working it through the bolognese sauce.
When fully incorporated, pour in the beef stock, chopped tomatoes and passata sauce, give the bolognese a good stir and leave it to reach a gentle simmer.
At this point, add the wine, herbs, salt and pepper. Mary recommended using either white or red wine, though she personally prefers white.
While most home cooks would remove the pan from the hob at this stage, Mary's key culinary recommendation is to slow-cook the bolognese in the oven.
She said: "Most people cook bolognese on the hob, but I have a good tip that will make the most tender, deeply flavoured bolognese that you have ever tasted... It really does bring out the flavour of all the ingredients."
Let the sauce cook in the oven for one hour before adding double cream as the "secret" ingredient. Mary said: "After an hour in the oven, my secret is to make it even richer by adding in double cream. Don't worry, it doesn't curdle or anything like that, it just enriches it. What I want to end up with is a fairly thick mixture."
After the final touch has been added, place the bolognese back in the oven for another hour. Leave the lid off the cooking pot, and the meat should become beautifully fork-tender when done.
As the bolognese approaches completion, fill a large pan with salted water and bring to the boil to cook your pasta. Drain when ready, then set to one side.
Mary said, "The Italian way isn't to serve robust meat sauce with a skinny pasta like spaghetti. For the perfect pairing, choose a thicker shape like pappardelle [pasta]." Serve up the pasta and bolognese before garnishing with Parmesan cheese and basil leaves.
