In a recent survey, the traditional roast was voted the most popular meal in the UK and Spaghetti Bolognese came a close second.

Well here at Wyatt’s Butchers we’ve got the traditional ‘Sunday’ roast covered with a fantastic selection of beef, pork, lamb, chicken (as well as a few more unusual choices). When it comes to Spaghetti Bolognese there are so many different recipes, so Mrs Wyatt thought we’d let you know about our oven cooked version which delivers a great depth of flavour and because the wine cooks away it’s a perfect meal for kids as well.

Ingredients

  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 rashers of dry-cured smoked streaky bacon , sliced into 10mm squares
  • 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary , leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic , peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 onion , peeled and finely chopped
  • 500g of quality / prime British beef mince
  • 200 ml red wine
  • 1 x 280 g jar of sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 x 400 g tins of plum tomatoes

You’ll also need

  • 500 g dried spaghetti
  • Parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4. Put a casserole pan on a medium heat, add a splash of olive oil then cook the bacon, rosemary, garlic and onion for about five minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the mince and break apart any lumps with a wooden spoon. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until starting to brown then pour in the red wine.
  2. Let that bubble away while you drain and blitz the sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor. Add them to the mince with the tinned tomatoes. Stir well and break the plum tomatoes apart a little. Cover with a lid then cook in the oven for an hour.  After 30 minutes, remove the lid and if it looks a little dry, add a splash of water to help it along.
  3. About 10 minutes before the time is up, cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions. Drain, then return the spaghetti to the hot pan with a few spoons of Bolognese, a good grating of Parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Mix it about to coat the spaghetti and to stop it becoming sticky, loosening by adding back a splash of the cooking water if needed. Serve the spaghetti onto plates or bowls, add a generous spoonful of extra Bolognese to each one then shave over a little Parmesan before serving.  Enjoy!