BOLOGNESE SAUCE/ RAGU

This is my version of a bolognese sauce, which is more of a ragu. It can be used as a traditional bolognese sauce over pasta or in a lasagne, or served with a soft and creamy polenta.

1 tbs grapeseed oil
2 onion finely diced
4 garlic cloves smashed
1 carrot finely sliced
1 celery stick finely diced
500g stewing beef (chuck, gravy, blade, skirt or brisket)
250 mls red wine (merlot)
250 mls homemade beef stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
seasoning to taste

saute onions, garlic, carrot and celery until soft and tender. remove from pan and fry seasoned beef until a golden crust forms. Remove from pan and deglaze with wine. Once the wine has reduced by half return meat to pan as well as sauted vegetables, then add stock and tomatoes. Simmer for a few hours or until meat is falling apart. Remove meat from pan and reduce sauce which meat is cool to touch. Shred meat and return to pan and serve as desired.

YOUR KIDS WILL EAT BEETROOT! - BEETROOT GLUT - MAKE BEETROOT PASTA

My son loves pasta and on the days when he wont eat i know he will eat pasta! I had some beets in the fridge that were going soft so i thought i would make beetroot pasta so that he will get some veggies at mealtime! Its a very east pasta recipe that can be dried to keep. It has a neutral flavour so kiddies wont taste the difference and can be used with any sauce you like!

3C plain flour or half plain half wholemeal (if using whole meal you may need slightly more liquid)

extra flour for dusting

2 eggs

2 medium beetroots boiled peeled and pureed

Mix all ingredients together until you have a smooth dough (if using whole meal it wouldn't be as smooth as a plain dough) you can either do this by hand in a food processor or with a dough hook on your kitchen aid. You may need to add more flour depending on your dough. Its hard to give exact measurements as all flours are different and humid days and dry days make a difference on the flour too. So go by feel and if it feels to wet add more flour and keep kneading. Give it a good knead and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. cut into manageable chunks and laminate. This is the process of running the dough (manageable sized pieces - eg a fits full) through the pasta maker at the largest setting, folding it up and running it through again several times. at first you will have a rough surface, but when it is ready to go to a lower setting you will have a beautiful smooth surface. Make sure you remember to keep dusting with flour. When you have a smooth finish keep passing through until you have the desired thickness. I like setting 2 on my machine. Once you have the thickness then choose fettuccine or spaghetti. I like fettuccine for this dough.

I like to dry the pasta on my clean clothes rack.

You can substitute beetroot for carrot or spinach.