I had a text from my sister this afternoon asking for my lasagne or spaghetti bolognese recipe.  It’s quite an exciting thing for me to be able to rattle off such a familiar recipe that my mum taught me to make from such a young age.

I can’t take all the credit for my love of cooking and food, it all started watching my mum bake breads, cakes, biscuits and all other meals for our family.  The familiar sights and smells of our kitchen bring up such fantastic memories.

That tradition is carrying on with my son and nieces.  It is a comforting experience to watch from a youngster the creation of fantastic food.  It encourages taste development and diverse palettes.

I digress a little, now onto that famous sauce recipe

• 1 brown or yellow onion, diced
• 500g mince – beef, pork or veal
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 250g mushrooms, sliced thinly
• 400g tinned tomatoes or bottle of passata
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 250ml red wine
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Brown onion, carrot, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic in a tablespoon of olive oil over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
2. Add in the mince and brown also with the vegetables.
3. Add in the tomato paste, herbs, balsamic vinegar, sugar and stir until combined.  Pour in the tomatoes or passata and wine, stir to combine.
4. Bring to a bubble and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for around 40 minutes until vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened.  Season to taste.

This fantastic sauce can be used for pasta, lasagne, pasta bakes, parmigiana’s and anything else that takes your fancy.

It freezes beautifully.

I hope you enjoy it as much as our family does.