Meat Midweek

SPaghetti Bolognese

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 carrot, diced

3 sticks celery, diced

2 tsp chilli flakes

80g bacon lardons

700g beef mince

1 rich beef stock cube

Thyme, rosemary

2 tblsp tomato paste

400ml red wine

2 tins chopped tomatoes

1 tblsp dijon mustard

Handful parsley, chopped

20g parmesan, including the rind

4 thick slices of sourdough bread

50g butter

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp chilli flakes

20g parmesan

Method: 

1. Heat a heavy based pot over a high heat, add your oil and allow it to get hot. Add your mince and break it up, allow it to brown heavily all over. Reduce the heat under the pot

2. In the same pot, add the onion, garlic, carrots, bacon, and celery and begin to colour all over.

3. Now add the thyme, rosemary, tomato paste, parmesan rind and chilli flakes and cook for a further two minutes.

4. Increase the heat and add the wine, allow to reduce to almost nothing. Then add the chopped tomatoes, stockpot, and mustard and reduce to a simmer, place a lid on the pot and cook for 30 mins

5. Finish with extra seasoning and chopped parsley, and serve in the pot.

6. Add the butter to a pan, along with the chilli and garlic. Then add your sliced bread and colour on both sides, spooning the butter over as you go. 

7. Once browned, remove from the heat and cover in grated parmesan. Allow the cheese to melt slightly before removing and slicing into soldiers.

Bacon & Cabbage, Parsley sauce

Serves 4

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time 8 hours

Ingredients:

1-1.5kg unsmoked, boneless ham

1 head of York cabbage

100ml cider vinegar

60g butter

60g flour

500ml milk

50g parsley, chopped

2tblsp mustard

½ chicken stockpot

Handful capers, chopped

Lemon juice

Some boiled, peeled potatoes to appear in pack shot

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200c. Take the ham out of the fridge 30mins before cooking

2. Wrap the ham in 3 layers of tinfoil, add 1 cup of water, wrap, and place on a baking tray

3. Place in the oven at 200c for 5mins, then drop the oven to 80c and cook for 8 hours (into oven before work in the morning, or overnight)

4. Half your cabbage, and heat a large frying pan, season with salt and caramelise on the flat side, place in the oven at 200c for 5mins. Remove from the oven and clingfilm the pan, leave to sit for 10mins. Once the cabbage is soft, cut in half and serve.

5. For the sauce, warm the milk to just above hand temperature, season heavily with salt, do not boil. Reduce the vinegar in a pot until it is almost gone, add the butter and melt, followed by the flour. Cook this paste out over a high heat for 1minute until it turns blonde. 

6. While whisking, add the milk in stages until it is all used and a thickened sauce is formed. Remove this from the heat and finish with the mustard, chicken stockpot, capers, parsley and lemon juice, adjust seasoning and serve warm