As promised, my most favourite dish in the whole world – a truly rich and rustic homemade Spaghetti Bolognese with Chimichurri and Sainsbury’s Garlic Bread. Come to mama!

This dish is relatively easy to prepare and makes use of dried spices available in supermarkets. My main tip is to give the Bolognese sauce some time to reduce to intensify the flavours (a trick my sister introduced me to), and give the chimichurri a go, especially if you love garlic. I first tried chimichurri on a ranch in Uruguay when travelling around South America a few years ago. Interestingly they used it as a condiment with vegetarian Spaghetti Bolognese which I was amazed at as I’d always believed it was only ever served with meats and steak. Being offered it with veggie Spag Bol was music to my then vegetarian ears and I have never looked back! I will continue to make this veganised version for the rest of my days (actual fact).

Ingredients

Rich & Rustic Spaghetti Bolognese

• 1 onion
• 5 cloves of garlic (I tend to use more!)
• Drizzle of oil
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 large carrots
• 1 tin of chopped tomatoes
• 1 red or green chilli
• Approx. 6-8 mushrooms (I slice mine into halves or quarters)
• Cup of frozen peas
• Half a bag of Soya Mince (I buy mine from Sainsbury’s)
• 3 tsp. of dried Italian Herb spice
• 1 tsp. each dried basil and oregano
• A couple of glugs of red wine
• Dash of red wine vinegar (optional)
• Dash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
• Handful of chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Chimichurri

• Half a small packet of parsley, chopped finely
• 3 garlic cloves, finely sliced or minced
• ½ a chilli or a whole one if you like spice as I do
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano
• Half a cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp. red or white wine vinegar

Recipe

The chimichurri is really easy to prepare – slice the parsley, chilli and garlic and mix together with the other ingredients. The spaghetti Bolognese recipe is below:

1. Finely chop the onion, garlic and chilli
2. Chop the remainder of the vegetables (celery, carrots & mushrooms) how you like them
3. Drizzle a little oil into a large pan or wok on a low heat
4. Sauté the onion first, adding the garlic and chilli two minutes later
5. Once they are starting to brown (and are smelling amazing) throw in the rest of the vegetables (except the peas) and sauté for a minute or two
6. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, soya mince and all of the spices
7. Add the red wine and vinegars
8. Now to allow the Bolognese flavours to enrich and marinade – keep stirring every minute to prevent it burning at the bottom
9. When the liquid in the Bolognese has reduced to a slightly thicker consistency (not fully as this last part happens relatively quickly, the rest of it can take a good 15-20 minutes!):
   • • Stir in the frozen peas
     • Pop your garlic bread in a pre-heated oven
     • Boil a pan of water and cook the spaghetti according to packet instructions
10. Once everything is ready, garnish with chopped basil if using and serve up with a chunk of garlic bread & the Chimichurri. And ENJOY.