I don't know whether it is strictly a Bolognese sauce, but I make this with ingredients largely from the garden. It is a way to use up the glut of courgettes and tomatoes. I use tinned tomatoes if it's a poor season (like last year). What follows may seem long, but it is easy, if a bit messy!
In a large frying pan, medium heat:
- Olive oil
Pile of shallots (diced)
Red, yellow and/or green bell pepper(s) (diced)
Fry until shallots turn translucent, then add:
- Pile of mushrooms (diced)
Continue frying until mushrooms cook through, then add:
Stir briefly and take off the heat.
Meanwhile, in a big saucepan:
- Big pile of tomatoes (quartered)
Big pile of courgettes (roughly diced)
Carrots (diced) as well if you like; I don't bother with carrots
Drop of water (just enough to get the cooking started)
Splash of olive oil
Marjoram/oregano and basil (roughly cut up)
Vegetable stock cube or two (crushed) or marmite or bovril
Boil until softened and reduced to a thickish sauce.
Liquidise with a handheld liquidiser (very useful implement!) and add:
- The fried ingredients
Milled pepper
Salt to taste
Optionally liquidise and add:
Bring back to the boil and simmer, with added water if necessary, for half an hour or so, stirring occasionally and until the sauce is the desired thickness.
Leave overnight - this is important: letting it 'marinate' causes the flavours to mature.
Reheat to boiling and spoon, including the bay leaves, into preheated jars (big jam jars or old pasta sauce jars), seal, allow to cool, and then store in the fridge until needed.
This is the basic sauce, which can be used for a variety of different tastes. To prepare a sauce for a meal:
- Fry up your meat (minced lamb, beef, etc) and/or veg (more onions, peppers, mushrooms, whatever) in a frying pan, add some of your chilled sauce, removing any bay leaves, and enough water to make the sauce liquid, and heat/simmer until the sauce is as thick as you want it.
I've been deliberately vague about the quantities because I don't have set quantities/ratios, it depending on what is available, and you may have or want more of some ingredients and less of others anyway. As there is no meat in the stored sauce, there is much less danger of getting anything toxic from it.
