Carlsberg don't make ragu, but if they did....

...Delia would definitely be behind it. I'm not a fan of Delia Smith's. I can't exactly put my finger on exactly why, but the musings on my generic dislikes of a woman I don't really know are probably best left to an entirely different post.

Feast your eyes on this baby.

This was the first time, believe it or not, that I had come across the concept of making a bolognese sauce using meat. If I hadn't tasted it before reading the recipe, I probably would have baulked at it.

My biggest problem with it isn't so much the time (because what are casseroles and slow cookers for, after all?) but rather the inclusion of chicken livers and pancetta. Who the heck has those lying around when they feel like making a bolognese sauce? Seriously.

That's why I've butchered another recipe. Don't give me that look, Delia. You lost any highground in the kitchen when you began promoting frozen mashed potato.

1 large onion
oregano
basil
black pepper
1 carton of passata (sieved tomatoes)
tomato puree
garlic puree
several garlic cloves
minced beef (I tend to use cheap frozen sachet mince)

• Finely chop the onion and fry until it begins caramelising.
• Add some finely chopped garlic (make sure it does not begin to burn, you're just aiming to kick start the release of flavours)
• Add the carton of passata, and a tablespoon or so of tomato puree. The garlic puree should go in now, just to reinforce the flavours from the fresh garlic--depending how strong you want it to be, you may wish to leave the garlic paste out.
• While this is going on, fry the beef mince until cooked. Drain the fat from it.
• Add the beef mince to the ragu mixture, and add the basil and oregano on a 1:2 ratio. (again, to taste)
• Leave to cook on a low heat until the beef breaks down. With frozen sachet beef this will be a lot sooner. If it needs a helping hand, take the blender to it. Add a few twists of black pepper.