This loaded version of my standard bolognese recipe is great when you need to feed your family veggies that they don’t particularly want to eat. My hungry husbae loathes baby marrow/courgette/zucchini and I am usually left to eat them on my own but not anymore! I have now learnt the masterful art of deception and grate them into our food. Basically if it’s too small for him to see or pick out he can’t do anything about it. HaHAHAhHAHAAhAaH

Ingredients:

• 250g Mince (Beef or Ostrich)
• Oil
• ½ onion, chopped
• 1-2 small cinnamon sticks
• 1 TB Amina’s garlic/red chilli paste
• 1 tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Fresh basil, optional
• 1 Tin chopped tomatoes or 3 fresh tomatoes, blended
• 1 TB tomato paste (optional, thickens the mixture)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Cheese, grated for sprinkling over
• Any veggies that you can grate (I used carrots and courgettes).

Method:

1. In a pot, add 30ml of Oil, then on medium heat sauté the chopped onion, cinnamon sticks and dried herbs. The cinnamon gives the meat a sweet aroma.
2. Add the mince and brown until all liquid has dried up then add the garlic/chilli paste.
3. Add the tomatoes and cook on low heat until the sauce has reduced a little bit. It should not be watery but tomatoey goodness. Tomato paste will help thicken but is optional; if you don’t have tomato paste you can use 1 TB of tomato sauce. Add in your grated veggies and allow to cook.
4. Once the meat and veggie mixture has reduced and most of the water has evaporated, adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
5. If you want to add fresh basil, add it now.
6. Serve with your choice of pasta and a generous sprinkling of cheese and a side salad.