Food

Didn't someone post something a few days ago?

Basic would be onion, garlic, tomato, some sort of protein, maybe some liquid like stock / wine, herbs if you want.

The method is always going to be pretty similar - sweat the veg, maillard the meat, deglaze the pan, simmer as you like.

Other veg could be carrot, fennel, aubergine. Parsley, basil for herbs. And sort of meat for mince.

Basic Jamie Oliver sauce I always have bags of in the freezer

500g each of fatty pork and beef mince pre-roasted in the oven for 20 minutes
Frozen sofrito mix fried till golden then add some tom puree
2 cans of tomato product (plum, chopped, polpa all work)
1 can of water
Some wine
Some dried herbs
Seasoning to taste

Combine and simmer for c. 1.5-2 hours till it's a consistency you like.

I've said it before on here, but to my mind the most important thing is buying proper aged beef mince from a good butcher. You want somewhere that specialises in fancy long-aged steaks, because the mince is then made with all the offcuts and trimmings of that, which means it has intensely beefy flavour and this massively elevates any bolognese recipe (and any other mince recipe, to be honest). I'm sure there are plenty of good butchers, but the two i can vouch for the mince from are Turner and George in Angel and Proud Sow in Crofton Park.

Jacob Kenedy (Bocca di Lupo) had a recipe in his book geometry of pasta that came out a while ago that has been very reliable for me over the years, available here

You could replace the low simmer with a low oven which would probably be easier

Ragù bolognese
Serves 8

minced pork 500g
minced veal (or beef) 500g
chicken livers 100g, finely chopped (optional)
carrot 1 (200g)
celery 2 sticks (200g)
onion 1, medium (200g)
garlic cloves 4
butter 100g
extra virgin olive oil 60ml
pancetta 100g, not smoked, cut in strips
white wine 375ml
milk 600ml
chopped tinned tomatoes 400g
beef or chicken stock 250ml (optional, otherwise 250ml more milk)

It is worth having a butcher mince the meats coarsely (8mm), for the improved texture.

Peel and dice the carrot, dice the celery, chop the onion and slice the garlic. Take a very wide frying pan (30cm), and melt the butter in the oil over a medium heat. Add the vegetables and pancetta along with a good pinch of salt and sauté for 10-15 minutes until softened.

Increase the heat to high and add the meat in four or five additions, allowing time for any water to evaporate, stirring and breaking up any lumps with a spoon. After the last addition, wait until the pan starts to splutter slightly, then decrease the heat to medium and fry, stirring occasionally, until the meat has browned with a fair proportion of crispy bits – about 15-20 minutes.

Deglaze with the wine, then transfer to a saucepan along with the milk, tomatoes and stock as well as a good grinding of pepper and more salt to taste.

Cook at a very gentle simmer, uncovered, for about 4 hours until the sauce is thick, more oil- than water-based (add a little stock or water if it dries too much or too quickly). When ready, the liquor will be as thick as double cream and, stirred up, the whole should be somewhat porridgy. Adjust the seasoning one last time.

The addition of bay and/or dried chilli flakes along with the meat is heretical, but not displeasing.

Marcella Hazan recipe. It's the best. But takes ages. I always make big batches and then freeze.
https://theirreverentkitchen.com/2016/02/28/the-classic-bolognese-sauce-marcella-hazans/
Plus add some chopped rosemary and lemon zest to your parmesan.

The Italian Government recently published clear instructions on how to make a traditional ragu.

From the website of Accademia Italiana della Cucina (Italian Academy of cooking)