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Recipe: Maple Pork Bolognese

Do you know what? I realised that it’s almost the end of January and I haven’t had a plate of pasta for dinner yet. How appalling! Needless to say, it was time to change that void in my life, so I decided to work with one of the most classic sauces I know, bolognese.

Putting a few twists on the traditional, I made a big batch of this sauce this week and found the mid-winter comfort I needed. Now, it’s your turn!

What you’ll need…

1 lb ground pork

1 small yellow onion (diced)

2 carrots (diced, approx. 1 cup)

2 celery stalks (diced, approx. 1 cup)

5 cups crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup fresh parsley (finely chopped)

salt and pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Start off by cooking the ground pork in a large, deep pan on medium-high heat until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from pan and discard any excess liquid. Next, in the same pan, cook down the onion, carrot and celery with some olive oil until softened, approximately 6-7 minutes.

Return cooked pork to the pan and add the tomatoes, water and dried spices. Once the mixture starts to simmer, reduce to medium heat and let cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Add remaining ingredients and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and keep warm on stove until ready to serve.

Spoon generously on top of your pasta of choice and enjoy!

Serves 3-4

Total cook time…1 hour