Name: John Torode's meat ragu recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 2 h 45 min
Yield: Serves: 4
Ingredients: 1kg mince; 200ml red wine; 60ml vegetable or olive oil; 2 large onions, diced; 2 garlic cloves, crushed; Salt and pepper; 3 bay leaves; A good shake of dried herbs, but not a lot; 3 x 400g cans plum tomatoes; 20g tomato paste

By John Torode

published 15 January 2012

in Recipes

You can't go wrong with this easy, hearty ragu recipe which John Torode learned he was eight - from an Italian!

Ingredients

1kg mince
200ml red wine
60ml vegetable or olive oil
2 large onions, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Salt and pepper
3 bay leaves
A good shake of dried herbs, but not a lot
3 x 400g cans plum tomatoes
20g tomato paste

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Method

Take the meat and massage the red wine into it so that the mince absorbs it.
Heat a big, heavy pan. Add the oil and onions and cook gently (or sweat) until translucent. Add the garlic, a good amount of ground pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Stir and stir until the garlic starts to give off a fragrant aroma.
Add the meat and herbs and continue cooking and stirring for a few minutes, until the meat starts to get a little colour.
Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, stirring every half an hour or so. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.
Serve with any pasta or gnocchi.

Top Tip for making John Torode's meat ragu

Try to avoid supermarket mince as it’s frozen to mince it in huge quantities and cooks like chicken pellets - instead buy mince from a good butcher. A good ragu needs fat to keep it moist and full flavoured. Make lots and store it in the freezer for a rainy day.

John Torode is one of the UK's most well known celebrity chef, having been a judge on popular television cooking shows, Masterchef, Celebrity Masterchef and Junior Masterchef for over ten years. Originally from Australia, John began his cooking career at 16 years old after leaving school to attend catering college. By 1991, he had moved to London where he soon began working at the famous restaurant, Le Pont de la Tour and Quaglinos as a sous chef and was where he met his fellow co-host Greg Wallace. John was shortly after approached by ITV This Morning in 1996 and continued the role til 2000. By 2005, Masterchef was relaunched on BBC with Torode and Wallace as the presenters and by 2011, the show was sold to over 25 countries. Alongside this, John has created 11 successful cook books and has had many of own series including John Torode's Australia, John Torode's Argentina, A cook abroad, John Torode's Malaysian Adventure, The Korean Food Tour and many more. At the heart of all Johns food is simplicity and family. He said his nanna's cooking was one of things inspired him to be a chef and even though the food she cooked was simple, it was always full of flavour and delicious. He best remembers her for her awesome cauliflower cheese, her caramel slice and apple tea cake. While we might not have the recipe for John's nanna's recipes, we do have plenty of his recipes designed for indulgent but easy homecooking.