Spaghetti Bolognaise for Rainy Days

It’s been raining here in London all week so I decided that we all needed a nice big plate of comforting spaghetti bolognaise.
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The pasta was so easy to make. Plus it gave me the chance to use my dusty pasta machine!
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Pasta Recipe
Source: Rachel Allen
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Ingredients:
200g strong white flour or 00 pasta flour, plus extra for dusting
Salt
2 Eggs
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1. For the fresh pasta sift the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt into a bowl. Whisk the eggs together in separate bowl, then make a well in the centre of the flour and add half of the egg. Mix into a dough using your hands, adding the remainder of the egg if you need it.
2. The pasta should just come together but shouldn’t stick to your hands – if it does, add a little more flour. Knead in the bowl for a few minutes until smooth and then cover with cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes – 1 hour to relax. (It will keep for about two days in the fridge.)
3. The dough can also be made in an electric food mixer or food processor, again being careful not to make it too wet.
4. Divide the dough into quarters and, using a rolling pin, roll out one piece at a time on a floured work surface into a very thin sheet. You can use a pasta machine, working a piece of dough at a time through the machine, starting with the widest setting and ending with the narrowest. You should be able to read the headline print on a newspaper through the pasta.
5. To shape by hand, roll each strip into a tube and, using a sharp knife, cut into slices 5mm wide for tagliatelle, 3mm for fettucine or 1.5cm for pappardelle or feed through a pasta machine at the correct setting.
6. Once cut, unroll the strip and let it run through your fingers to separate the strands. Use immediately or allow to dry – when the pasta is completely dry (anything from an hour to a day depending on room temperature) store in an airtight box or plastic bag for up to 3 days.
7. When you are ready to cook the pasta, fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a fast, rolling boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and drop in the pasta, stirring well. Cover the saucepan with a lid and cook for 1–2 minutes, depending on the thickness of the pasta.
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Mrs Hackneys Recipe for Bolognaise Sauce
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1 x Large Pack of minced beef (or use 2 smaller packs)
1 Pack of Bacon Lardons (or you could use 6 rashers of smoked bacon, chopped)
2 tbsp olive oil or sun-dried tomato oil from the jar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 ½ large onions, chopped1 cup of red wine
1 x carton of tomato pastasa
2 x cans chopped tomatoes
A splash of balsamic vinegar
Button Mushrooms, cut into thick slices
2 dried bay leaves
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme drizzle balsamic vinegar
1 pack of sun-dried tomato halves, in oil, chopped
Salt and pepper
Fresh basil leaves
Parmesan cheese, to serve
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1. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the bacon until golden over a medium heat. Add in the onions and garlic, until starting to soften. Turn up the heat and add in the minced beef.
2. Pour in the cup of wine and boil until it has reduced in volume by about half. Reduce the temperature to medium / low and stir in the tomatoes, pasata, mushrooms, bay leaves, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, thyme and balsamic vinegar.
3. Cover with a lid and simmer over a gentle heat for 2 hours until it's rich and thickened.
4. Add freshly torn basil 2 mins before serving and sprinkle with Parmesan.
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Mrs Hackneys Notes:
* Sun-dried tomatoes can be found with the olives, dips, hummus etc in Sainsburys. You can also get them in jars but they tend to be more expensive.
* I freeze leftover wine so that I can add it to sauces etc without having to open a bottle.

* The dough is really hard to knead so I only kneaded it for 5 minutes and it turned out fine!
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Enjoy :-)