Beef Bolognese Pasta Simmered with Oat Milk

Method

1. Over medium heat, put 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a pot. Once it has melted, add 150g of smoked pork belly and cook until some fat renders out and the meat firms up.
2. Add the diced onion, celery and carrot and stir for about 1 minute, then add 2 cloves of minced garlic. Lower the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add 500g of ground beef, break it up with a spoon and mix it through the vegetables. Cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Pour in 150ml of oat milk, stir through, then lower the heat and cook for about another 10 minutes.
5. Add 250g of canned tomato, the chopped basil, 1 bay leaf and 50ml of red wine, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for about 90 minutes, then take the lid off, raise the heat to medium and cook another 30 minutes until the sauce is as thick as you want.
6. Bring a large pot of water to the boil, salt it, and cook the pasta for the time on the packet until al dente. Drain it without rinsing in cold water.
7. Turn the pasta onto plates, spoon the Bolognese over, scatter with grated parmesan cheese and serve hot.

Tips

• Parmesan is scattered at the table to taste, so it needs no weighing.
• The red wine can be left out, since the long simmer carries the depth on its own.
• A large batch of the sauce keeps in the fridge and works just as well with bread or rice.
• Fresh tomatoes in place of canned need a longer reduction.
• Oat milk runs thinner than dairy, so a few extra minutes with the lid off brings the sauce back to thick.