Bolognese Puffs

Whoever said food is just food is either dull and uncreative or never had anything besides spaghetti-in-a-can. Nothing is a 'just'. No one is a 'just'. Food and people are exactly the same. What we are on the inside, we create and express to the external. Art, music, stories are no different from cooking.

So I salute all you food bloggers out there. You and your best friend - the camera.

My copy of Donna Hay finally arrived in the mailbox. I particularly enjoyed their osso busco recipe which I've adapted into ragu - Italian tomato-based meat sauce. It's hearty, wholesome and 'hmmm-so-good-for-the-soul'. Now, the twist to this is that you can have it in many ways. I've put it together with puff pastry and it's absolutely delicious! I couldn't wait to get it into my mouth. Which unfortunately did very little good to my mouth. :(

Home-Made Bolognese Sauce
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• olive oil
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 800g mince
• plain flour, for dusting
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 1 can chopped tomato
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• sea salt

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat.
2. Add garlic, cook until fragrant and then add the onions. Stir till onions are slightly transparent and then remove from pan.
3. Add olive oil and increase heat to high.
4. Dust the mince in flour and cook until brown. Add the onion and garlic back in the pan.
5. Gradually add the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 - 2 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.
6. Add tomatoes, paste, water, bay leaves, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
7. Leave to cook until sauce is thick (approximately an hour).

To assemble: You need one sheet of puff pastry. Cut it into half. Add ragu on one side of pastry. Fold it. Seal it by pressing down the edges with a fork. Brush some milk on it and put it in a preheated oven of 180C for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, be careful, as it will be very hot, and sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top. Return the puffs in the oven and bake for another 5 - 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.