6
Easy
30 minutes
6-8 hours
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a high heat and sear the brisket all over. Remove the brisket and reduce the heat. Add the carrots, celery, onions, leeks, bay leaves, thyme and oregano. Cook until soft and golden.
Return the brisket to the pan and add the tomato paste, tomatoes, garlic and beef stock. Cover and simmer for 6–8 hours, or until very tender.
Remove the brisket from the sauce. Remove the extra fat and shred the meat. Return to the pan and coat with the sauce.
Toss with the pasta and season to taste. Serve with the Parmesan.
Chef's note: What you've been calling "spag Bol" all these years, is in fact spaghetti incorrectly served with a meat ragù (meat slow-cooked with veg) that originated in Bologna. A proper ragù Bolognese needs a wider noodle like fresh pappardelle or tagliatelle, or a more robust shape like penne or rigatoni. An authentic meat ragù also has very little tomato and starts with the soffrito-diced onions, celery and carrot sautéed slowly in olive oil until fragrant.
Nota bene: Slow-cooking your onions means you'll never have to add sugar to a sauce again.
