I love magic mince, you can make a huge batch and then bung it in the freezer until you are ready to use it. It is so versatile you can make it into bolognaise, chilli, lasagne, cottage pie and probably loads of other things.
The basic recipie is:
1kg Lean minced beef
2 rashers of back bacon
2 onions (I prefer the frozen ready chopped stuff)
2 Garlic cloves
600 ml beef stock
A large glug of red wine (optional)
A teaspoon of thyme (fresh or dried)
Fry together the chopped up bacon, onions and garlic until the bacon is cooked and the onions are soft. Then remove them from the pan and brown the mince for about ten minutes. Add the bacon mix back to the pan with the stock and the optional red wine and simmer for 30 minutes until the mince is cooked through and the sauce has reduced down a bit.
Voila – Magic Mince.
You can freeze it like this or you can use it to make loads of other things and then freeze it if you want.
To turn it into Bolognaise – Heat through with some chopped tomatoes and some basil.
To make chilli – Heat through with some chopped tomatoes, kidney beans, chilli (fresh or powder) and some cumin.
To make into cottage pie – Add some chopped mushrooms and a tablespoon full of plain flour and heat through. Tip into an oven prrof dish and top with mashed potato. Heat in the oven for 15 minutes until the mash is golden brown on top.
To turn into lasagne – layer the bolognaise mixture with lasagne and while sauce and top with grated cheese. Heat in the oven until the cheese is all bubbly and nice.
I love having a batch of this in my freezer as I know that I am often tempted to order a take away when I can’t be bothered to cook. This helps me to make a lovely meal in super quick time.
