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Here in the Anarchist restaurant we specialise in the cheap and cheerful. At this time of year people are often faced with a surplus of basil. One way to use up your basil is making pesto another is to make up a good store of ragu or Italian sauce. This is how to make a good batch of Neapolitan sauce which differs from Bolognese in having more vegtables especially basil and tomato (more reasdily available in the south of Italy with its warmer climate).
To make a really flavouful sauce it's best not to take short cuts. First make your soffrito. You'll need -
3 Large onions
4 medium carrots
A half cup of chopped Lovage leaves (substitute celery but use more)
1 large red capsicum
A handful of parsley
A desertspoonful of chopped garlic (more or less to taste)
As much basil as you want stripped off the stalk, (flower and leaf, a large soup bowl full)
Dice finely by hand. Melt 50 gms. of butter into a good splash of olive oil in a large wok on a modest flame, don't burn, if it gets too hot take it off and let the butter melt in its own time. put all the vegtables in and mix constantly with wooden spoons over a high flame until warmed through. Then put on a low heat and cover with a lid, using a heat diffuser if neceassary to prevent burning. Stir occasionaly.
While that's cooking, put a couple of tins of diced tomato into a frypan with a cup of red wine and cook until reduced to a sludge. When the soffrito is cooked, (you want the onions cooked to translucent but not browned) tip into a large mixing bowel and take some of the oils from the top of the liquid to start the meat off. Put that back into the wok and cook off any water then add 1.5 kilo ground beef and four chopped rashers of good bacon. Turn the heat on full and keep stirring and turning until the meat is browned. If the meat has been overwatered by the bastards making money move the meat up the side of the wok and let the liquid collect in the bottom. You don't want to stew the meat. Either reduce to oils or if there's a lot of water ladle it out. You can put it back later. Then keep stirring the meat until it's nicely browned.
Is the tomato reduced enough? Have you added enough salt and pepper? Okay when the tomato's thick put all the ingredients together back in the wok and simmer with a lid on (and diffuser underneath if necessary) and leave for at least half an hour, BUT first check how much liquid there is. You don't want your sauce wishy washy and if you've followed the instructions it wont be. Neither do you want it too dry. So it's best at this stage to have some chicken stock or red wine handy to keep it moist.
After taste testing you can also consider adding chopped black olives, anchovies or sardines, capers, black oyster sauce etc.
This makes at least two kilo of sauce which I bag into small freezer bags of 250 grammes and pack into 2 litre icecream containers (four to a container). It's versatile, you can use it on spag, or make lasagne, have it with baked or Nuked potato or stuff a pancake. Who needs expensive take away?
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