Recipe: Student's Basic Spag Bol

All of a sudden it seems, my little baby brother is going off the University!! Can't believe it really, he's such a numpty bless him! Me and my family werent sure whether he was going to get into Uni because his BTEC grades were a bit rubbish, but he's been accepted on a foundation degree (4 years, eep!) and is moving out on monday! This is the first time my brother actually wanted to learn a few cooking basics actually, because as we were growing up as kids I loved food and tried getting my brother into it, but he never showed any interest. Mum's taught him to cook rice and pasta, and some egg dishes (omelette and scrambled eggs and all that) and yesterday i went over and taught him how to cook spaghetti bolognese and chilli con carne. I think those are just great basic student go-to's, and mince is so cheap as well. This is the most simple, basic recipe I could teach him (as he has no cooking experience atall) with the most basic ingredients- and i honestly believe even the most kitchen-shy student could pull this one off. The mince can also be frozen in seperate portions if the student has a freezer (not completely sure whether my bro has one or not?)

Student’s Basic Bolognese (serves 4)

2 tbsp olive oil
1 white or red onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped (or a tsp of pureed garlic)
500g minced beef
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 tin chopped tomatoes
400ml beef stock (made with two beef Oxo cubes)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Sugar salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Grated parmesan on top

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil, covered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes- or until the onions are soft and beginning to brown.
2. Add the minced beef, a little salt and pepper, and mixed herbs, and cook on a high temperature for 10 minutes, stirring often, until well browned.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, stock and Worcestershire sauce, and cook for a further 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season to taste and serve!

*When cooking the pasta, it’s about 125g dried pasta per person