Vegetable Bolognese

Makes 4 good portions

3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped

3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 small onion, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves
Olive oil

1/2 cup red wine
200g mushrooms
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can of tomatoes, whole, crushed, chopped or passata.

fresh herbs - thyme, rosemary, bay or just parsely
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
salt and pepper

Chop the carrots, celery, onion, pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Fry the chopped vegetables in the olive oil in a large pan until soft. 

Either chop the mushrooms roughly by hand or in the food processor depending on how you like them today.  

Deglaze the pan with the red wine then add the rest of the ingredients.  Bring to a boil the reduce to a low simmer and cook until thick and delicious - 30 minutes to an hour.  Remove any whole herbs.

Serve over pasta with lots of parmesan of course!

Apple Lemon Curd

450g Apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed lemons (you need 100ml strained juice)
125g unsalted butter
450g granulated sugar
4–5 large eggs, well beaten (you need 200ml beaten egg)

Makes 5 x 225g jars

Put the chopped apples into a pan with 100ml water and the lemon zest.  Cook gently until soft and fluffy, then either beat to a puree with a wooden spoon or rub through a nylon sieve.

Put the butter, sugar, lemon juice and apple puree into a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. As soon as the butter has melted and the mixture is hot and glossy, pour in the eggs through a sieve, and whisk with a balloon whisk. If the fruit puree is too hot when the beaten egg is added, the egg will "split". Check the temperature with a sugar thermometer — it should be no higher than 55–60C when the egg is added. If your curd does split, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously until smooth. Stir the mixture over a gentle heat, scraping down the sides of the bowl every few minutes, until thick and creamy. This will take 9–10 minutes; the temperature should reach 82–84C on a sugar thermometer. Immediately pour into jars and seal.

Use within four weeks. Once opened, keep in the fridge.