Bolognese with peppers

Ingredients for 8 servings:

• 1 kg minced beef
• 250 g diced ham or bacon
• 500 g onion(s), diced
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped, or more if desired
• 4 chili peppers, dried, finely chopped
• 100 g tomato paste
• 500 ml red wine, dry
• 600 g carrot(s), diced
• 1 kg bell pepper(s), mixed, diced
• 600 g celeriac, diced
• 200 g leek, cut into rings
• 1 kg tomatoes, pureed
• 1 ½ liters of meat broth, strong
• Olive oil, for frying
• 3 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 2 tsp salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 40 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 40 minutes

I replaced some of the tomatoes with peppers

Brown the ham cubes in a little olive oil in a pan. When they are browned, transfer them to a large pot. Then, brown the minced meat in batches in the pan. Fry the minced meat in “slabs” on one side. When that side is browned, flip it over and let the other side brown. Only then, gradually break up the pieces with a spatula. This prevents the meat from absorbing water and boiling instead of frying. Once it is crumbly, add it to the pot with the bacon. Sauté the onions in the frying fat until browned. After a while, add the garlic cubes and chili. When the onions are browned, add the tomato paste and let it cook a little. Deglaze everything with the red wine, bring to a boil, and add the meat. Now add the meat broth, carrots, bell peppers, celery, leeks, and passata to the pot, bring everything to a boil, and then simmer over low heat for about 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Add the spices one hour before the end of the cooking time. By the end, it will be a smooth mixture, and you’ll need to stay with it and stir it constantly to prevent it from burning. I developed this recipe because some members of my family don’t like tomatoes. They don’t have a noticeable taste in this Bolognese, and everyone loves it. I filled this Bolognese into 250 ml jars and cooked them at 100 degrees Celsius for 75 minutes. It yielded 13 jars, but I only specified 8 servings, as you might need seconds.