Bolognese is traditionally made using minced beef however corned beef may be used instead to make a cheap and yet tasty version of this dish.  To keep the costs down further you may also consider using canned mushrooms instead of fresh mushrooms.

Serves 4
Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 35 mins

Ingredients

1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 can of corned beef
1 can of chopped tomatoes
6-8 medium sized mushrooms
100 ml red wine
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp olive oil
1 beef stock cube
salt, pepper, oregano, basil (or mixed herbs if you prefer)

Method

Fry the onion, garlic, herbs, salt and pepper in olive oil for about 5 minutes until the onion is nice and soft.  Roughly chop up the corned beef and fry with the onions for about 5-10 minutes or until it has gone quite mushy.  The corned beef won't brown like the mince you would normally use in a bolognese sauce so don't expect it to.  I like to use a little red wine at this point but this is optional.  About a third to half a cup seems about right (100ml) but don't bother to measure, just pour in a glug or two.  I used home-made red wine on this occasion (even cheaper).  Don't forget to save a glass to have with your meal!  Keep the heat up and boil off the alcohol.  Add the beef stock cube, tomato puree and can of tomatoes.  Bring to the boil, add the chopped up mushrooms then turn down and leave to simmer for about half an hour stirring at frequent intervals.

Serve with a pasta of your choice, however this is also tasty as a jacket spud filling.