Yum for Mum - A Cocktail and the Ultimate Bolognese

It's payback time. Well, in the very rare, non marvel universe kinda way. It's Mother's Day and we've put together two crowd pleasing favorites to serve up on the day. Heck why not after the day too??

1. Raspberry Pink Fizz

Makes 2 serves. One for her and one for you! 

90 mls gin
45 mls raspberry liqueur
45 mls lemon juice
45 mls raspberry syrup
3 drops rosewater
1 egg white
90 mls sparkling water
rose petals, to garnish (if you really wanna get in the good books)

Add the egg white to your shaker (or use any long container you can seal) and shake for 10 seconds without ice or any other ingredients. This will help you to create the feathery light foam that gives this drink its silky texture. Fill your shaker with the remaining ingredients, except the sparkling water. Add ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. We mean vigorously. This makes all the difference. 

Add ice and the sparkling water to your Gin glass and double-strain the shaker contents over the top. Garnish with a rose petal and straw. Serve up to Mum. 

2. The Ultimate Bolognese

A twist on an old favorite inspired by our travels and tastes over the years. It's a bit of a mission but you'll see it's certainly worth it. 

Makes 5 healthy serves. 

1 tbsp olive oil
700 grams (2 lbs) pork mince (higher the fat the better)
200 grams (1/2 lbs) beef mince
100 grams (¼ lb) prosciutto, ground or diced small (You can use bacon or pancetta too)
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup of button mushrooms
1/2 cup diced red onions
1/2 cup diced celery
2 medium tomatoes quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp black peppercorns and 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, coarsely ground with mortar and pestle preferably. 
100 grams of chipotle chillies in adobo sauce
1 tsp red chile flakes
3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups chicken stock (with extra in reserve)
1 28-oz can whole San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand with all juices reserved
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp red-wine vinegar
Coarse salt to taste

In a heavy stew pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over high heat and lightly brown the pork & beef in batches, seasoning with a little salt each time. Don't overcrowd the pot, which will result in pale steamed pork. But don't brown it too aggressively, either, as this will dry out the meat. It should simply lose its color and be evenly crumbled. Transfer to a tray for later. Remember to keep the fat!

In the same pot, over a medium heat, add prosciutto, vegetables, and garlic. After a few minutes, add the ground pepper and fennel, chile flakes, thyme, and bay leaf, and cook for 1 minute to extract all the flavor from the herbs and spices. 

Add the tomato paste and cook for a few minutes until it deepens in color, stirring frequently to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Deglaze by adding the red wine and scraping any browned tomato paste from pot, and cook until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add the chicken stock and canned tomatoes remembering to crush them by hand. Bring to a simmer and add the meat (and the fat!). Now add the tomatoes and sugar, taste the sauce, and adjust if more salt is necessary. Simmer for about an hour and taste regularly which is always fun. If the liquid ever evaporates to the point where the meat is not covered, add a bit more stock sparingly.

After 40 minutes, skim off some but not all of the fat (optional). Add in the chipotle chillis with making sure to stir in thoroughly. 

Remove pot from heat, and if you can find them, pick out the bay leaf, thyme stems if you're fussy but we think it looks better plated up like that. Taste once more for seasoning and add the vinegar to brighten the flavors.

Serve by taking the desired amount of pasta then adding the desired amount of bolognese sauce to a mixing bowl where you can quickly stir together and serve cleanly onto a fresh plate. 

There you have it. The ultimate bolognese.