Slow cooker best bolognese with sausages

I have cooked bolognese so many times over the years that it's hardly memorable. However, this particular time, something about the ingredients and proportions FINALLY made it right! The three secret magic ingredients are a full onion, anchovies in oil and curry powder, would you believe it!

Ingredients

2 to 3 tinned or bottled anchovies in oil

1 tbsp of the anchovy oil

1 large red union, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

500g beef mince

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp sage

2 tsp basil

1 tbsp curry powder

1 jar tomato passata

1 cup water

1 beef bullion cube (optional)

2 medium carrots, cubed

4 zuchinni, cubed

cooked 6 cumberland sausages, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

500g cooked pasta

Method

1) In the anchovy oil (top up with regular oil if more oil is required), fry the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and fry for 20 seconds.

2) Add the beef mince and fry, chopping up the chunks with your spatula. When the meat has changed colour (but not necessarily cooked through), add all the herbs. Add the sausages.

3) Add the passata and fill up the jar halfway with water, then rinse the jar and tip out the contents into the pot. Add carrots.

4) Bring to a boil and skim off any scum that floats up. Add the curry powder and bullion cube and close the lid. Allow to slow cook for 1 to 2 hours.

5) Once ready, add the zucchini and stir through until cooked (approx 5 minutes).

6) Serve with pasta.

Custard cream puff

Retried the profiterole recipe from here with an improved custard using custard powder.

Ingredients (Makes 23 to 27 puffs, each one and a half inch wide by half inch tall cream puffs)

Cream puffs

½ C water

½ C whole milk

½ C (118g) butter or 8 tbsp

¼ tsp salt

1 C flour

4 large eggs, room temp, beaten

Splash of milk (for glaze)

Custard 

5 tbsp Foster Clark's custard powder 

500ml milk

2 to 3 tbsp sugar (to taste)

Method

Make the Choux pastry

1. Combine the water and milk in a pot with the butter. Melt the butter and bring to a gentle simmer (very small bubbles appear at the edge of the pot).

2. Remove from the stove and add the flour. Using a whisk if preferred (I found it helped but was really difficult to wash), add all the flour at once and stir until well combined.

3. Return to the stove and press down the batter onto the bottom of the pot to cook off the raw flour taste. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes until a film forms at the bottom of the pot. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

4. Beat the eggs in a Pyrex measuring jug. While the dough has cooled slightly, drizzle the egg a bit at a time into the dough and stir well with a wooden spoon. It will start off as a curd and split but continue beating. A KitchenAid can be used at this point but I didn't bother due to the washing up. Pour on as much egg as needed to make a thick ribbon when the spoon is lifted. Leave a few teaspoons behind to glaze the puffs.

5. Spoon into a piping bag and use a ½" round tip. 

6. I pre-prepared my parchment by drawing 1½" rounds on the wrong side of the parchment and then turned it right side up and placed it on the cookie sheet. Ensure there is space between each for them to grow.

7. Using the drawn guides, pipe 1½" wide by 1" tall. Use a moistened finger to pat down the tips of any piped batter and to smoothen the tops if necessary. Sprinkle the rest of the water onto the parchment around the puffs. This will give it the steam to give the puffs a sudden lift.

8. With the leftover beaten egg, add a splash of milk and brush the tops of the puffs.

9. Bake at 200 deg C for 10 minutes, then turn down to 170 deg C and bake for a further 20 to 22 minutes until golden brown. Do not open the oven door ever or the puffs will collapse.

10. Once it has finished baking, turn off the oven and open the door ajar. Leave the puffs inside for 10 to 15 minutes to cool slightly and dry out.

11. Remove from the oven and remove each puff to a cooling rack to cool completely. To test if completely cooked, break one apart and it should be dry and hollow inside, not cakey and spongey. It is better to over-bake than underbake.

12. Make the custard as per instructions on the box. Cool completely in the fridge. (Easier to make this the day before)

13. Assemble puff by cutting a hole at the side of each puff or cutting off the top. Then either pipe or fill the puff with a teaspoon. Serve immediately with strawberries and dusting of icing sugar if required.

Profiteroles

Topped with 1 bar of cooking chocolate, melted over a bain marie