Slow Cooked Beef Ragu

To make the Italian Tomato Sauce:

Heat the olive oil in a medium/large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a low heat until onion softens, stirring regularly.

Add garlic and cook a further minute. Pour over Wattie's Tomatoes Chopped in Juice and add Gregg's Rubbed Sweet Basil, Gregg's Rubbed Oregano, balsamic vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir while bringing the sauce to the boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook for 30 minutes with the lid off, stirring occasionally making sure the sauce does not reduce too much. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning adding a little extra salt and black pepper if wished. When cooked it will make approximately 2 and ½ cups of sauce.

To make the Beef Ragu:

Preheat the slow cooker on low. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan. Brown the beef cheeks over a high heat. Remove them from the pan and place into the slow cooker. Reduce the pan heat. Add the celery and carrot and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Stir in Wattie's Tomato Paste.

Add the red wine and allow to boil and reduce by a third. Pour over the Italian Sauce. Stir and bring to the boil. Pour sauce into the slow cooker over the beef cheeks. Cover. Cook for 7-8 hrs until the meat is very tender and pulls apart easily.

Once the meat is cooked remove it from the sauce. With 2 forks pull it into small pieces. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the meat but still pourable. If necessary thin with a little water. Add the meat back into the sauce. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper if necessary. Serve over Pappardelle pasta. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and a little grated Parmesan if wished.