Spaghetti bolognese

An oldie, but a goodie, to quote my mum. (note - a goodie, not a Goodie. That would be something entirely different.)

I suspect this recipe is nothing like an authentic bolognese, but hey, this is what I remember my mum making in the 1970s, and it was one of the first things I learned to cook, so this is what we have too.

Makes enough for 4-6 (depending on how greedy you are).

500g lamb mince (can be done with beef or pork too, but I like lamb the best)
one large onion, chopped
one clove of garlic, finely chopped
couple of sticks of celery, chopped
diced peppers (we had a bit of red and green pepper in this today, as that's what was left in the fridge - sometimes I also add some courgette, or carrots)
a tin of tomatoes
tomato puree - a tablespoon (I didn't use this today, as I still had some sauce left from the pizza on Sunday, which I bunged in instead)
couple of bay leaves
black pepper
dried mixed herbs (you could use thyme, oregano, basil...you choose)

Fry the mince in a hot pan until it turns brown. Add the garlic and onion, and fry until translucent. Throw in the rest of the celery and peppers, and cook until softened. Add the tomatoes (and a little extra water - rinse out the tomato can), tomato puree, bay leaves, herbs and black pepper, and heat until it bubbles. Turn down, and simmer for a while - an hour or more is perfect. It's edible after 30 minutes (especially if you use passata instead of the tomatoes, as the sauce cooks down quicker).

Eat with lots of spagetti and parmesan cheese. Twirling around the fork optional.