RICHER RAGU

BBC chef and podcast host Tom Kerridge reveals his new way of cooking an old classic for deeper flavour

I like to think I can turn anyone who has an interest in food from an average cook into a great cook. It's all about driving flavour, which is more an approach than a way of cooking. You should think about whether you're getting the maximum flavour out of your dish, and if not, find a way to crank the volume up so it tastes as good as it can. It could be how you cook something, how and when you season the dish, what you season it with, what you serve it with, or in some cases, how little you do to fresh produce.

When it comes to cooking with mince, I've always been unsure about frying it for a meat sauce. Getting a deep colour on your meat for flavour is a must - it's good to roast it to create that depth. But, when I work with mince, simply roasting it until browned seems to fall short. Instead, I roast it until it's dark and looks like coffee granules. When you first try this and pull the meat out of the oven, you might be concerned - but trust me on this. Make my ragu or a chilli, and you'll understand what I mean by driving flavour. A simple tweak to a traditional recipe can turn a cheap, everyday ingredient into something special.

Tom’s beef ragu 

The beauty of making a big batch of this sauce it that it freezes so well and can be turned into lots of different meals at a later date (see our ideas, opposite).

SERVES 8 PREP 45 mins COOK 2 hrs 10 mins MORE EFFORT ❄

800g good-quality lean beef mince

4 star anise 

4 whole cloves