The joys of British veal!

I know I've spent time on this blog before extolling the virtues of British veal but I'm going to harp on about it one more time. If anyone shops through Ocado its often in the 3 for £10 meat offer so its great value. Not only does it taste wonderful but it is an industry we really want to keep alive in the UK as otherwise dairy calves won't get to live past day one and people will only have the option of continental veal if they want it.

I've shared my favourite mince recipe before but this was such a delicious meal I felt it warranted another one! The recipe came out of us running low on food (as often happens towards the end of the month). It means this contains lots of store cupboard staples and can be knocked up at fairly late notice.

British veal and free range pork mince

400g British veal mince (if you can't get British veal please use beef instead of any continental options)
400g free range pork mince
Large white or two red onions, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, crushed or finely chopped
Coconut (or olive oil) for frying
2 x 400g tins of tomatoes
Good squirt of tomato puree
Roasted red peppers, sliced (as usual I use the jarred ones but feel free to make your own or use fresh if you have them in)
Dried chilli, oregano and basil
Bay leaf or two
Salt and pepper

Fry the onions and garlic in the oil until soft, add the mince and fry off (in batches if your pan isn't big enough to fit it all at once).
Add the herbs and spices followed by the tomatoes (swilling out the tins with a bit of water), tomato puree, and sliced peppers.
Allow to cook down until most of the liquid is absorbed and the meat is tender.
Taste and adjust for seasoning - feel free to add more chilli or herbs at this point too.

I served mine with a brown basmati, red camargue and wild rice mix topped with a dollop of goat's cheese and dried chilli. It would be equally good with a baked sweet or normal potato, quinoa or pasta.