Ingredients
1 litre of stock (chicken or vegetable) 
130g slow cook polenta 
25g butter 
Salt 

Ingredients for the ragu 
500g beef mince  
2 tbsp olive oil 
250g frozen soffrito (or fresh carrots, celery and onions peeled and chopped into very small dice 
2 garlic cloves peeled and finely chopped 
4 tbsps tomato puree 
100ml red wine 
1 x 400g tin pulped or chopped tomatoes 
1 beef stock pot 
400ml water (fill up the empty tomato tin) 
1 tsp dried oregano  
1-2 tsp sugar 
1 bay leaf 
Freshly ground black pepper 
Salt 
2 tbsps finely grated Parmesan  

Method
Firstly you want to brown the mince over a fairly highish heat in a large pot with 1 tbsp of oil.  This step is important and should not be rushed, expect it to take at least 15 minutes. 

Take the mince out and put to one side.  Add another tbsp of oil and cook the soffritto over a medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft and translucent.  Add the garlic and cook for a minute before adding the tomato puree and cooking for a further minutes, stirring all the time.  Add the red wine and cook until the wine is boiling then add the tomatoes, stock pot, water, sugar, bay leaf and pepper and stir.  Add the mince and juices back to the pot with a tsp of salt and stir. Cook until the mixture is bubbling then turn down to a medium low so it is just bubbling a little, put the lid on and cook for 1½ hours, stirring from time to time and scraping the bottom to ensure it is not sticking. 

After an hour of the ragu cooking start the polenta.  Put the stock into a large saucepan and bring to the boil.  Reduce the heat to medium, take a whisk and start whisking the stock.  Slowly but steadily sprinkle your polenta into the stock, whisking the whole time.  Once all of the polenta has been added you don’t have to stir constantly but will need to stir often to stop it sticking and going lumpy. 

The polenta will take 30-40 minutes to cook and when it is, it should be soft and thick and the grains won't feel like individual granules but smooth and unctuous.  Take your butter and stir it through then check the seasoning. 

Check the ragu, it may need some more salt, sugar and freshly ground black pepper so check the taste and adjust if necessary - the sugar will very much depend on how acidic and sharp the tomatoes are.