Spicy Vegetarian Bolognese

I tried for ages to come up with a veggie bolognese sauce that tasted just as good (if not better) than my meat one. I finally settled on the one shown below, which I hope all you veggies and carnivores alike will relish. The dried porcini mushrooms are vital for giving it that earthy, depth of flavour - sadly lacking from most vegetarian bolognese sauces I've tasted (and made). The sherry or marsala works well with this also adding to the depth of flavour. The chilli just helps to give it an extra bit of zing.

Shopping list:
2 medium red onions; 2 medium carrots; 3 celery stalks (with leaves); 1kg winter squash or sweet potato; 150g chestnut or flat mushrooms; 50g dried mushrooms - preferably porcini; 1 litre jar of passata (or 2 tins of plum tomatoes); a big squirt of tomato puree; one small glass sherry or marsala (optional); a big pinch of dried oregano; 3 fat cloves of garlic, crushed; 1 hot fresh chilli (optional); salt and black pepper; a big glug of olive oil.

Method:
Soak the dried mushrooms in warm water until plumped up - strain, reserving the liquor. Finely dice all of the vegetables, including the strained, rehydrated mushrooms. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pan - sautee the onions, celery and carrots over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the onions are soft, but not browned. Add the garlic, chilli, dried oregano, squash and mushrooms and cook for a further 10 minutes. Turn up the heat, then pour in the sherry or marsala and cook until most of it has evaporated, then add the passata or tomatoes, the puree and around half of the mushroom liquor. Stir well together and season with salt and black pepper. Put a lid on the pan, turn down the heat and simmer gently for about an hour until the bolognese is thick and unctuous. You can do this on the hob or in a moderate oven.

Good served with wholewheat spaghetti and grated parmesan, or mixed through cooked penne or fusilli, popped into an oven proof dish, topped with cheese and finished-off in a moderate oven for about 20 minutes. The sauce also freezes well.