Spaghetti Bolognese
Discussion
I always fry a chopped onion with 1 big or 2 small cloves of chopped garlic. Sweat it all down for a few minutes. Then add the mince and brown it off. Then add enough tinned chopped tomatoes to cover it (1-2 tins). A good squeeze of tomato puree. Then add dried basil, oregano, mixed herbs and a glug of Worcestershire sauce and leave to simmer for about an hour. Optional items to add when you are browning the mince are baacon or mushrooms if you have some lying about the fridge.
(I know its not a true bolognese recipe)
I wouldnt use spaghetti for reheating purposes as it will just turn into a large solid lump. I would use penne instead. Also it will be easier to eat.
(I know its not a true bolognese recipe)
I wouldnt use spaghetti for reheating purposes as it will just turn into a large solid lump. I would use penne instead. Also it will be easier to eat.
Edited by sherman on Monday 4th November 15:11
Mine isn't traditional, but I like it.
Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
I like to put in - chopped carrots, cherry tomatoes or even better plum cherry tomatoes.
I don't put in mushrooms, tomato puree.
Also make your own spaghetti its not hard and you can do it without the fancy machine (its easier with one though and they are about £10 now) with a rolling pin.
I always try to use the leanest mince I can get.
I don't put in mushrooms, tomato puree.
Also make your own spaghetti its not hard and you can do it without the fancy machine (its easier with one though and they are about £10 now) with a rolling pin.
I always try to use the leanest mince I can get.
Dr Interceptor said:
Mine isn't traditional, but I like it.
Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
Yours isn't traditional because you appear to use a jar of readily prepared pasta sauce in it!Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
When I can be bothered I start off like this . . .
Buy a tonne of ripe tomatoes, the tastier the better. De-skin them and put them in a large pan, in with some fresh basil leaves, and then very very gently simmer and reduce down to the required consistency. Might take a good hour or two, so be patient.
The cooking smells are amazing. . .
ETA - A decent bolognese always tastes ten times better the next day, hence I make a large quantity.
Buy a tonne of ripe tomatoes, the tastier the better. De-skin them and put them in a large pan, in with some fresh basil leaves, and then very very gently simmer and reduce down to the required consistency. Might take a good hour or two, so be patient.
The cooking smells are amazing. . .
ETA - A decent bolognese always tastes ten times better the next day, hence I make a large quantity.
Edited by Digger on Monday 4th November 16:17
shakotan said:
Dr Interceptor said:
Mine isn't traditional, but I like it.
Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
Yours isn't traditional because you appear to use a jar of readily prepared pasta sauce in it!Frying pan with oil and butter, add a chopped onion and a clove or two of garlic chopped - brown them off.
Add in your Mince, and half a dozen rashers of streaky bacon, brown till there's no pink bits left.
A good healthy squeeze of tomato puree (like half a tube), and a few twists of black pepper, and a good pinch of mixed herbs
Pour in a jar of tomato sauce, I tend to use one 'with peppers' gives a bit of bite
A good glug of red wine
Chopped button mushrooms
Allow to simmer on a low heat for 10-15 mins, which gives you time to put the home-made garlic bread in the oven, and do the pasta.
Bits that make the difference:
Good quality mince - at bare minimum use ultra lean steak mince, but butchers mince is preferred
Toss the spaghetti in butter before serving
Particularly the Lloyd Grossman ones.
Do yourself a favour - buy a slow cooker.
Asda are knocking out a 3 litre jobbie for £15, which is just the right size for a spag bog for four (freeze what you don't use):
http://direct.asda.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPQK5025W---slo...
The recipe is one I've evolved myself over time, specifically to suit the slow cooker. It's also easy to prepare, with a minimum of fuss and pans, although you will need a heavy-based frying pan with a lid.
Ingredients
3 slices fatty smoked bacon, finely diced
500g beef mince, 20% fat
1 large onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
4 cloves garlic (or more), finely chopped or crushed
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 Kallo chicken stock cube (sorry it has to be Kallo, nothing else will do)
1 small glass red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped Secret Ingredient*
Method
1. Fry off the bacon in the pan until crispy and the fat rendered. Add to slow cooker.
2. Brown off the mince in the bacon fat - in a solid block - FFS don't break it up with a spoon as it will boil. When browned on all sides, add it to the slow cooker.
3. Sweat off the onion, carrot and celery in the fat from the mince until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, give it another 5 minutes, and add everything to the slow cooker.
4. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, being sure to scrape up any crispy bits. Add that to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients, and give it a good stir.
5. Set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low, or overnight.
That's your sauce.
All who have eaten this, have said that it's the best spag bog sauce they've ever had. I think it's the combination of slow cooking which concentrates the flavours beautifully, plus the Secret Ingredient*
* Dried wild mushrooms
Asda are knocking out a 3 litre jobbie for £15, which is just the right size for a spag bog for four (freeze what you don't use):
http://direct.asda.com/Crock-Pot-SCCPQK5025W---slo...
The recipe is one I've evolved myself over time, specifically to suit the slow cooker. It's also easy to prepare, with a minimum of fuss and pans, although you will need a heavy-based frying pan with a lid.
Ingredients
3 slices fatty smoked bacon, finely diced
500g beef mince, 20% fat
1 large onion, finely diced
1 small carrot, finely diced
4 cloves garlic (or more), finely chopped or crushed
2 ribs celery, finely diced
2 cans chopped tomatoes
1 Kallo chicken stock cube (sorry it has to be Kallo, nothing else will do)
1 small glass red wine
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon finely chopped Secret Ingredient*
Method
1. Fry off the bacon in the pan until crispy and the fat rendered. Add to slow cooker.
2. Brown off the mince in the bacon fat - in a solid block - FFS don't break it up with a spoon as it will boil. When browned on all sides, add it to the slow cooker.
3. Sweat off the onion, carrot and celery in the fat from the mince until soft and translucent. Add the garlic, give it another 5 minutes, and add everything to the slow cooker.
4. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, being sure to scrape up any crispy bits. Add that to the slow cooker along with the remaining ingredients, and give it a good stir.
5. Set the slow cooker for 8 hours on low, or overnight.
That's your sauce.
All who have eaten this, have said that it's the best spag bog sauce they've ever had. I think it's the combination of slow cooking which concentrates the flavours beautifully, plus the Secret Ingredient*
* Dried wild mushrooms
Shaw Tarse said:
Soffritto (diced onion, celery & carrot)
Cook bol the day before, cook spag, or linguine fresh.
The soffrito is what makes it. I bought some soffrito passata (lazy, eh) in Waitrose last week and it added that indefinable something which has always been missing from my bolognaise - no matter how many secret ingredients you add, you can't make up for lack of basic flavour.Cook bol the day before, cook spag, or linguine fresh.
Bit stupid of me not to realise sooner, and I shall be less lazy next time.
Traditional recipe as my mamma taught me is very simple:
Soffritto of finely diced/cubed red onions, carrots and celery, in equal proportions. Add a clove of garlic or two.
Fry in olive oil+butter until golden and add the meat.
I use a mix of fatty beef mince and either pork mince, or sausage meat, or mortadella, or guanciale/pancetta (or some combition of the above).
Then I pour a small glass of red wine and let it reduce.
Next step is to mix a few spoonfuls of concentrate tomato puree into some beef stock, and add to the ragu. Turn the heat down and let cook for about an hour. I might add some passata (plain) to adjust the consistency. It needs to be quite rich and not too runny.
Salt + Pepper.
Absolutely nothing else (herbs, spices etc)
Soffritto of finely diced/cubed red onions, carrots and celery, in equal proportions. Add a clove of garlic or two.
Fry in olive oil+butter until golden and add the meat.
I use a mix of fatty beef mince and either pork mince, or sausage meat, or mortadella, or guanciale/pancetta (or some combition of the above).
Then I pour a small glass of red wine and let it reduce.
Next step is to mix a few spoonfuls of concentrate tomato puree into some beef stock, and add to the ragu. Turn the heat down and let cook for about an hour. I might add some passata (plain) to adjust the consistency. It needs to be quite rich and not too runny.
Salt + Pepper.
Absolutely nothing else (herbs, spices etc)
Edited by matrignano on Wednesday 6th November 09:13
1) Use fresh tomatoes - no jars of gloop
2) Use chunks of beef - cut into small dice, rather than nasty mince. Or use the sausage trick - split skins on sausages, pull out lumps of sausage into small chunks. Works well for a pork based bolognaise
3) Plenty of red wine
4) Plenty of fresh herbs
5) s
tloads of garlic
6) Use taglietelle, not spaghetti
2) Use chunks of beef - cut into small dice, rather than nasty mince. Or use the sausage trick - split skins on sausages, pull out lumps of sausage into small chunks. Works well for a pork based bolognaise
3) Plenty of red wine
4) Plenty of fresh herbs
5) s
tloads of garlic6) Use taglietelle, not spaghetti
kev b said:
There are 60 million Italians, every one has the only correct recipe and all the others are totally wrong.
All will taste better the longer they are cooked.
As (probably) the only Italian to have contributed to this thread so far, I am happy to claim that mine is the ACTUAL recipe invented by Giovanni Ragu' in Bologna back in 1783.All will taste better the longer they are cooked.
You're welcome.
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