Spaghetti Bolognese

[DelphiniumBlue]

I'm just making spag bol and was pondering what ingredients people use to make theirs?
I've recently started adding celery, and today I added in a carrot. Also mince, 2x tinned toms, 2x onions, 4x garlic cloves, oregano, thyme, a tiny bit of chilli and ginger, and some tomato paste. A splosh of red wine because I had some.
Someone I know mentioned that it used to take her Nonna 8 hours to make, mine takes about an hour or so. And that got me thinking about variations.
How do you do it?

The longer it cooks for the better. Usually about 3 hours here but it's still nicer the day after!

Onions, carrots, celery
Garlic & bay leaf
Tomato puree
Beef & pork mince
Red wine
Worcestershire sauce
Tinned tomatoes
Teaspoon sugar
Parmesan
50ml milk
Pepper

• time to cook down

A soffrito (sp) - softened onions, carrots and celery
Brown the mince
Tinned Tomatoes, tomato puree
Lots of garlic, mixed herbs, Worcestershire sauce.
Glass of red wine.

Bring to the boil then lid on, reduce to lowest simmer, and leave for hours (ideally I'd transfer it into the slow cooker to cook on low for a long time).

Oh and obvs salt and pepper.

I use frozen soffritto
Then mince and garlic
Tomato Passata
Tom purée
Herbs
Stock cube and a tea spoon of sugar
Lots of black pepper

Fry onion, garlic and smoked bacon, add mince, sprinkle over a stock cube. Add chopped peppers and mushrooms and a tin of tomatoes. Simmer and add tomato purée and mixed herbs and seasoning at end. A handful of spinach at the end bulks it out and makes it tasty.

Onion, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper, mushrooms, beetroot and chopped tomatoes and tomato puree. Blended as the kids like a smooth sauce.

I make a veggie one, basic recipe is can tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and veggie quorn, sometimes I add tabasco sauce. If we've got peppers or musrooms to use up, I'll often add those.

Oh the weekly what do you put in your bolognese sauce thread...🙄

Some unexpected ingredients here! Milk and beetroot, would never have thought of including those!

Big batch bolognese recipe on BBC good food. It’s really good.

Includes

• soffrito (finely chopped carrot, onion, celery - can buy pre chopped bags in supermarket to save time)


• mushrooms


• garlic


• lardons


• mix of beef and pork mince (I use more beef than pork)


• tinned tomato


• tomato puree


• bay leaves

I add half a stock cube

Brown the mince and lardons in batches first on higher heat, remove meat to a dish and then gently fry the veg and garlic. Then once they are soft and golden add the meat back in, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for AGES.

I’d say 1hr is nowhere near enough, 3 hrs is more like it, stir every so often to stop the bottom catching and add a bit of water if needed.

I wouldn’t be putting chilli or ginger anywhere near a bolognese personally but it’s your choice!

www.spendwithpennies.com/slow-cooker-spaghetti-bolognese/

This recipe is fantastic.

Milk, beef mince with decent fat content (or sometimes mix of pork and beef or rose veal), soffrito (carrot, celery, onion), garlic, mushrooms and courgette (cut up fine in food processor thanks to kids..), can of tomatoes, splash of Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and sometimes a bit of sugar if tomatoes acidic. Oregano. Cook in pressure cooker for 30min or simmer for at least an hour.

I follow this recipe but I don’t add the chicken liver.
How to make perfect bolognese

Whatever you put in it the key thing is long slow simmering, and not in a slow cooker! You need the reduction and the Maillard reaction.

500g mince.
1 red onion.
1 carrot.
2 flat mushrooms.
1 stock cube.
2 tins chopped tomatoes.
Courgette if I have one

Soffritto
pork and beef mince
chicken livers
milk and white wine (cook until evaporated)
good quality tinned tomatoes
salt and pepper

cook on low (or in a low oven), for 4hrs

Vegan version: Onion, carrot, lentils, garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, tinned tomatoes, pepper, spaghetti

For two:

8oz minced beef
onion
8 mushrooms
bell pepper
stick of celery
olive oil
OXO cube
tin of tomatoes plus sugar
garlic
oregano and basil.

Chop all veg, soften in olive oil, add mince and brown. Add garlic, beef OXO cube, tin of chopped tomatoes, half a teaspoon of sugar and cook gently for half an hour or so. Add pinch of oregano and lots of basil. I usually add a little cream before serving. Not authentic but delicious!

Everything you listed except NOT chilli, not thyme and definitely not ginger. Instead basil, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for a couple of hours at least.

No celery. Sometimes mushrooms. Magic ingredient is balsamic vinegar.

Magic ingredient is brisket, not mince.

@Intothewoodland oooh, how much balsamic and at what stage of cooking?

otherwise, I agree with what lots say above, at least 4 hours on a low heat. Red wine, stock, mushrooms, bay leaves, garlic, onions, carrots, salt, pepper, herbs, tin crushed tomatoes, Tom purée too, but never more than one stick celery! I don’t add Worcester sauce but I know some who say that’s their magic ingredient!

Smoked pancetta chefs kiss 😚

I used to work with a newly-married young Italian woman, and she ended up asking us in the office for a spag bol recipe. Her family's recipe fed about twenty people and took hours, and she just wanted to be able to rustle up a quick one for her and her new DH.

A beef oxo cube - game changer