To think that when you make a spag bol

[HelloCanYouHearMe]

You fry the mince off first?!

DP rarely cooks & tonight has decided to do spag bol and is following a Jamie Oliver recipe (which in itself is U afaic)

The recipe has him frying off onion, celery, carrot, garlic... so far, so good. Then it goes on to say to throw in the minced beef & 2 cans to tomatoes, water from 2 cans and simmer for an hour.

The hour is up & DP asked me to taste - the casserole dish is swimming in liquid & tbh all i can taste is powdery boiled mince

Thanks Jules

Checked two of his recipes, neither mentions extra water.

I'd tip out the liquid, brown the meat, make some gravy plus some red wine and combine when time is right.

DH swears Mary Berry's pavlova recipe is great ;)!

This is one of our mainmeals most weeks. I only put one can of water in with a stock pot and a spoon of marmite.

My mum learnt to make spag bol in Milan in the 50s. She said some fry, some done't, some cook for 20 mins, some cook all day; what she meant was that everybody does it differently, yes, even in Italy in the 50s they were liberated enough to do whatever they wanted

I do fry off the mince. Mum generally didn't. DH went through a phase of preferring mum's spag bol - he liked the consistency of the mince, softer he said. He's changed his mind though, and now likes it how I do it. (BAsed on a HFW recipe .)

I don't even use mince, I use either chopped SMOKED bacon or lardons cooked off a bit then add courgette,onion or onion granules,peppers(mushrooms if in) usual garlic,tinned toms. , passata,tomato puree, garlic,herbs/seasoning, 0.5teaspoon sugar (to balance acid in toms was taught this by Italian chef) ,....for really really fussy eaters version leave out main veg as can freeze in individual silicone muffin size portions . You can turn main recipe into lasagne just layer with sheets and white sauce add sprinkle of cheese,bake serve with salad possible garlic bread ..very cheap tasty recipe as lardons £1 but the smoked flavour really adds to it best left cooked and eaten next day or 2 to mature.....as for Jamie. , nice enough chap but why is everything so covered in olive oil....Jamie OLI..iver more like.Can't say I rate his cooking style,he has good intentions but doesn't quite live in the real world.oh and I can't stand the way everything is served on wood or messed around with his fingers....use a bloody spoon man.It's like he's playing in a sandpit and trying to make as much mess as possible,irritates me ever so slightly

I'm now wondering if he has shares in olive oil ...mmmm ....she ponders

Depends if you want soft meat (boiled) or chunky meat (browned off) in your spag Bol.

It's also about taste, isn't it?

I'm totally feeling it, unbrowned mince is just wrong. My mum has tried to feed me her slow cooker mince quite a few times but absolutely can't do it. made escuses feel awful but just...yuk...the thought of it

Well.. This is weird. I was working my way through this thread and who should pop up on the Good Food channel cooking a bolognese ? Jamie Oliver !

😮

Don't people brown the mince before putting it in the slow cooker?

Lifes too short to fry mince. I slow cook but use good quality ready made stock, and red wine to add fluid. Slow cook in a cast iron casserole with lid for at least 5 hours then leave to cool overnight. When ready to eat reheat on a higher temp to reduce liquid. Never fails and does not taste of boiled meat. Also I use mince with a higher fat content. It's the fat that gives it flavour as every good butcher will tell you. If you want to reduce the fat you can remove after cooling.

This thread is amazing! Can anyone advise on a truly authentic Italian cookbook?

Why do you need a recipe to make a ragu?! That said, the recipe is fine except you don't need 2 cans of water! A splash of wine is good. In Bolognga where the dish is from, often milk is also used too (as I do). Italian family in law don't brown the meat either so it's fine not to, it's just the quantity of water that's unnecessary. Fresh finely chopped rosemary is essential too.

By the way anyone telling you to add marmite, oxo, soy sauce, tomato paste should be ignored! An Italian ragu contains none of these!

Sasha

That sounds lovely!

This thread is amazing! Can anyone advise on a truly authentic Italian cookbook?

You could try this slithytove.

The pictures aren't very good but it's got loads of recipes and information about Italian regions.

100 Italian pasta sauces is a great basic bible.

Goes through each ingredient and gives a handful of basic pasta recipes for each. Even dp hasn't complained. They are pretty authentic. No fancy pics, but some cure drawings.

Antonio Carluccio's Northern Italian Cooking and Southern Italian Cooking are good as well.

Thing is though, as those of an Italian heritage on here will no doubt confirm....the mammies and the grannies don't use cookbooks. Never have, never will. I watch my MIL making the most amazing focaccia- never weighs anything, breaks all the rules, chucks frozen yeast cubes in it...it's the food of the gods. I try and do the same and could roof the house with it, it;s that solid.

You can get the pasta sauce book for 1p + postage!

www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Top-One-Hundred-Pasta-Sauces-Diane-Seed/0950918237/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1484086512&sr=8-2&keywords=top+100+pasta+sauces

A decent ragu needs milk and bay leaves, and I also like a few fennel seeds. Also, add the garlic when the onions and sofrito are nearly cooked. Garlic needs far less cooking time.

Thanks crowblundering I wish I was jools if only for the money and the lovely house

Suggest you buy the Marcus Wareing book. He FRIES the meat (and veg) and adds red wine, cayenne pepper, tomato puree, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sauce...not to mention the herbs. Bet it tastes good.

Re the original question. OP did you rescue it or did you leave DH to realise his efforts weren't that wonderful?

A really good book would be by Anna del Conte. Authentic; she's brilliant.