What is your secret ingredient to the best bolognese

[JustAnotherDayWorkingAtHome]

I generally follow the same process each time (onion, garlic, herbs, passata, seasoning) but find my bolognese can vary hugely in taste and richness....what do you think is the key to making the perfect bolognese every time?

@wineymummy

Star anise!!! Try it, you'll never make a bolognaise without it again.

Yes. All meat dishes

Bacon, ketchup, bbq sauce! Delicious

Chicken Stock

Pancetta and red wine!

Disclaimer: am married to an Italian. The secret is time.

Soffrito mix - celery, onion, tomatoes. Slowly soften in olive oil with salt and a fuckton of garlic. Add your mince, decent red wine - about a glass full - and fresh tomatoes. Pour self a a glass of wine. Add tomato puree AND passata & a bay leaf. Turn waayyyyy down and simmer for like, hours. Honestly, the longer the better. Add oregano & basil at some point towards the end.

DH also puts a little bit of milk in it towards the end - something to do with balancing the acidity of the tomatoes? But I don't and he has never mentioned it's missing.

You also ideally need a thicker pasta like linguine to hold the sauce. DH has some pasta rules - I don't. I like it with fusili, but this is sacrilege apparently!!

I occasionally make a proper proper Italian ragù, very finely chop the sofrito mix, pancetta, mix of beef and pork mix, slave over it for ages. Most of the time I make a complete cheat version that is so easy and takes minimal effort from me but comes out really well if I do say so myself. Frozen ready chopped sofrito, frozen ready chopped garlic, mince (brown it really well though), splash of red wine if have some to hand, good quality tin of tomatoes eg Mutti, some tomato purée and a bay leaf, seasoning (all this takes me about 15 mins max) then lid on and in the oven on a low heat for half and hour to an hour depending on how much time I have. Minimal effort, and delicious.

Carrot, mushrooms, stock cube and red wine makes it for me! Plus allowing to to simmer for at least an hour (longer ideally!) I always find it tastes better the day after.

My tip that I got from Anabel Karmel is grate an apple into it! Makes it naturally sweeter

I've recently started putting garlic in mine and Worcester sauce!

DH also wants me to add - do not measure anything. Just keep tasting it & adjusting.

Liquid aminos

Fatty mince! 15-20%. Fat is flavour

Season the mince before it cooks
Lots of garlic before and after adding tomato paste/pancetta/sauce
Ad celery, carrots and chilli if you like

As many have said time. I leave my slow cooking for at least a couple hours.

I also use red wine, sun dried tomato purée and some sugar to Balance the acidity from the tomato’s

lidiasitaly.com/recipes/traditional-recipe-bolognese-sauce-milk/

This ^

Good amount of red wine and twice cook it! It’s always better after the second cook.

Most of the above: grated carrot celery onion, half pork half beef mince, tomato puree, oxo cubes, wine, quality tinned tomatoes. Patience. I also add mushrooms because I like them. And my secret ingredient is… a bit of cayenne pepper. Sacrilege, buts just adds something 👌🏼

Fatty beef mince which I cook and drain most of the fat off before adding about a third as much very good quality fresh sausagemeat from a local butchers. It’s like adding pork mince but even better. Veg are the onion, celery and carrot mix finely chopped with tinned tomatoes, puree, garlic, oxo, Worcester sauce, red wine and a sprinkle of paprika, onion powder etc. Cook for ages in a big pot and if you can leave it 24hrs before eating it tastes even better. Sometimes I add extra veg like chopped mushrooms, aubergine or courgette. Always goes down a storm.

Kosher salt added often and don't rush the onions. Celery may seem insignificant but it's vital

Apart from ingredients, the Italian barista in the coffee shop says that it needs to cook for a minimum of 4 hours- and his grandmother doesn't think it's real bolognese if it hasn't cooked for 7 hours..

Plus the barista also spoke about carrot and red wine as important ingredients

Slow cooked soffritto with celery, carrot, courgette.

Low and slow for as long as possible. Ideally with bacon, chorizo or pancetta

Frying the onion and carrot first before adding the mince is important to get some caramelisation (I've seen people fry the mince first then add the onions)

Add the Red wine and let that bubble away for a minute before adding the passatta. I then add a few splashes of Worcester sauce and couple of oxo cubes/tomato purée and I cook mine in the oven on a lowish heat for 2.5 - 3 hours. It's always rich and tasty.

I put two Oxo cubes and loads of Lea & perrins in ours, it's the household favourite and now I want it for breakfast!

Cooking time, the longer the better. DP usually cooks it for atleast 3 hours and it is the mozt delicious bolognese in the world