Bolognese sauce

[PetiteRaleuse]

So I was told by someone who considers herself is an expert in everything food that my Bolognese sauce wasn't proper bolognese sauce.

To which my answer was 'well, whose is?'

So thought I'd ask you lot for your definitive bolognese tricks, just to see how varied recipes can be.

So...

Meat - pork? veal? beef? A mixture? (I use beef and lardons)

Tomatoes - fresh? canned? mixture? (I use canned)

Wine - red? white? (I used to use red but switched to white)

Mushrooms?

Other veg? If so what?

And I guess everyone puts in onions or garlic or both?

there was a recipe in the telegraph some months back for a real sauce - it had white wine rather than red and bacon, no mushrooms and no bitter tinned tomato but stock and concentrate tomato, carrots chopped finely

beef mince
onions, garlic, carrots, (sometimes celery)
passata and tomato puree
stock
red wine
mushrooms
salt, pepper and herbs
worcestershire sauce

TECHNICALLY bolognese is garlic, onions, carrot & celery, beef, tomatoes & seasoning cooked very slowly for hours.

I however am not a purist & mine is done on what tastes best so...lots of garlic, onions, lean minced beef, stock cube, tinned toms, good squeeze of tom puree, lots of Worcestershire sauce, bit of water, oregano & lots of seasoning. If I have any bay leaves, carrots, celery, mushrooms or peppers I might throw those in too. It definitely tastes better the longer you cook it for.

Might try adding a bit of worcestershire sauce - sounds nice. I used to put celery in until I married DH who hates celery and I can only persude him to eat it as a purée.

As far as herbs and spices go I add a little rosemary and a little nutmeg.

It definitely tastes better the longer you cook it for

I agree with you. It tastes even better reheated the next day.

dh blitzes up the celery and carrot as I dont like celery but cant identify it if it is in a mush!

I put a bit of milk in.

I use beef mince, onion, garlic, grated carrot, fresh tomatoes and a small can of chopped tomatoes, red wine, loads of fresh herbs (parsley and basil), black pepper and a little salt. Simmer for an hour.

Why the milk Himalaya?

I dunno! It's just "how mamma used to make it" - I think it takes the edge off the tomatoes, makes them more mellow and creamy and binds the whole thing together.

My recipe is onions, carrots, celery, lardons/bit of bacon if there is some, beef, garlic, tinned toms, wine if there is some, seasoning and a cup of milk.

Going to try that next time.

A squeeze of lemon juice really brings out the flavour too.

Chef Antonio Carluccio thinks the Anglicised 'Spag Bol' is the most mystifyingly horrible thing on the planet. His recipe is here and is much more authentic.

I lived with a chef for a couple of years and he always added a couple of squares of chocolate or some sugar to take any bitterness out of the tomatoes and the chocolate gives it a lovely velvet quality, obviously needs to be half decent plain milk or dark chocolate he wouldn't just bung a snickers in!

at idea of chucking a snickers into the pot.

My friend told me a splash of anchovy paste (I think it may be in Worc sauce) helps it taste good.

I often cook it the day before. Seems to taste better.

I like the fact that I can make huge amounts of it and then freeze loads.

Mix of beef and pork mince
Onions and garlic
Mushrooms, carrots and celery
Tinned toms
A bit of red wine if there is an open bottle about
Cooked on low for a few hours

In my House bolognAise sauce is pretty much use up the contents of the fridge sauce. I throw in whatever I have that needs using up and s jar of sauce or some homemade tomato and veg sauce if there's some in the freezer. Have never used a recipe for it

I don't put mushrroms in. I think that is an Anglicised version.

My bolognese sauce is as follows:

Olive oil
Onions
Garlic
Lean minced beef
Two tins of tomatoes
Stock cube (chicken)
A teaspoon of sugar (to make the tomatoes less bitter)
Whatever fresh herbs, usually basil, parsley, oregano.

Onion, carrot, cellery, garlic diced fine and sweated slowly in olive oil.

Beef mince fried in another pan. Then put with veg and add beef stock, basil, oregano, black pepper, blitzed whole tinned plum tomatoes. Some people add tomato puree but I dont. Red wine is essential.

I do add grated nutmeg to bring out flavour. Purists would also add anchovy fillet paste and I sometimes add worcester sauce.

Cook low and slow adding some water if it gets dry. Dont let it stick to bottom of pan.

argh at all the onions and garlic

I use beef, lamb and pork, celery and carrots and onions OR garlic (prefer garlic I think) whatever wine I have (red in winter and white if there is ever actually summer?) passata and paste/puree, chicken stock

but is not really called bolognese is it, is a meat ragu

Ooh, I forgot in my list of ingredients that I also put in finely chopped green pepper :)

oh and olive oil obviously

used to put a little sugar in when was hardcore about boiling and peeling own tomatoes