How to boost flavour in my bolognese?

[JonSnowKnowsNowt]

I have been making bland bolognese for years in order that the DC will eat it. It is nice, healthy, but a bit ... bland. They're getting more adventurous in their tastes now, so I think I can have a go at boosting flavour. What should I add?

I make it with

• good quality mince (lamb or beef)
• onions/leeks & garlic
• mushrooms
• red peppers
• carrots
• a small amount of pasta
• a small amount of stock (with a stock cube or homemade if I happen to have it)
• black pepper (not salt)

What should I add?

Tomato purée and mixed herbs

Paprika and definitely bacon (chopped, not rashers!).

I direct you to Hugh Fernley Whittingstall's recipe in his meat cook book. In another league to all other Spag Bols out there.

SALT!!

agree with bit. No amount of herbs, wine, worcester sauce or mustard makes up for no salt whatsoever in your food.

With qourn I find it beter not to put too many chunky veg wwith it. I dont know if its because there's not much fat but its harder to get a thick rich sauce.

I often makes a vat of basic tomato sauce that gets frozen into portions and used for various dished like pizza topping, pasta bake, boost for a spag bol. I find this works well poured over the quorn with mushrooms added at this stage and a dried mushroom.

Onion, garlic softened.
If using red wine, add now and reduce. If using balsamic etc chuck in with the tomatoes.
Tinned tomatoes. Mixed herbs, salt, sugar, pepper.
I like to put in some peppers, the bags of frozen pre sliced ones work very well in this case.
Cook for ages.
Cool and blend down.
Adjust seasoning or add water along the way. A dollop of tomato puree or sun dried puree can help.

Am now eating last night's pasta quorn bol for breakfast
I added extra soya sauce and some ketchup (for the sugar, salt, and vinegar too) It already had leeks and a jar of tomato with mushrooms
It's pretty tasty
And cheese on top - do you all add cheese? I suspect purists may not?

Msg or a bit of mellow birds. Hope that helps hun

Chopped up banana

celery....I do not give a stuff if you don't like it, buy some, put it in there! .....chop it very finely and sweat it with the onions

pancetta, or some sort of smokey pig part...again in with the onions

plenty of S&P...again right at the start and some nice stalky bits of thyme/oregano/marjoram or parsley at a pinch

Most importantly make a decent job of sweating this down...don't singe it, you are looking for soft melty translucent veg, with maybe a hint of gold on some of the onions...long low slow heat

You want the opposite for the meat...hot hot lava hot, sear it, as quickly and as high a heat as you can

add mince to veg, deglaze meat pan with something, water, wine, beef stock, add to pan and a tin or two of tomatoes and a squoosh of puree or pesto

I add about half a cup of milk, clamp on the lid (more often than not I finish it in the slow cooker) and cook for ages....If the oven is on it won't hurt for an hour or so in there, lid off for a bit to get properly reduced and a bit toasty round the edges

refine seasoning, maybe more S&P, definitely nutmeg, maybe more oregano.

A decent Bolognese is not to be hurried.

Agree with BOOP. Your recipe needs salt.

I use the soffrito, garlic, smoked diced bacon or pancetta, herbs, white wine, milk, tomato recipe that was taught to me yonks ago. Weirdly I find that the best flavour comes from using loads of tomato purée with water, not canned tomatoes. But canned still tastes great.

3 'secrets' for amazing flavour, according to friend's mama :

1. mix your mince. Pork and beef combo is favourite.
2. fry your mince in small batches till very brown, not just beige. Like, a bit crunchy at the edges. Fry in the pan you're going to cook it all in and don't use a non-stick pan as you want the flavour from the brown stuff sticking to the base of the pan. If you can't do that then deglaze the pan with a splash of wine and pour it in your cooking pot.
3. long, slow cooking. I bung it in the oven in a casserole dish with an extra foil layer to prevent drying out. Others use slow cookers. Both work fine.

The result is a very deep, rich bolognese sauce.

Salt
Red wine
A dash of good balsamic vinegar
Salt
More tomatoes
Pinch of sugar
Salt
Lots of herbs i.e. thyme, basil, oregano etc
Salt
Make sure you get a good caramelisation on the onion -and ideally add some finely diced carrot.
Pinch of nutmeg.
Simmer for a long time.
Check the seasoning.

(You can/should add pancetta at the beginning and add chicken livers and milk but I rarely bother).

Definitely a squidge of ketchup. Something to do with tomatoes going bitter when they cook.

Mine is always quite flavoursome but didn't used to be.
Now, because of fussy eaters, I just fry off the mince in a little olive oil then add:
Smoked paprika...yum!
Dried garlic...a little
Tomato purée....squidge
Basil
Red wine

Cook down with some need stock and a tin of chopped toms or passata.

Anchovy paste. Just a squeeze, but it has a similar effect (unsurprisingly) to Worcester Sauce without the vinegary edge. Failing that, if you're all hip and stuff, Nam Pla, Thai fish sauce. Or open a can of anchovies but don't use all of them. Or at a push use soy sauce. Or "taste powder", aka monosodium glutamate.

Most of the things people talk about adding to sauces (stock cubes, sun dried tomato) are various ways of getting umami into it.

On a slightly different note, milk is worth adding.

Roast bone marrow adds lots of flavour.

when i have a glut of tomatoes from the greenhouse (like now) I roast them and freeze them in batches, either roughly chopped or pureed. These added to anything tomatoe-y (bolognese, chilli etc) give it a lovely depth of fllavour, richness and a hint of sweetness from the slow-roasting :)

happy experimenting with all these suggestions OP!

I'm another one who says worcestershire sauce, and leaving it overnight. The overnight thing improves it no end.

(On the coffee question - I have a friend who has been doing that for years, only with a cup of fresh-brewed real coffee to a big batch of bol sauce, and she swears by it!)

(But adding milk? Blech!)

Bacon
Smoked paprika
Dark chocolate

I also add a teaspoon of mustard, generous squirt of tomato purée and pop a few bay leaves in whilst simmering .

Agree with red wine. Brown the mince in that, makes it nice and tender.
I also add mixed herbs, basil, oregano, bay leaves, chilli flakes and chilli powder, tomato puree.

Oh - and paprika!

Sugar, red wine, and couple of tablespoons of milk towards the end! And cook for a min of 2 hours

Oh and at least 2 beef oxo cubes.