spag bol - what do you put in yours?

[juicychops]

im looking for some inspiration to make mine a bit different to the norm

mainly i chuck in mince, onions and mushrooms and jar or Ragu

what different veg?

what is lamb or turkey mince like in it?

mince beef
onions
mushrooms
peppers
Carrot
courgette
chopped toms
tom puree
tabasco
worcester sauce
garlic
italian herbs
salt & pepper
sugar

well dh does it, but I think he just used mince (beef), tinned plum tomatoes, garlic and herbs.

I never use Ragu, always chopped tomatoes or passata.

I sometimes cook mine in the oven and a really low light for an hour - is lovely.

I always cook it for ages with a lid on the hob otherwise (an hour or so on a low light)

I also think bol tastes nicer when it's been made the night before.

Minced beef, onions, mushrooms, then usually one other veg finely chopped just for flavour(celery, peppers, carrot). Tinned tomatoes, tom puree, garlic (or garlic puree). Red wine if we have a cheep bottle open, veg oxo, mixed herbs, thinkedn with cornflour paste...easypeasey

Mince, organic tinned tomatoes, onion,, chopped garlic, 2 beef oxo, oregano, carrot, somtimes celery, red wine. Cooking it for a long time is the key. Forget ragu, it's just tomato sauce with herbs added.

We use:

soya mince/TVP mince
onions
carrots
celery
garlic
passata
mixed herbs
basil
optional splash of red wine
bit of marmite
handful of frozen peas

oh, and a small amount of instant coffee (sounds weird, but it adds a good flavour.)

I sometimes toss the spaghetti in butter and black pepper before serving - yum.

sorry vanished for a while...

green lentils work well.

fry onion, celery, carrot, peppers also good

add chopped button mushrooms

add some wine to deglaze

add tin of tomatoes, 2 tins green lentils, tomato puree, and any of the other ingredients people have outlined on this thread really... like worcester sauce, herbs, salt pepper, pinch of sugar.

put lid on let it simmer down for 20 or 25.

Blend half at the end... depends what texture you want.

cheers aDad!

MY DP is Italian and insists on a couple of things...

Cook for an hour and a half - usually on the hob - simmer...brings out the flavour of all the ingredients. (he's right)We usually use lamb mince btw but works with any I think.

Use fresh rosemary - finely chopped. Has to be fresh (works brilliantly)

Never uses a Ragu - wouldn't even know you could buy such things!

We had it last night - hang on - I've got some left over...

This is making me hungry

I am imagining juicychops at home making bolognaise scratching head going "now which ones of these 100 ingredients suggested by MN should i use?".

In mine I put

beef mince or mix of beeg and veal mince
pancetta (cubed) a lot of
onion
garlic
red wine (a lot of)
tomato puree or jar on sun dried toms
herbs
maybe some mushrooms

In the kids I put
mince
tin of tomatoes
shed load of carrots blitzed in food processor
red and yellow peppers
mushrooms
celery
onions
garlic
cheddar cheese

oh and sometimes I use stewing steak that I cube up v small instead of mince.

oh and I cook my spag bol in the oven for 2 hours as well.

For those of you who say cook it for an hour or more, at what stage does everything happen ie. do you brown mince before leaving to simmer for an hour, or just break mince up somehow without browning? Sorry if it's a stupid question, but I've always wondered why if you brown mince 1st, it isn't overcooked & tough by the end.

I'm in serious need of some cookery lessons...

... (another 'bought sauce' user )

tablespoon of red lentils are great for thickening the sauce in a non floury way.

corgettes, mushrooms and aubergine. We always make ours with lamb mince, as we don't eat beef, it's very nice.

My standard method is mince, onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, herbs, tomato puree. Sometimes also wine, bacon, celery. It does taste better cooked for longer and sometimes I make it on the stove and then stick it in the slow cooker, but often time is an issue.

I took DD to my Mum and Dad's for lunch yesterday and my Dad made homemade wholewheat tag with bolog. and it was lovely. He had peas, carrots, mushrooms in his. DD and DNephew (both 2) wolfed it down.

Lazyline - sorry that should have been brown lentils not green. May work with green but never tried it.

poblet, you fry the onions veg, and garlic till soft, add the mince and brown it, then add the liquidy ingredients (stock, tomatoes, tom puree, flour) and the herbs and spices.

Simmer for an hour to an hour and a half - the reason the mince doesn't get tough is that it's cooked in the liquid rather than cooked dry.

Saute onion, garlic, celery, carrot and mushrooms, add minced lamb stirring until brown, add tomato puree, chopped tomatoes, stock, salt and pepper, stir and simmer until cooked.

I cook mine for around 2 hours and use chicken stock rather than beef (if you see Delia's recipe for a classic ragu - not the bottled stuff! - she uses chicken livers, so my knorr chicken stock cube is a bit of a cheat!) Tin of chopped tomatoes and a squirt of puree is far far cheaper and better than a jar of made up tomato sauce. Don't forget the dash of Worcester Sauce for a certain piquancy! Agree that it is a wonderful vehicle for hiding veg for children.

Two qs for Adad:

• what does deglaze mean?

• why tinned lentils not dried? You are simmering for 20 - 25 mins so dried lentils would cook in that time wouldn't they?

Another q for every one:

• do you favour white, wholemeal or fresh spaghetti?

Deglazing is just adding a liquid (such as wine or vinegar) after your initial frying, which lifts all the flavour off the bottom of the pan, and intensifies your dish.

Dried lentils would be fine I'm sure. I guess i dont know where I stand with a lot of dried lentils - I know red dont need soaking or anything, but not sure about others!

dried white spaghetti or linguine made with durum wheat - De Cecco is it, in the bright blue pack?

fresh pasta is much better with light cheese or creamy sauces to match the taste and creaminess - big meaty tomato sauces like bolognese need dried pasta.