What's the secret ingredient that makes your spaghetti bolognese the best?

[franch]

I'm trying to 'perfect' a few basic dishes - it's always the personal touches that make these things great so please share yours

Feel free to post entire recipes if that makes more sense

Sugar here too. And fresh herbs.

Actually I just consulted dp on that - he's the one that cooks it.

at chicken livers

well that sounds a bit nouveau

lennygirl is right about cooking it to buggery and eating hte next day

can i just say to the worcester sauce gang: the shepherds pie thread is over that way >>>>>>>>>

worcester sauce indeed harumph...

Try it. seriously, try it.

sugar -that goes for anything with tomatoes
1/2 pint of milk to speed it up(makes the mince soften up quicker)
let it go cold then reheat it

if I told you it wouldn't be a secret anymore

A good dollop of Soy sauce

Milk?????????? Really???

Long slow cooking time (3-4 hours). Cook mince and veg in whole milk first, then white wine, then the tomato (not too much...I find that the "Bolognese" sauces outside of Bologna have too much tomato). You end up with a wonderfully silky texture

Some bacon or "a leetle beet of peeg" as my Italian friend used to say!

Nutmeg also brings out the flavour.

I add some balsamic vinegar when the onions are softening. It adds a nice caremelised taste. Lots of fresh parsley. loads garlic. loads tomato puree / tomatoes

balsamic vinegar
finey chopped bacon fried with carrots and celery.

I once added some BBQ sauce by mistake (thought it was ketchup which I always include a slug of for sweetness) - [whispers] it was nice...

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lee and perrins, herbs and bacon is good too.

Dash of red wine, bacon or pancetta too.

Had the most fabulous bolognaise in Italy (Montecatini) around five years ago - dunno if anyone's tried this - dunno what's authentic even - but they used lamb rather than beef. Was delish.

Yes Milk splishsplosh! like morningglory says it give a gorgeous texture to the sauce -i second the not too many tomatoes as well I only use 1 tin and a tablespoon of puree for 5 of us -for me it's the onions and garlic and the meat that make a bolognese -too many tomatoes and it gets a bit too generic

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Add pork sausages to the meat, and also put in carrots for sweetness

Chicken livers and pancetta.

i don't put any garlic in

ooh, catwontsleep, my Dad does that, he got it from Elizabeth David. My ingredient is pancetta or smoked bacon

ooh, catwontsleep, my Dad does that, he got it from Elizabeth David. My ingredient is pancetta or smoked bacon

catwontsleep?! Never been called that before .

I googled this out of curiosity - and found this on Wikki

"The recipe issued in 1982 by the Bolognese delegation of Accademia Italiana della Cucina confines the ingredients to beef, pancetta, onions, carrots, celery, tomato paste, meat broth, white wine, and milk."

All this time I have been using red wine not white wine. Milk and celery have never featured. I don't know what meat broth is - do they mean stock do you suppose?