What have I done?! Come and save my Bolognese!

[youmaycallmeSSP]

I'm making tagliatelle spaghetti Bolognese. I used a mix of 400ml red grape juice and 100ml red wine vinegar as a substitute for red wine. It's been simmering for an hour and the smell is foul and the taste is, erm, vinegary. I've been chucking sugar into it but it doesn't seem to be making much difference. Can it be saved? I was thinking of reducing it right down and then boiling off milk through it before adding more tomato purée but I don't want to keep adding things if it's completely hopeless. What do I do?!

Oh. Erm. I'm not sure to be honest. Think the game might be bogey with that one.

You've killed it lovey.
Strain it and make some gravy with gravy granules or stock cubes, and add that and see what happens, but I have a feeling it will still be pretty foul.

Time for a take away.

:(

I bought all the poncey ingredients for it. Just not red wine. The fumes might cure my cough though!

Sorry to say that your subs just won't work.

I'm in the 'Time for a take away. ' camp & ditch the bolognese.

We've all had meal failures. Shit happens.

Grape juice and red wine vinegar?

And you planned to willingly eat this?!

Oh dear poor you. Have you got garlic, olive oil, maybe some chilli and Parmesan you can serve with the pasta instead?

The bolognaise is dead, long live the takeaway.

I don't think there is any hope, 100ml of vinegar is a lot of vinegar to burn off.

Oh dear. Definitely takeaway time.

a tsp of bicarb will take away the acidity of the vinegar.

Ditch it. Spag bog is fine without wine but vinegar will have destroyed it.

The milk idea is the worst order a curry!

I dunno...Schloer, vinegar and milk.... I think they sell those in our local Wetherspoons

Next time you realise you've not got any red wine, don't try to improvise some. You can actually make bolognese without it. It'll still taste fine.

I hope you've ordered a take away.

" I used a mix of 400ml red grape juice and 100ml red wine vinegar as a substitute for red wine" did you see that sub in a cook book or did you think it up?!

Bin it :/

:o I always knew I could rely on MN to make me feel better...

Ok, this isn't tonight's meal (I'm batch cooking on a Friday night ) so I might as well entertain myself with the bicarb.I have drained off and rinsed out as much of the sauce as I can and have added some bicarb and milk. I'll reduce that, add in tomato purée and an Oxo cube and see what happens...

I Googled it as a substitute. Maybe I could sue someone :o

Seeing as you're experimenting, throw in a square of dark chocolate. It can take away the acid in the tomato, might work for the vinegar.

It was these fuckers that made you do it wasn't it? Just googled Red wine substitute and came across it.

"After all, red wine is just fermented and soured grape juice...."

Milk?! Why would milk help?!

oh mate

and wtf - milk and bicarb??

Get thee to the chippy!

for future reference, you can make bolly without the wine.

It's nicer with, but fine without.

"After all, red wine is just fermented and soured grape juice...."

Ha! I think those fuckers are the wine suppliers in my local

Sorry, I think it is beyond redemption.

Milk's supposed to bring out the meat, I don't believe it, my nonna said it was rubbish.

Milk is mellow? It seemed like a good idea, it can hardly make it worse and milk is a good ingredient in bolognese anyway.

I've just had a quick taste and it's marginally better with the milk and baking powder.