Spaghetti Bolognese

RE*AC*TOR

Gavin shels wrote: »

Oh now that sounds the business, minus the onion.:o

You need the onion. If you aren't big on onion, chop it very finely and sweat it off on a low heat until it gets very soft (you won't be able to notice it in the final dish). I wouldn't add the Garlic at the beginning as its very easy to burn the garlic - and that tastes like ****.

Sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes.

A dash of Worchestershire sauce is also a very nice addition.
Don't scrimp on the oregano.

johnnyskeleton

I put the tomato puree in before the tomatoes so that the meet gets absorbed into the sauce.

Red wine makes the sauce richer, and a tiny drop of milk (very tiny, make sure it doesn't curdle) gives it a much better taste and colour.

Ponster

who_ru wrote: »

why the sugar?

I find that you always need a little sugar to counter the sourness/bitterness of the tinned tomatoes.


Some interesting links here :

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055245771&highlight=Bolognese

oblivious

Ponster wrote: »

I find that you always need a little sugar to counter the sourness/bitterness of the tinned tomatoes.


Some interesting links here :

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055245771&highlight=Bolognese

another good tip is to is to add 3/4 to one tea spoon of baking soda to counter act the acidity of tinned tomatoes. if your using pasata you can omit this ore i like to reduce to less than half a teaspoon.

Pancetta or smoke rasher are also very good for adding flavor along with the holy trinity onion, celery and carrot

kerash

Heres what i do, if i want a very quick tasty meal (although it is nice to make as previous poster says and leave simmering) I dont miss the onion - time saved an all;)

Fry off mince in pan until browned
Add half tsp of garlic paste (out of a tube!)
1 tablesp of tomatoe puree
1 beef stock cube
Add 1 tin chopped tomatoes
add 1tsp of sugar
salt/pepper/chili if desired
Let bubble on medium for 15 mins

Serve with pasta:D

nice1franko

I use the exact same recipe as dizzyblonde. even try to leave it simmering all day is possible too.

one thing, try and get your mince from a half-decent butcher rather than the packs at dunnes/tesco. the difference in taste (and texture) is unreal - practically a different dish.

Ponster

A small tip is that if you have a small frying pan, then cook the mince in 2 goes, otherwise if you overfill the pan you end up stewing the meat and not frying it.

Minder

Ponster wrote: »

I find that you always need a little sugar to counter the sourness/bitterness of the tinned tomatoes.

I have an italian friend who went on a training course near Rome to learn how to make pizza for a restaurant business. The tutors had a tip on helping balance the acidity in tinned tomatoes. The night before using them, pour into a bowl and break up the whole tomatoes with your hands. Add a whole clove of garlic and a bunch of basil. The exposure to the air helps remove the acidity. Oxidation? maybe.

the-lad

i find 2-3 squares of milk choc makes a nicer spag bol than sugar.

Seraphina

i make a very simple one
mince
chopped tomatoes
tomato puree
bacon (the smokier the better!)

fry the bacon and mince at the same time (not in the same pot tho! grill the bacon if preferred, tis what i do...), add the tomato stuff to the mince, and then the bacon. make sure you simmer it for a nice long time to really get the bacony flavour into the sauce.

very basic, but its quick and easy. if i'm not busy i'll do the garlic and onions etc before hand, and i'll usually add some frozen veg to the mix too, depending on what i have.

cabbages

Really?

Might try that next time.

the-lad wrote: »

i find 2-3 squares of milk choc makes a nicer spag bol than sugar.

oblivious

it works for Mole poblano

Dont be at yourself

Really, really finely dice onion, carrot, celery and bacon, and fry in olive oil. Then add the mince and brown. Add two cans of chopped tomato, red wine and parsley. Simmer for 45mins-1hour. Enjoy!

rubadub

I like to see the meat going in. I get rib or round steaks. Trim off all the fat, and get a big scissors and cut it all up into little bits. This ends up leaner than "lean mince" and is cheaper too, and no doubt better quality cuts than in standard mince. I also prefer having a chunkier meat bits.

Tree

i through little chunks of pepperoni into mine the last day, savage.

Supercell

I use a couple of teaspoons of cocoa powder instead of the sugar and think it really adds to the overall flavour.
After browning I pour some red or white wine (whatevers available) vinegar in there and wait until its back boiling, then I add some milk - if it doesnt curdle instantly i didnt let it get back up to temp properly again.

Then the tomatoes are added.

My friends tell me I make a good Bolognese

Supercell

rubadub wrote: »

I like to see the meat going in. I get rib or round steaks. Trim off all the fat, and get a big scissors and cut it all up into little bits. This ends up leaner than "lean mince" and is cheaper too, and no doubt better quality cuts than in standard mince. I also prefer having a chunkier meat bits.

How do you mince it?

Redpunto

johnnyskeleton wrote: »

I put the tomato puree in before the tomatoes so that the meet gets absorbed into the sauce.

Red wine makes the sauce richer, and a tiny drop of milk (very tiny, make sure it doesn't curdle) gives it a much better taste and colour.

Defo the red wine if ya have any....its makes such a difference to the flavour

Redpunto

And if ure not worried about the fat....add in chunks of any soft cheese after youve turned the heat off and about to serve. The cheese just starts to melt into the sauce as youre eating it...yummy

murser

Another tip I learned recently is to use fresh basil and use lots of it particularly with only about ten minutes to go. Also mix in a good spoonfull of pesto with the pasta just after you strain it.

Honey-ec

murser wrote: »

Another tip I learned recently is to use fresh basil and use lots of it particularly with only about ten minutes to go. Also mix in a good spoonfull of pesto with the pasta just after you strain it.

I would actually put the basil in at the very last minute, and not 10 mins before. Fresh basil is amazingly delicate and doesn't take kindly to heat at all.

I have absolute mounds of it growing on my kitchen and utility room windowsills at the moment and I'm forever rustling the leaves just for the smell!

BaZmO*

Honey-ec wrote: »

I have absolute mounds of it growing on my kitchen and utility room windowsills at the moment and I'm forever rustling the leaves just for the smell!

Did you grow it from seed?

Honey-ec

BaZmO* wrote: »

Did you grow it from seed?

Yes, all bar one plant, and I have to say, I am SO proud of myself! It's notoriously hard to grow from seed. I had been trying for years with absolutely no luck whatsoever - even Jamie Oliver admits that's he's never been able to grow it from seed!

However (and maybe I just got a lucky seed batch, who knows), I planted a tray at the beginning of summer which germinated, and the plants are now lush and healthy on my kitchen window. I have a second batch that I planted about 6 or 7 weeks ago, they're still in their seed trays, but about 4 inches tall and doing really well. I'll thin them and repot them in another month or so. I'm delighted! I'll be giving homemade pesto to everyone in a few months!

For the record, the seeds I used this time round were Unwins.

BaZmO*

I take it Unwins are available in most garden centres?

I've always wanted to grow basil from seed cos I really love using it in cooking and it can be quite expensive if you use it a lot. And forget about buying enough for making pesto!

I've grown the ones you get in supermarkets already fully grown with varying degrees of success.

Must give it a bash at growing it from seed although it's probably too late in the year at this stage.

Honey-ec

BaZmO* wrote: »

I take it Unwins are available in most garden centres?

Must give it a bash at growing it from seed although it's probably too late in the year at this stage.

Yep, I got mine in Woodies, and I've even seen Unwins in some supermarkets.

You can grow it from seed all year round indoors, so give it a bash.

The one plant I have that I didn't grow, I got in one of those little pots from the supermarket - Tesco, I think. It's now in one of those big terracotta pots because it's so huge.

The best advice I'd give on keeping basil is not to overwater. Literally let it dry out nearly all the way, and then always water it from the bottom. Sit the pot in a dish of water for 20 minutes, then discard whatever it hasn't taken after that. At the size they normally sell them in the supermarket, it'll only need to be watered every 4 days or so. Obviously, the bigger it gets, the more often it'll need to be watered. My bigger ones need every day watering.

Also, don't be tempted to repot them too soon. Basil is very top-heavy - it can look huge in the pot, but it has a very shallow root system. Don't repot until you can see the roots coming through the holes in the bottom of the pot.

Good luck! Let me know how you get on...

BaZmO*

Thanks for that. Might actually pick up some seeds tomorrow and give it a bash. What type of soil should I use?

Mucria

corblimey wrote: »

Watching Heston Blumenthal (sp?) making his 6 hour spag bol last week, he had an interesting demonstration of handmade vs machine made spaghetti, in that the hand made one had tiny holes in it that 'grabbed' the sauce.

Up til now, I've been using the ould Roma and had no issues with it, but I'd quite to like to try the holey spag What sort of shop would sell this? Is "organic" spaghetti enough (like they sell in tesco) or do I need to go somewhere even more "we make our own jumpers from hemp"-like? Any recommendations?

What about making my own from scratch? Get one of those spaghetti making machines? It looks simple enough any time I see Oliver with one?

From spaghetti country

Get the Barilla one, definetly better than the Roma brand. As per the sauce retaining quality it has to do with the way the semola pasta is produced. As it is difficult to find this type of pasta semola (different from egg pasta!) suggestion is go for the known brand or make your own tonnarelli ( spaghetti made similarly to taglatelle just tinner, tonnarelli are called as well spaghetti alla chitarra). The tonnarelli are just perfect with light sauces. This because of the eggs and flour with wich they are made which make the sauce creamier...bottom line go for barilla or tonnarelli

Dizzyblonde

BaZmO* wrote: »

Thanks for that. Might actually pick up some seeds tomorrow and give it a bash. What type of soil should I use?

You just need some potting compost - it grows well on a sunny windowsill.

vibe666

not sure if i mentioned this earlier in the thread or not, but i only just noticed it's still going and it's a constantly evolving process as I pick up new tips.

currently i'm using finely chopped chorizo in mine (and my chili) and fry that off with the onion & garlic.

i tend to start with a cold pan and add a little olive oil, onion, chorizo & garlic before i pile on the heat, although I sometimes start with a soffrito (depending on how I'm feeling) instead.

then that all comes out onto a plate and the (good, non-stick) pan is dried off with kitchen paper and then onto the hottest heat I can get as i sprinkle a handful of lean minced beef into the pan to sear it, then turn, sear again until cooked through and then offload it onto the plate with the onions etc. while i do another handful of mince.

the pan will always stay dry and you get a much better flavour in the end off the mince.

once done, everything goes back in the pan with a glass of red wine (or white if i've no red handy) and that's all sweated down nice and slowly.

then in with a heap of mushrooms and tomato puree and/or possibly sun dried tomato paste or red pesto (again depending on my mood and what's available) and then finally the tomatoes and a little sugar and either dried italian herbs or fresh if i have them.

the g/f also has a habit of wanting to 'beef' it up a bit so it quite often gets a beef stock cube sprinkled in at some point too if she gets near it and i'm not paying attention. it's actually quite a nice addition, but it doesn't seem right to me so i wouldn't do it myself.

a good tip for the pasta is to drain it and stir in a big spoon of the bolognese sauce to keep it moist and stop it sticking together and it also stops it looking so pasty.

muckety

If you make the sauce the day before it is needed, and cook it down so that a good lot of the liquid is evaporated off, there shouldn't be any need to 'beef it up'....