Whats missing from my bologneise?

gaoife

HI

I always add a tablespoon of pesto, the red pepper one is really good and it flavours the sause nicely.
I also always use garlie, in everything!! it's so so good for you and also tabasco and bayleaf

Yummy

MissMotivated

Thanks for all the great replies lads, my boyfriend can be my guinea pig when I try them out!!!:)

aidan24326

Beetlebum wrote: »

Garlic is essential in a good bolognese in my opinion so make sure to add it.
To make things easier you can buy pre chopped garlic or garlci puree to save you having to chop up (I know loads of people hate chopping garlic!).

I would very much agree with that. Traditional Italian bolognese recipes do not include garlic but I would consider it essential, as most people here seem to agree.

A splash of red wine also makes a big difference, really adds a richness of flavour to the sauce. And aswell as basil use a sprinkle of oregano also. Tesco do a wild oregano which is really good.

pog it

I'm really confused about in what order you do this.

Is it that you cook veg separately first til almost cooked?
And cook mince until browned, then add in your sauce and veg and let stew on hob for 2 hours? Would that work out?

Also do you do the sauce separately too or can it go in with mince pot? (I've never made my own sauce and I'm thinking if you cooked the sauce on its own would it not be watery with the wine/herbs/tomatoes?

Beetlebum

pog it wrote: »

I'm really confused about in what order you do this.

Is it that you cook veg separately first til almost cooked?
And cook mince until browned, then add in your sauce and veg and let stew on hob for 2 hours? Would that work out?

Also do you do the sauce separately too or can it go in with mince pot? (I've never made my own sauce and I'm thinking if you cooked the sauce on its own would it not be watery with the wine/herbs/tomatoes?

The way I do it is as follows -

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the mince. I always drain off all the fat and use good quality mince cause it makes the world of difference.
I then leave the cooked mince aside.

Next I gently fry garlic, onions, finely diced leeks and tomatoes. I then add the mince, a crumbled up beef stock cube, Clonakilty black pudding (optional), herbs and spices. Then I add a tin (or 2) of tomatoes, some red wine, some balsamic vinegar and some water. Add some tomatoe purree and bring to the boil. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Simmer for hours....and hours....an hours.....serve with red wine (essential:)), some garlic crusty bread and salad....bellisssssimo!!

tscul32

The spoon of sugar is what I'd see as missing. Even a splodge of tomato ketchup would provide the sweetness to counteract the acidity of the tomatoes which is heightened when tinned chopped tomatooes are used. Tins of whole tomatoes are not as bad and they will cook down to much anyway.

oldscoil

My mother in law put fennel in her's......:) Amazing.

Time is also a great ingredient for bolognese and chili.

Make it on a Monday, and leave it a day or two in the fridge mmmmmmmmm

Faith

Grr, went to take some mince out to make bolognaise after reading this thread, only to find we have none! Damn!

pog it

Beetlebum wrote: »

The way I do it is as follows -

Heat a little olive oil in a pan and add the mince. I always drain off all the fat and use good quality mince cause it makes the world of difference.
I then leave the cooked mince aside.

Next I gently fry garlic, onions, finely diced leeks and tomatoes. I then add the mince, a crumbled up beef stock cube, Clonakilty black pudding (optional), herbs and spices. Then I add a tin (or 2) of tomatoes, some red wine, some balsamic vinegar and some water. Add some tomatoe purree and bring to the boil. Season with salt and lots of black pepper.

Simmer for hours....and hours....an hours.....serve with red wine (essential:)), some garlic crusty bread and salad....bellisssssimo!!

Sorry, dopey (dodgy) question coming up When you say 'Pan' what kind of pan do you mean.. I'm thinking a normal frying pan would be too small to fit in all those ingredients..?

MissMotivated

Well lads made this again yesterday, where I went shopping didn't have balsamic vinegar but I got worchestershire sauce, tobasco sauce, red pepper pesto, used a tin of tomato puree instead of tinned tomatoes (thought I had got passata but didn't so will try that the next time), used garlic, all my usual veg, chilli, basil, coriander and it was delicious!! Can't wait for lunch!!
Thanks again for all the tips

duploelabs

+1 to the nutmeg, and 90% of you will recoil at this but diced lambs liver is really good and adds a depth of flavour

mushroom, red/green pepper, brocolli, mangetout, baby corn.

shouldn't even be near it as well as dolmio sauce

MissMotivated

duploelabs wrote: »

shouldn't even be near it as well as dolmio sauce

Do you mean that I shouldn't be putting mushroom, red/green pepper, brocolli, mangetout, baby corn in my bologneise? But that's why I make if really cos it's a tasty and handy way of getting my veg intake, I'd throw any veg in

carolinespring

MissMotivated wrote: »

I've been making my own bologneise for a few months but lately it tastes like there's something missing.
I use plum tinned tomtatoes, tomatoe puree, chilli, basil, pepper, last night I also added paprika. veg is usually carrot, mushroom, red/green pepper, brocolli, onion, mangetout, baby corn.
I love the Dolmio sauce and a few times I made my own a while ago it tasted exactly like that but I can't remember what I did differently those times! I've been using different types of tinned tomatoes to see if that chnges the taste.
Any ideas?

A pinch of suger and a splash of balsamic vinegar really work plus tons of fresh basic at the end

iora_rua

Just keep an eye on how much salt you're adding overall. Tinned toms sometimes have salt, also stock cubes can be very salty (although there are low salt ones), likewise the black pudding. The pinch of sugar and dash of wine are very important additions I think! Also, sitting the cooked up meal in the fridge overnight really does improve the flavour and gives you time to remember all the things you forgot to add at the start ...

duploelabs

MissMotivated wrote: »

Do you mean that I shouldn't be putting mushroom, red/green pepper, brocolli, mangetout, baby corn in my bologneise? But that's why I make if really cos it's a tasty and handy way of getting my veg intake, I'd throw any veg in

There are nicer ways of getting veg into your diet than that. I love garlic, pineapple, chocolate, and cumin. But I don't throw them all into the same dish together

Nevyn

MissMotivated wrote: »

Do you mean that I shouldn't be putting mushroom, red/green pepper, brocolli, mangetout, baby corn in my bologneise? But that's why I make if really cos it's a tasty and handy way of getting my veg intake, I'd throw any veg in

A 'classic' bolonaise doesn't have that much veg in it but I do the exact same with mine there is easily more shredded veg then meat and it's is one way of getting more veg into the kids.

MissMotivated

duploelabs wrote: »

There are nicer ways of getting veg into your diet than that. I love garlic, pineapple, chocolate, and cumin. But I don't throw them all into the same dish together

Oh I know that but I love this dish and I'm getting my veg in while also eating something delicious so win win I reckon! I want to put loads of veg in. I'm also not great in the kitchen so something like this is perfect for me to make.

Thaedydal my OH hates brocolli with a passion, his mams been trying to get him to eat it for years but he wasn't budging, well he ate it last night!! He knew it was in it but he just said he couldn't actually get he brocolli taste so he didn't mind eating it!

super_furry

I always add a teaspoon of Colmans mustard to my bologneise. Gives it just a tiny kick without ever overpowering the other flavours.

duploelabs

MissMotivated wrote: »

Oh I know that but I love this dish and I'm getting my veg in while also eating something delicious so win win I reckon! I want to put loads of veg in. I'm also not great in the kitchen so something like this is perfect for me to make.

Thaedydal my OH hates brocolli with a passion, his mams been trying to get him to eat it for years but he wasn't budging, well he ate it last night!! He knew it was in it but he just said he couldn't actually get he brocolli taste so he didn't mind eating it!

Well wasn't your initial question wondering what was wrong with your Boll? The veg is what's wrong with your boll. Why don't you make a nice salad with a good dressing to go as a side and that way your can get your veggies in and not compromise with the flavour of your boll?

Poly

teaspoon of nutmeg and a square or two of chocolote.
Got this tip from a mexican book.

the beer revolu

pog it wrote: »

I'm really confused about in what order you do this.

Is it that you cook veg separately first til almost cooked?
And cook mince until browned, then add in your sauce and veg and let stew on hob for 2 hours? Would that work out?

Also do you do the sauce separately too or can it go in with mince pot? (I've never made my own sauce and I'm thinking if you cooked the sauce on its own would it not be watery with the wine/herbs/tomatoes?

What I do is:

In a saucepan big enough for the whole lot, I fry the veg (carrot, onion, celery and garlic, finely diced) slowly in olive oil.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan (preferably cast iron), I brown the meat in small batches (that way the meat doesn't get wet and browns properly) at a high heat and throw it in on top of the vegies as the batches are browned.
Proper browning i very important to get a good flavour.
I always use some finely chopped bacon and sometimes some Italian sausage.
I also think some liver adds to the flavour too (I use chicken).
When all the meats and vegies are in the pot together, I add a little milk and some white wine and let it reduce and absorb before adding tinned tomatoes or passata.Simmer for hours!
I used to put lots of herbs in (bay,thyme,rosemary and basil at the end) but now I use no herbs as is traditional.
Both is nice.

I prefer not to have to 'tweak' the flavour but if necessary I might use any of the following: Worcestershire sauce, balsamic, sugar, red wine vinegar, soy sauce.
Oh yeah, I season the mince with salt and black pepper.

MissMotivated

duploelabs wrote: »

Well wasn't your initial question wondering what was wrong with your Boll? The veg is what's wrong with your boll. Why don't you make a nice salad with a good dressing to go as a side and that way your can get your veggies in and not compromise with the flavour of your boll?

No my initial question was what's missing from my Bologneise. And I was referring to what was missing that would give it the flavour I wanted. I've since tried making it again using some of the ideas I got here and it tastes lovely,exactly how I wanted it to. The veg doesn't compromise the taste at all, I just wasn't adding the right things to the sauce. Thanks for the suggestion but I love the veg in it

MissMotivated

duploelabs wrote: »

Well wasn't your initial question wondering what was wrong with your Boll? The veg is what's wrong with your boll. Why don't you make a nice salad with a good dressing to go as a side and that way your can get your veggies in and not compromise with the flavour of your boll?

Actually duploelabs have you any other suggestions for something healthy I could make with veg that I could bring to work and heat up? I'm not very inventive in the kitchen, apart from this and veg soup, would love a few more suggestions!

Andrew33

realmadrid wrote: »

Garlic?

Use Sharwoods tube of garlic puree, always handy to keep in the larder,
Or I think there's a jar called "lazy garlic" or something which is basically finely chopped garlic in brine, I prefer the puree. Also, try "Pasata" instead of chopped tomatoes.

duploelabs

MissMotivated wrote: »

Actually duploelabs have you any other suggestions for something healthy I could make with veg that I could bring to work and heat up? I'm not very inventive in the kitchen, apart from this and veg soup, would love a few more suggestions!

If you're bringing this into work, it may work if you've access to a kettle in your canteen.
With the veggies you mentioned you could lightly saute them up with a fair bit of finely chopped garlic, chlli, ginger. Not too much as you want to keep their bite and crunch. Put them in a tubberware box and bring with you along with a small bag of chopped peanuts, a bag of straight to wok noodles, some soy sauce, half a lime, one of those knorr jellied chicken stock, and a bag of chopped corriander and torn basil.

When you're in work, boil the kettle and pop the jellied stock into a big enough bowl. once boiled, pour a little of the boiled water into the big bowl with the stock and leave it a bit for the stock to melt properly.
Once melted pop the noodles in on top and pour the rest of the water and leave for a couple of minutes so the noodles cook. Put in your veggies and mix into the noodles.
Next finish off with your chopped corriander, torn basil, peanuts, a dash of your soy and a squeeze of lime juice.

It may seem pretty complicated and you could do it all at home and bring it in pre-made. But if you do, you'll loose the contrast in textures with the crunchy veggies and soft noodles and it will prob all go into a mush.
It will, however, gain the attention of the canteen as it will give off this amazing aroma and it's great for curing a cold.

MissMotivated

The canteen is usually pretty busy so i don't think I would get to do that much preperation at lunch but it's and idea of what to do with veg anyway, I must start trying out different sauces and things anyway. Thanks for that!

duploelabs

MissMotivated wrote: »

The canteen is usually pretty busy so i don't think I would get to do that much preperation at lunch but it's and idea of what to do with veg anyway, I must start trying out different sauces and things anyway. Thanks for that!

No worries. I'll write up one in my blog when I get a chence

seabre

If your tomatoes are very sharp a few tablespoons of sugar will smooth the taste, also I sometimes add some salsa (if its in the fridge ) gives the bolognese a bit of zing. Beef stock can also give a lovely richness to the sauce. Just add it in a little water. The more you make it the more you'll realise what suits you. I honestly have not bought Dolmio etc in years - when I first started making my own sauce I have to admit I missed the consistency of the jar sauce but over time I've perfected it to the point that I literally couldn't eat the jar sauce now! Good luck - trial and error is the key!

preilly79

MissMotivated wrote: »

What's missing ... ?

Meat

fred funk }{

Lately I've been adding some 'Regae Regae' sauce and it really adds something nice to it. Also, I agree with most here about the Garlic, I absolutely love the stuff and would put in nearly half a bulb :eek: