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Spaghetti Bolognese showdown

D

dirtysanta

Original Casual
I dont know 'bout anyone else but im one of these lairy fuckers that claim to make the best Spag Bog sauce (:rolleyes: ). Embarrassingly enough, iv had some drunken, angry rows with people over it. But its one my favourite dishes and on a sunday iv spent hours making it before a load of mates turn up, mob handed, for dinner. So, unless yours a closely guarded secret, tell all. :)
 
I've never spent hours making a spag bol. But now I'm intrigued... perhaps you make a superior spag bol.

Mine's dead simple - I tend to mix up tomato and Worcestershire sauce until I'm happy with the result. I don't get too fancy – fresh basil isn't the point, really, it's more about comfort stodge for me.
 
My manbeast made a big vat of the stuff last night as I was feeling rubbish. His is def the best ever and it doesn't matter what variations go on (last night included mushrooms).
 
I actually worry about what goes in my sauce. I think about all those Italians tutting cos I'm making that and not a proper ragu sauce and putting in things they wouldn't dream of. Then I remember that if I asked my next door neighbour how to do a traditional English roast she'd have a different answer to me and then all is right with the world :D

I do loathe tomato puree with a passion though and refuse to put it in.
 
I don't even think of spag bol as an Italian dish. It's got an Italian name, but it's as English as Swiss roll.
 
In our house we like to keep ours simple, no carrots/mushrooms/etc.

We use lamb mince cos it's nicer, fresh tomatoes, tomato puree, onion, garlic, fresh basil, black pepper, pinch of salt and grated nutmeg. Obviously we drain the fat from the lamb first and then add tomatoes and stock (none other than the Marigold bouillon) and simmer letting it reduce and letting the flavour develop. Maybe add a bit more stock and reducing again.

This makes the meat moist and tender and yummy and the whole sauce is very flavoursome. Not quite bolognese though. Sometimes we add sliced black olives to it.

We do the same stock, simmer, reduce thing when making sheperd's pie, works a treat.
 
This is how I do it, though I occasionally yearn for the tomatoey version:
This is the best ever recipe for Bolognese EVER. I was initially dubious cos it only has a couple of blobs of tomato purée and no herbs in - but apparently the bolognese sauces we are all used to are in fact ersatz bolognese, like chicken tikka massala is as a curry. This is the authentic real deal:
Tagliatelle with Bolognese Sauce

It is curious that, the world over, the best-known pasta is spaghetti Bolognese. For in Bologna, where Bolognese sauce was created, it is eaten with tagliatelle - the pasta also created in Bologna. Moreover, the true Bolognese sauce often has little in common with its international namesakes. This is the true Bolognese sauce, as it is cooked at one of Bologna's top restaurants. For 4.

500g (18 oz) tagliatelle
15g (1/2 oz) dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
60 g (2 oz) unsalted butter
60g (2 oz) streaky unsmoked bacon, finely chopped
40g (l'/2 oz) celery, finely chopped
40g (1/2 oz) carrot, finely chopped
a small onion or shallot
300g (11 oz) excellent beef mince
1½ tumblers good red wine
nutmeg, grated
1½ teaspoons plain flour
2 scant teaspoons tomato paste
a little broth
good Parmesan cheese, grated

Soak the porcini for an hour in a little warm water, if using. Melt three quarters of the butter in a casserole with the bacon. When the bacon begins to colour add the celery, carrot and chopped onion and let them soften gently. Add the beef, and brown it Pour in half the wine and cook briskly to evaporate most of it. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, sprinkle with the flour, stir, add the tomato paste, the porcini and a ladle of broth. Cover, and simmer the sauce very slowly for at least l'/2 hours, stirring occasionally and adding a little porcini liquid, strained through a muslin, or some hot broth. Towards the end add 2 tablespoons of milk, to soften the flavour, taste and adjust the seasoning. Have ready a large pan of boiling salted water. Cook the pasta al dente, place on a warm dish, add the remaining butter in little flakes, and top with three-quarters of the sauce - the rest is passed round at table, like the Parmesan.
This is the classic version, but some people add 2 tablespoons of thick cream to the sauce at the very end. In Bologna they also vary the recipe by using half beef, half pork


Whether you do the above or prefer the tomatoey one, the secret is wine
 
It's all in the browning.

Brown half the mince.
Brown tomato puree until it's the colour of dark mahogany.

Long slow cooking and a good ratio of tomatoes to mince, it should be more tomatoey than meaty.

Finish with a gloop of the extra-v.

It's good when it's quite oily, the pasta can take it.
 
dirtysanta said:
I dont know 'bout anyone else but im one of these lairy fuckers that claim to make the best Spag Bog sauce (:rolleyes: ). Embarrassingly enough, iv had some drunken, angry rows with people over it. But its one my favourite dishes and on a sunday iv spent hours making it before a load of mates turn up, mob handed, for dinner. So, unless yours a closely guarded secret, tell all. :)
Click to expand...

spill the beans then
 
This is the best one. Easier if you ahve a food processor:

2 onions
1 garlic
2 slices of bacon
1 carrot
1/2 stick of celery
300g Good Beef mince
2 tins tomato
2tbs Tomato Puree
1 glass red wine
Water
Oregano
Marjoram
2 bay leaves

1) Whizz up the Bacon, Onion, Garlic, Celery and Carrot. (or chop up into very small pieces.)

2) Fry the Mixture in olive oil on a low heat until the onions are clear then add the meat and fry off until it turns brown.

3) Add the Chopped tomatos, 2 tblspoon of tomato puree and the red wine and simmer until it becomes quite thick (but don't let the bottom burn)

4) this is the trick of a good bolognese sauce. At this stage add the herbs (mushrooms if you like) and salt/pepper to taste and then water a little at a time so the sauce is just about thick enough to make a good sauce. If it becomes a bit too thick add more watter. You need to cook it for a long time to get rid of that "beefy" taste. At least 45 mins should do but the longer the better it and it's the same as making a ragu sauce as in all the flavours infuse with each other on a low heat over a lonf period of time.

Make the pasta and grate a god fresh parmazan over it and garnish with a few basil leaves.


Orangutan's sounds good aswell. Might try it his way. It's the "Holy Trinity" (french term) of teh onions carrots and celery that make a good bolognese.
 
Taken from "Silver Spoon" the Italian cookery book.

40g Butter
2 tbl sp - olive oil
1 onion
1 celery stick
1 carrot
250g steak mince
1 tbl sp tomato puree concentrate
s&p

Heat butter & oil, add add onion, celery, carrot & meat, season, low heat till softened and browned, add puree and a little water. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 1/2 hours, add a little water if dries out too much.
 
The best one I ever had was prepared for me by a bloke I dated during my 'experimental' years. His preferences for wearing a maids uniform and being whipped certainly kept things interesting - but it was his love of good food and fine wine that won me over ;)

I have no idea what the exact recipe was but I know it contained red wine and chicken livers which made the final dish very very rich but incredibly delicious.

Not your every day common or garden spag bol - and a bit too much to enjoy all the time. Much like our short lived relationship...
 
2 recipes that don't use garlic? What the fuck? :mad:

My recipe (I don't really 'do' measured quantities, so you'll have to work them out).

4/5 shallots finely chopped.
3-5 (depending on size) cloves garlic thinly sliced (thin enough to see through them).
400g or so decent steak mince.
Some fresh tomatoes.
Puree/pasata.
Teaspoon or two of sun dried tomato paste.
1 courgette, chopped.
Some mushrooms - preferably fresh porcini.
Oregano, marjoram, rosemary, fresh basil.
Chilli - not too much, just enough for a subtle kick.

Heat the oregano, marjoram, rosemary, chilli and garlic until it's close to browning then add the shallots. Brown these then add the mince. Brown the mince, strain and place back in the pan. Add the fresh tomatoes and soften, add the pasata or puree (with puree you need to add water too) and sun dried tomato paste (or just sun dried tomatoes). Simmer for an hour or two. Add the mushrooms and courgette and soften. Season with salt and pepper and maybe a bit more chilli, serve on tagliatele with decent parmesan and fresh basil. You can also try adding red wine and, weirdly enough, cider works very well (a nice spicy one).
 
Celery?? Surely not!

And where do you get 'broth' from? Nip round to the 1870's and grab a cup out of their cauldron?
 
ok. If im cooking for few then...

olive oil
2 large cloves garlic
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
1lb lean mince beef
1/2 cup beef stock
1/2 tube tomato puree
1 Tbls of Sugar
1 carton of Passata
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 glass decent red wine
1/2 glass sherry
fresh mushrooms (as many as you like)
nutmeg,parsley, oregano, sage and couple of bay leaves.

Open the red wine pour in a glass. Roll a spliff, light it, have a few long puffs, a good swig of wine then.... crush the garlic and fry in a few tbls of olive oil. Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and add to the pan, sweat it and then add mince. Season with black pepper and sea salt. Once the minced is browned add the 1/2 cup of stock and the tomato puree. Stir well.

Stop. Light spliff, drink wine.

Add a Tbls of sugar to take the edge off the tomatoes then add the passata and tim of chopped tomatoes. let cook for a few mins then add the wine (can be more than glass if you like) and 1/2 glass of sherry. Add all your herbs and nutmeg. Stir well and then leave to simmer for an hour or so stirring very occasionally.

go back to your spliff and you wine for while.

Add your mushrooms. Leave to simmer for another hour.
Cook Spag for 10 mins til 'Al dente', drain, drizzle in olive oil, toss and serve it up.
 
And a sodding tablespoon? What the fuck? Tomatoes have a natural sweetness anyway - adding sugar is fucking ridiculous! :mad:

And simmering mushies for an hour? what the hell is the point in that? you want some texture at least.
 
Orang Utan said:
Sugar? To take the edge off the tomatoes? Do tomatoes have an edge? WTF?
Click to expand...


I add it to counter the tartness of the tomatoes. All those tomatoes can be sharp in taste and a little acidic. A bit a sugar sorts it.
 
Yetman said:
Celery?? Surely not!

And where do you get 'broth' from? Nip round to the 1870's and grab a cup out of their cauldron?
Click to expand...

Celery and carrots are ok if you use them as part of a base/stock that will later be strained and used with tomatoe puree... but leaving them in the actual bolognese isn't really what you should be doing imo.
 
Cid said:
And a sodding tablespoon? What the fuck? Tomatoes have a natural sweetness anyway - adding sugar is fucking ridiculous! :mad:

.
Click to expand...


Natural sweetness. Err, I dont think so, you loon. Tomatoes have an acidic quality that helpsl bring out other flavour in food. Do your research before you start flaming me. :mad: :p
 
Cid said:
And a sodding tablespoon? What the fuck? Tomatoes have a natural sweetness anyway - adding sugar is fucking ridiculous! :mad:

And simmering mushies for an hour? what the hell is the point in that? you want some texture at least.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'd stick any mushrooms in nearer to the end
 
Well let me start by saying that celary & carrots - esspecially fucking carrots - have absolutley no x 100 million, place in a Spag Bol.
It's just wrong. (Actually so are sodding mushrooms come to think of it.)

Mine's along these lines:

2 large red onions quite roughly chopped
a whole bulb of garlic finely chopped
2 or 3 red chillies finely chopped

Gentally fry this lot in a generous slosh of olive oil until soft.

Add mince and stir and turn into the mix until it begins brown.

Add 1 diced green pepper and about a palm's worth of fresh thyme., salt & pepper.

Then add 1 large bottle of smooth tomato passatta, about half of a 200g tomato puree tube and 2 handfuls of small, whole cherry tomotos

Turn the heat up a little and stir everything continuously untill it begins to bubble quite hard.
Add a good glass of red wine and a teaspoon of brown sugar.

Turn the heat down and let it simmer well for about an hour, stiring evry 5 mins and adding a little water when nessasary and adding a bit more thyme & seasoning to taste.
5 mins before you serve, throw in a big handful of roughly chopped basil leaves, stir in and serve over extra long spagetti.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
;)
 
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