The Perfect Bolognese...
- Thread starter Nassarian
- Start date
Space Girl
twp
lots of chopped up onions with lots of garlic fried then add some slim slithers of streaky unsmoked bacon and brown in with the onions
add fresh lamb mince (or what ever meat you like but we don't eat beef so we use lamb instead) and brown
add some tins of chopped tomotoes, a big squidge of tomato puree, tomato ketchup, big spoon of marmite, big dash of worster sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper, knorr lamb stock cubes, I sometime add a glass or two of red wine too if it hasn't all been drunk
reduce heat and cook for at least an hour, the longer the better,
It really needs to reduce down and have a concentrated flavour
add fresh lamb mince (or what ever meat you like but we don't eat beef so we use lamb instead) and brown
add some tins of chopped tomotoes, a big squidge of tomato puree, tomato ketchup, big spoon of marmite, big dash of worster sauce, a teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper, knorr lamb stock cubes, I sometime add a glass or two of red wine too if it hasn't all been drunk
reduce heat and cook for at least an hour, the longer the better,
It really needs to reduce down and have a concentrated flavour
U-R
Well-Known Member
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small carrot, pared and finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can tomatoes (or use fresh)
1 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp. each salt and basil (or about 3 leaves, chopped, fresh basil)
1/2 tsp. thyme
dash pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb uncooked spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in 12" non-corrosive skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, 4 - 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat into fine pieces, until meat loses its raw color, about 6 minutes. Do not brown.
Stir carrot and celery into meat mixture; cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until wine is evaporated, 4 - 6 minutes. Stir in milk and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium and cook until milk is evaporated, 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Press tomatoes and their liquid through sieve into bowl; discard seeds. Stir sieved tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, salt and seasonings into meat mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick, 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Just before serving time, cook spaghetti in large kettle of boiling salted water just until al dente, 8 - 12 minutes. Drain well. Ladle meat sauce over spaghetti in heated bowl. Sprinkle cheese on top.
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 small carrot, pared and finely chopped
1/2 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup milk
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1 can tomatoes (or use fresh)
1 cup beef broth
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp. each salt and basil (or about 3 leaves, chopped, fresh basil)
1/2 tsp. thyme
dash pepper
1 bay leaf
1 lb uncooked spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Heat olive oil in 12" non-corrosive skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sauté until soft, 4 - 5 minutes. Add beef and cook, breaking up meat into fine pieces, until meat loses its raw color, about 6 minutes. Do not brown.
Stir carrot and celery into meat mixture; cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook until wine is evaporated, 4 - 6 minutes. Stir in milk and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium and cook until milk is evaporated, 3 - 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
Press tomatoes and their liquid through sieve into bowl; discard seeds. Stir sieved tomatoes, beef broth, tomato paste, salt and seasonings into meat mixture. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated and sauce is thick, 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. Remove and discard bay leaf.
Just before serving time, cook spaghetti in large kettle of boiling salted water just until al dente, 8 - 12 minutes. Drain well. Ladle meat sauce over spaghetti in heated bowl. Sprinkle cheese on top.
MysteryGuest
beyond boring and interesting
I've got a bolognese on the go right now, inspired by reading this thread. 
When I do a bolognese sauce I put a lot of basil in it, but also quite a lot of marjoram, which is also sweet but a bit more pungent. Then I add a bit of oregano, but not too much as it's very distinctive and I prefer the sauce to be quite sweet. It's just the oregano makes it taste particularly Italian.
Finely diced red peppers can give a very pleasant sweetness to the sauce as well. Though I tend to concur with ChrisF about the crunchy veg thing, if you chop the peppers extra fine then they're not too noticeable texture-wise. Plus on the next day they've usually softened up nicely.
Tonight's one, however, doesn't have peppers in, but does have carrot. Plus I got some dried porcini-stylee shrooms and chucked the water that they were soaked in into the sauce too. Plus a very generous splash of rioja that I'd accidentally left the cork off for a day last week. And bay leaves. And a couple of rashers of maplecure bacon cut into strips. Oh yeah and organic mince.
It's been simmering for 40 minutes or so - just had a taste and it's agonisingly delicious.
When I do a bolognese sauce I put a lot of basil in it, but also quite a lot of marjoram, which is also sweet but a bit more pungent. Then I add a bit of oregano, but not too much as it's very distinctive and I prefer the sauce to be quite sweet. It's just the oregano makes it taste particularly Italian.
Finely diced red peppers can give a very pleasant sweetness to the sauce as well. Though I tend to concur with ChrisF about the crunchy veg thing, if you chop the peppers extra fine then they're not too noticeable texture-wise. Plus on the next day they've usually softened up nicely.
Tonight's one, however, doesn't have peppers in, but does have carrot. Plus I got some dried porcini-stylee shrooms and chucked the water that they were soaked in into the sauce too. Plus a very generous splash of rioja that I'd accidentally left the cork off for a day last week. And bay leaves. And a couple of rashers of maplecure bacon cut into strips. Oh yeah and organic mince.
It's been simmering for 40 minutes or so - just had a taste and it's agonisingly delicious.
