What is your secret ingedient in spag bol?

[Badger Kitten]

Spag bol controversy. I been making a lot of spag sauce recently, because its cheap, I can freeze it and I find making it is soothing. I made enough for 8 yesterday, but various mates dropped in and it all got eaten. So I'm back in the kitchen making another batch.

The greedy friends dropping in thing led to me conducting an ad hoc recipe investigation. I never realised that spag bog was so flipping controversial. A random survey seems to indicate that lots of people have a secret ingredient that they add to their spag sauce which they are convinced makes it special and fabulous.

All sorts of things were mentioned, so I would like to settle this with a poll and find out what secret things the expert bolognnaissite suburbanites recommend adding, and why, in order that the next lot I make will contain within it the wisdom of generations, and be the best spag bog sauce EVAH.

I thank you

 

[Numbers]

No way, not telling you.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

chocolate

 

[Badger Kitten]

Really?

 

[Orang Utan]

Nutmeg and no tomatoes, but a small amount of puree
celery and carrots too but chopped oh so fine

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Really?

nah only joking.

But lots of people use it in chilli con carne

 

[Firky]

Coco powder or dark chocolate. As minx said, it works in chilli too - but don't use white chocolate.

 

[Orang Utan]

Repost:
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, from a Nigel Slater column I think:
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

 

[London_Calling]

I voted huge slag on red wine, but I am dyslexic.

 

[fogbat]

A spoonful of tapenade is always good.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Sherry and MSG.

 

[Badger Kitten]

Yesterday mine was onions, garlic (tons), mushrooms, lots of red wine, oregano, thyme, bayleaf, sage, tinned tomatoes, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar because apparently that makes the tomatoes taste like fresh ones not tinned ones. Cooked for 3 hours and served with parmesan. It was nice enough, but I think it could be improved.

Bacon sounds nice but I ate the bacon for breakfast. I might soak some porcini and sling them in with the water they soaked in. Tapendade sounds good too
*rummages in cupboard*.

 

[stupid kid]

I like to put chilli powder and balsamic vinegar in mine.

 

[Orang Utan]

Yesterday mine was onions, garlic (tons), mushrooms, lots of red wine, oregano, thyme, bayleaf, sage, tinned tomatoes, salt & pepper, and a bit of sugar because apparently that makes the tomatoes taste like fresh ones not tinned ones. Cooked for 3 hours and served with parmesan. It was nice enough, but I think it could be improved.

Bacon sounds nice but I ate the bacon for breakfast. I might soak some porcini and sling them in with the water they soaked in. Tapendade sounds good too
*rummages in cupboard*.

Try the recipe I posted - I promise you you'll love it

 

[Badger Kitten]

I will definitely try that one next. It sounds gorgeous.

 

[The Groke]

Soylent Green

 

[Ms T]

Milk, and simmer it for ages.

 

[Structaural]

Dolmio

 

[Stobart Stopper]

Levi Roots sauces, the new totato sauce is really nice.

 

[Looby]

Worcestershire sauce makes a spag bol for me and I really notice if it's missing or there's not enough in it. I love spag bol.

 

[Orang Utan]

I don't get this English obsession with sticking Worcestershire sauce in everything as if it improves the taste. News just in: it doesn't - it makes your dish taste of Worcestershire sauce.

 

[Looby]

I don't put it in everything, in fact it's the only dish I use it in but I love it.

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Where's the option for West Indian hot pepper sauce?

 

[CharlieAddict]

a small amount of liver and red wine.

it's lush...

 

[Stig]

Half a tin of corned beef, along with the ton of beef mince you're already using.

And most of the stuff on the poll.

 

[Hocus Eye.]

My secret ingredient is ............................................. This is so secret that I will be editing this post in a while so that only the privileged few will ever find out about it. I also add bacon but that is no secret these days.

EDITED to keep the secret.

 

[Detroit City]

crushed red pepper flakes

 

[colacubes]

Milk, and simmer it for ages.

Yep

 

[Disaster]

I've never even tried Spag Bol

 

[Orang Utan]

I've never even tried Spag Bol

That's like saying you've never had fish n chips or a curry!