Perfect Bolognaise

Mistyday6 If you look at Forums you will see the heading Estrangement if you move your post to there you will find lots of kind, helpful and experienced people who will offer you support. Kindest thoughts

Good tip about sugar.
I forgot to say grate lots of parmesan on top.

I have never heard of adding milk , is it a new thing

My mum was from Tuscany so we never had spaghetti Bolognese as such. The sauce for the pasta (any kind) was sometimes vegetarian or more often meat based using pheasant, rabbit or occasionally pigeon. They never used minced beef or pork but sometimes chunks of beef.
I have cooked game meat in a basic pasta sauce but nowadays use minced beef.
My mother must be turning in her grave!
I have also added mushrooms to her recipe. She only used mushrooms in the autumn when she had foraged in the woods for wild ones. Im not confident enough to do that so they come from Sainsbury's.
I use,
Carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms and celery. Chopped up and gently fried for about 5 mins. in olive oil together with basil, parsley and oregano. Add the meat and brown it, add a large tube of tomato puree and a pint of water or beef stock. Bring to the boil then add 3 or 4 slivers of lemon peel. Simmer for a couple of hours until thickened. Remove the peel before serving.
My daughter in law recently told me about adding the rind of a piece of parmesan cheese to the sauce which I tried and I think it made it very tasty.

Bbface

Uncalled for, you have no idea how this situation arose.

Witzend, yes, I too add lentils (or beans) to almost every meat dish I make these days - and bolognaise is no exception.

Cutting down on meat, so I haven’t made a meat-only one for ages. I usually batch cook it -roughly 50% lean beef mince, 50% a mix of red lentils plus onions, carrot, celery and mushrooms, all chopped very fine. And a tin of tomatoes, stock cube, tom purée, red wine, etc.
Not at all authentic, but tastes fine - at least I’ve never had any complaints. Nearly always accompanied by home made garlic bread - I like to keep some of that in the freezer, too.

I always think it tastes better if made the night before. Same remark applies to chilli too.

Both are my favourites.

When my husband makes his sauce (hes of Sicillian decent) he makes it as simply as possible
1 onion cooked in olive oil until translucent
Garlic to taste cook with onion
1/2 kg beef mince
2 tins of diced roma tomatoes and 2 desert spoon of tomato paste ( his mother would have used home made bottled tomato and paste but who has the time to do that)
2 tins of water
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh chopped oregano
Bring to the boil then simmer until sauce is thick and rich ( could take up to 2 hours)
He doesn’t often do it that way as we prefer chicken pieces instead of mince or pork rind

This is the simplest ever recipe, which I've 'fiddled' with for 50+ years, its my own... (I'm from Argentina, so its roots are Spanish) Its been my saviour as it 'morphs' into so many meals (have experienced poverty with young children, so its cheapness is fab). Will serve 2 or more... Basic recipe:
(All veg chopped smallish cooked in Olive Oil till tender, sprinkle with any Italian Seasoning, Herb Mix)
Large onion
Capsicum
Garlic (I use a whole bulb!!!)
Chop small a few dried Porcini Mushrooms soak in dish for 20 minutes
(Add any veg you like/left-overs are good)
When veg tender add:
Tin of Chopped Tomatoes or 2 dependent on amount of veg.
Bring all to simmer
Add heaped teaspoon of Marmite, stir in till dissolved
Add Porcini Mushrooms
Add herbs, fresh/dried: Mixed/Italian Garlic Seasoning is good, any mediterranean mix is fab.
Simmer for about 30 minutes. I add a little Cornish Sea Salt and 4 Pepper mix its yum... Reduce :-)
Delish with any Pasta
That's it!!!
AND if there's some left, add a tin of mixed beans, (Mixed baked beans are good), teaspoon of Marmite, a drop of gravy, stir... Add whatever cooked veg you like, may need a bit of stock if too dry. Top with mashed potato as you would 'shep' pie, bake till golden.
OR add roasted veg to left-over sauce, Tin Chopped Tomatoes, stock, herbs, simmer, seasoning to taste... Easy soup
NO MEAT, No DAIRY & GLUTEN-FREE :-)

Mistyday6

How can I get my daughter talking to me again? She cut us all off over night with no explanation no row that I know off 9 years ago. It’s affected my health badly not her problem I know but been grieving all these years. All blocked on phones etc and I put nice cards through her door and bit of money when I can incase she needs it as think she lives alone. Don’t know anyone who knows her and can’t just bang on her door don’t want to upset her as might push her into moving and at least I know where she is at mo. I just want to see her again but don’t want to interfere in her life.

I think you need to start a new thread - this one is all about spaghetti bolognese!

Mine is really basic but everyone loves it. Mince, onion, garlic, tin of tomatoes, lots of purée, salt pepper and Italian herb seasoning. I think the trick is to cook it on a low heat for a long time - at least 2 hrs

How can I get my daughter talking to me again? She cut us all off over night with no explanation no row that I know off 9 years ago. It’s affected my health badly not her problem I know but been grieving all these years. All blocked on phones etc and I put nice cards through her door and bit of money when I can incase she needs it as think she lives alone. Don’t know anyone who knows her and can’t just bang on her door don’t want to upset her as might push her into moving and at least I know where she is at mo. I just want to see her again but don’t want to interfere in her life.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

I have to have celery in mine but couldn’t put carrots in. An eye opener for me at work one day was how many people use jars of ragu sauces and think they are cooking a Bolognese!

Always garlic, basil and oregano, sugar at end in case it 'sticks', dash of red wine if you have it to hand. I never use celery but would dice up carrots and throw in, maybe blast in microwave if short on time otherwise let it simmer gently with lid on.

Posted while I was typing Valels !!

I went to a WI cooking demonstration about cooking 'in bulk' for the freezer. There was an excellent ragu to use either as Bolgonaise (sp.) or Lasagne. The teacher mixed pork and beef 5% mince and the recipe was very much as those already posted. She always added double cream a few minutes before she was ready to serve it or just before layering the Lasagna. The result was delicious.

Back in the late 50’s when “foreign” food was not well known, I found a recipe for Spaghetti Bolanaise either in a magazine or on the back of a tin.
It was very simple,Tyne brand stewed steak, onions and tinned tomatoes, it was quick and delicious.
The problem was getting long spaghetti to serve it with, in my rural part of Derbyshire it was not stocked.
Now a question, has anyone put chicken livers in theirs as I have seen mentioned, it could have been Mary Berry?

If I fancy a stronger flavoured sauce I occasionally add cooked, chopped chicken livers.

I make a veggie version but I could never give a recipe. I just put in whatever I happen to have. It tastes wonderful every time...

Not Bolognese as such but a nice variation I do is to add thinly sliced red pepper and chunks of aubergine and not too much liquid ...

I got my recipe from my mother and she got hers from the recipe book she got when she bought a Prestige pressure cooker in the early 1960s.

Does this count as one downsmanship? (a propos another thread)

Have an Italian chef in the family and bolognaise is always made with chunks of beef and cooked over a good 24 hours. He does this at home for family and friends . I don't have the patience or inclination but then what I produce is rubbish compared to the real deal.

I was in Malta from 1959 and I suspect that Mediterranean style cooking had not on the whole become popular in the UK so it was all very new and different for my mum. She was an excellent cook and taught me many classic recipes. However have never put celery or carrots or even milk into a Bol sauce.