making bolognaise sauce from scratch

Stephen_Leak

MrsE wrote: »

Jamie Oliver Ministry of Food, + mushroooms near the end.

I usually "lose it" with young Master Oliver's recipes when they get to the balsamic vinegar. Keep it simple.

BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Serves 2 - 3

INGREDIENTS

2 cloves of garlic
2 onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
500g of minced meat
400g tin of plum tomatoes
140g tin of tomato puree
2 teaspoons of mixed herbs
1 beef stock cube
Ground pepper to taste

METHOD

Peel the garlic and chop it into tiny pieces. Peel the onions and chop them into tiny pieces.

Put the oil into a frying pan on a medium heat. Add the garlic and onion. Fry the garlic and onion for about 2 minutes. Stir frequently to stop it sticking.

Put the meat into the pan and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring all the time. By this time, it should have broken up and be an even colour, with no pink bits.

Open the tin of tomatoes. Pour the juice into the pan. Chop the tomatoes while they are still in the can (it’s easier than chasing them around the pan). Pour the chopped tomatoes into the pan.

Add the tomato puree and herbs. Crumble the stock cube into the pan. Stir thoroughly.

Continue to cook, stirring as the mixture boils, until the sauce has reduced.

Season with the pepper.

ADDITIONS & ALTERNATIVES

Use minced beef, lamb, pork or turkey, whichever is cheapest. If the pack is a bit less than required, add some finely chopped mushrooms and/or grated carrot at the same time as the meat.

Use 1 teaspoon of oregano and 1 teaspoon of rosemary instead of the mixed herbs.

Add a glass of wine and cook for a bit longer. Or drink the glass of wine and cook for the same time.

Plain pasta, such as spaghetti, is usually served with oil-based sauces. Spaghetti is usually served with this particular sauce.

Cheese, such as Parmesan, the mellower Gorgonzola or the sharper Pecorino Romano, is not a compulsory addition to every pasta dish.

TIPS

Always "take the pasta to the sauce". Put the cooked pasta in the pan with the sauce and stir together until thoroughly coated.

Plum tomatoes can be used either whole or chopped. It is difficult to stick chopped tomatoes back together again if you need to use them whole.

MrsE_2

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

I usually "lose it" with young Master Oliver's recipes when they get to the balsamic vinegar. Keep it simple..

There is no balsamic vinegar in JOs recipe.

Gingham_Ribbon

I've been making a huge pan of low fat bolognaise every couple of weeks and it's lush (in my humble opinion!)

1 packet extra lean beef mince
1 packet turkey mince
1 large onion
3 sticks celery
1 packet of mushrooms
1 yellow pepper
1 courgette
2 tins tomatoes *(napolina are expensive but best in this in my opinion)
1 small tin tomato puree
splash red wine
3 fat garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1 tbs dried Italian herbs + some extra basil

I use frylight but olive oil really does taste better to fry the onions

Chop all veg small
Fry the onion gently until soft.
Add the garlic and rest of the veg for 2 mins
Add the meat and stir until browned.
Add everything else and simmer for 30 minutes.

MrsE_2

Gingham_Ribbon wrote: »

I've been making a huge pan of low fat bolognaise every couple of weeks and it's lush (in my humble opinion!)

1 packet extra lean beef mince
1 packet turkey mince
1 large onion
3 sticks celery
1 packet of mushrooms
1 yellow pepper
1 courgette
2 tins tomatoes *(napolina are expensive but best in this in my opinion)
1 small tin tomato puree
splash red wine
3 fat garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1 tbs dried Italian herbs + some extra basil

I use frylight but olive oil really does taste better to fry the onions

Chop all veg small
Fry the onion gently until soft.
Add the garlic and rest of the veg for 2 mins
Add the meat and stir until browned.
Add everything else and simmer for 30 minutes.

Mine is similar

Finely chopped onion & carrots & oregano & garlic & lardons (or any chopped smoked bacon), fry for 7 mins.
Add mince & brown.
Add two tins of chopped toms & tom puree & red wine & S&P.
Add basil & optional mushrooms.

building_with_lego

I did the recipe from The Takeaway Secret the other night (see thread in Old Style) and it wa sSO easy and tasty:
Blitz a tin of tomatoes and a pepper until completely smooth, add half a teaspoon each of paprika, sugar, salt and black pepper. Fry mince until brown [Nigel Slater always says to 'forget' about it so it gets really crusty before you tirn it] then add tomato auce, a dollop of tomato puree and 2 teaspoons of Worcester sauce. Simmer for half an hour or so, serve with pasta.
t sounds decidedly odd excluding onions and garlic but was very quick to prepare, used a wrinkly pepper out of the fridge and tasted lovely- definitely one I'll be doing again!

Alison_Funnell

Mine is very basic.

Chop fresh or whole tinned tomatoes - or used ready chopped. Fill a casserole dish with toms, add a bit of salt and pepper, thyme/mixed herbs/herbs de provence/oregano/marjoramwhich ever you have/grow/are cheapest. Add a glug of oil (I use rapeseed). Cook till reduce by half to 2/3. Blitz smooth.

Add any requirements precooked. Veggies/mince/quorn etc.

sb44

I have just found this recipe which I may try, never heard of putting honey in a spag bol though and seems to be a lot of tomato puree.

http://step-by-step-cook.co.uk/mains/bolognese/?persons=4&units=Metric

Bambywamby

Hi there,

I was wondering if you can help me. I have made a large pan of bolognaise sauce using a glut of fresh tomatoes; it smells divine however it is very acidic almost too tomatoey.

Can anyone give me any remedies to correct this? I don't want to waste a full pan of the sauce. The ingredients I used were a glut of toms, tomatoe puree, 1tsp sugar, small slug of vinegar, clove of garlic, slug of olive oil, pepper and salt. All boiled and reduced down over 45 mins. I blended it down and then added to lamb mince.

Thanks in advance,

Bams x

Top_Girl

I always add brown sugar to mine, by the pinch and taste test it as I go...

moonbabe58

I would stick a bit more sugar in it to take off the acidic edge.