MSE version of Dolmio sauce jars?

Catmom

Hi
Everyone's recipes seem to be along the same lines, here's mine (quantities are a bit of a guesstimate!)

2 sticks celery, VERY finely diced.
2 carrots, dices same as celery
1 large white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed or chopped, as you prefer
2 tins tomatoes
good squirt tomato puree
Slug of Worcester sauce
Slug of red wine
Diced mushrooms, chestnut ones give better flavour/texture
Red or green pepper, diced
Salt & freshly ground Black Pepper (please don't use the dust you get in little pots from the Supermarket)
Italian seasoning/mixed herbs
Splash of half decent oil
Hot stock.

Start by sweating the onion for a few minutes till it starts to go transparent. Then add the garlic and fry for a minute or 2 - DON'T let it burn, ugh!! Then add the carrot and celery and give it another 5 mins or so. Next, add the tomato pur!e and let it cook out for a few minutes - its important to allow this to happen as the pur!e can have a harsh edge to it otherwise. Then just bung everything else into the pan, add some stock (beef or veg, whatever you have) give it a good stir up and bubble away for as long as you can - minimum half an hour, but if you can leave it a couple of hours so much the better for a deeper flavour. Don't be afraid of adding plenty of stock, as the more you reduce the sauce, the nicer the end result. If you were making a batch of Bolognese, you would add the mince after the carrot and celery stage but before the tomato pur!e, and let it brown.
HTH

Alison_Funnell

I find to make mine costs more than the jars when they are on £1 offer.

It is dead simple, use either tinned or fresh tomatoes. LOTS. enough to fill a casserole dish, then cook in the oven till reduced by atleast half.

Has a wonderful rich flavour. You can add herbs, S&P, oil, garlic etc. But not necessary. I have found often sugar isn't needed either.

peachyprice

My recipe is so simple, yet stunnungly delicious (even though i say so myself )

500g Mince
2 med onions lightly fried
2 cloves garlic
6 mushrooms fried with the onions
Oregano/thyme (whatever I have available)
Dessert spoon Paprika
2 tins chopped toms
1.5 tubes of tomato puree

Fry the onions, garlic & mush until soft, bung them in a large saucepan, fry the mince in the same frying pan to get all the onion juices, bung that in the saucepan once it's browned but still juicy, add the toms, puree and seasoning. Bring to boil and simmer for at least 3 hours, the longer the better.

It makes enough for spag bol for 4 and a lasagne for 3.

System

i had much the same problem when i started making my own bolegnese but solved it when i added more tomato puree. I also watch to see its not too watery, if it is i reduce the liquid by boiling it quickly for a few moments.

Am i the only one who adds a beef stock cube (or two depending on the quantity).

Oh and i agree, dont forget to add the sugar.

krlyr

Thanks everyone, should hopefully give this a whirl this weekend. Can put the red wine I got given at Christmas to some use (neither of us drink so it's been stashed for visitors, but I might as well use it!). The italian seasoning trick is a good one, we have a pot we use to make homemade potato wedges so I'll see if that helps add a bit more flavour

ianbar0

i never use a jar now, too much money and not enough taste, i am not good with my quantities as i tend to do it by taste but as a general rule...
fry garlic, onion and celery.
(add peppers if you wish) once softened a glug of red wine.
add you meat, fry till browned.
(usually very nice to add beef stock now but you may not want too)
add tinned toms, cook for a few mins.
add dried italian mixed herbs and season.can add worcester sauce or even soy sauce too.
you may find it is quite watery which i think is good at this point so add tomato and garlic puree which needs cooking out to thicken.

you should be pretty much there now, you can add whatever you like really. if your adding mince always good to add bit of bacon too and probably forgotten a few things as all my cooking is very much "throw it in"

ianbar0

oh i forgot mushrooms how did i do that!!!!

Diflower

Judi wrote: »

Am i the only one who adds a beef stock cube (or two depending on the quantity).

No, I just forgot! I always add one to chilli, not always for bolognese.

lindseykim13

We stopped buying jars a long time ago when i discovered the 29p pasata in lidl i now use
pasata 1 carton
garlic
mushrooms
onions
basil
really simple to do even without batch cooking if you have the onions and mushrooms chopped and frozen in big bags ready to go.

Cat501

hard to remember what I put in mine, I just bung things in randomly, but I agree with JulieGeorgiana that ketchup and sugar are important, particularly with cheaper tinned toms:)