MSE version of Dolmio sauce jars?

Bronnie

.........and because quantities you might use and the flavour of even tinned ingredients can vary each time, it's important to develop your sense of taste when cooking. Taste the sauce as you make it and jiggle around with ingredients and taste again. With time and experience, you'll start to be able to work out what ingredient might be lacking as you make your sauce . In addition to the other tips, I often find a splash of lemon juice lifts a bland tomato sauce.

miecherox

Never underestimate the difference good quality chopped tomatoes makes to taste. Shop about and try different brands, I use premium brands but bulk buy when on offer. I think the money you spend on good tomatoes is saved by not having to add extra ingredients to up the taste.

SUESMITH_2

i use the cheapest tomatoes, have done tests and couldn't tell the difference so not worth paying more. i agree that if you like the pappy texture of jarred sauces you need to possibly use passata.

i fry onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, add my tomato puree and let that cook out for a couple of seconds. add passata, tinned toms etc and oregano or basil. season well with sugar, salt and pepper - the seasoning bit is v important, let it simmer till its well reduced and has changed colour from a bright to a darl red. taste again and add more salt, pepper or sugar. i never put in stock cubes or Worcestershire sauce but its up to you and what your family like

meritaten

I make my own sauce when I have time and the inclination.
as others have said - the main ingredients are onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes and herbs.
but - a good sauce takes TIME! its not just bunging the ingredients together - its cooking down the onions, then adding the garlic and the tinned toms (and they can be the really cheap ones) use more tins than you think you need.
because the longer you cook it - the better it gets! I simmer mine for an hour or more! until its really reduced and gloopy! and thats the basic sauce - for bolognese I brown the mince and then add the sauce and it can take another hour or so before I think its ready!

AlternateMe

I've never frozen onions or mushrooms... do you chop them and put them in the freezer in a big bag, and then grab a handful when needed? Do you need to defrost first or just chuck in a frying pan? Thanks xxx

SUESMITH_2

meritaten wrote: »

I make my own sauce when I have time and the inclination.
as others have said - the main ingredients are onions, garlic, tinned tomatoes and herbs.
but - a good sauce takes TIME! its not just bunging the ingredients together - its cooking down the onions, then adding the garlic and the tinned toms (and they can be the really cheap ones) use more tins than you think you need.
because the longer you cook it - the better it gets! I simmer mine for an hour or more! until its really reduced and gloopy! and thats the basic sauce - for bolognese I brown the mince and then add the sauce and it can take another hour or so before I think its ready!

totally agree!

janiepopps

I know what you mean, when I first started making my own sauces they were watery and super bland. I think the key is to simmer it for ages. 2 or 3 hours is perfect. If too watery, leave lid off pan for last hour or so to reduce it. Slow cooking condenses and almost caramelises the flavours. Yummy!

BAGGY

If you cant afford / havent got Worcestershire sauce use value brown sauce. I hasn't got animal products in it so my choice for Quorn bolly. I also put a splash of Lidl balsamic vinegar but that's coz I cant stand it for anything else (OH bought it) and I cant bring myself to chuck it out.

krlyr

Thanks for the newer tips. First batch is in the slowcooker as we speak (err, type!), seems to be getting there but I'll see how it tastes in the morning and adjust the seasoning if needed then

bupster

My bolognese sauce takes up to two days to make! I won't post the recipe unless anyone specifically asks, because I don't think the op necessarily wants to spend two days making a pasta sauce - but one of the things I add is a very small amount of bacon and chicken livers - I like the little bit of bitterness - and I also simmer the sauce in milk, which is apparently how they do it in Bologna, not that I'd know, but it does give it an amazing creamy texture if anyone fancies trying it!