Cooked Bolognese from scratch

[Pevenseagull]

chicken livers are worth considering.

by which I mean essential

 

[BensGrandad]

Dried pasta?

What's wrong with making your own? That's what I did tonight.

I was going to buy a pasta machine and do the same but the general consensus of opinion on here was that the quality achieved didnt warrant the cost of a machine and the effort in so doing. So that plan was shelved.

 

[The Large One]

I was going to buy a pasta machine and do the same but the general consensus of opinion on here was that the quality achieved didnt warrant the cost of a machine and the effort in so doing. So that plan was shelved.

The idea is that you take your time.

It's not there for a quick snack, it's part of the magic of (assuming one of these sorts of days comes along) taking all day to prepare your food for a feast.

And you can flavour your pasta how you see fit. I would have appalled any Italian on the planet if I'd told them that I made the pasta curry flavoured tonight.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Delicious

serves 6

Ingredients
• 2 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, the best quality you can afford
• 2 medium onions
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 carrots
• 2 sticks of celery
• olive oil
• 2 heaped teaspoons dried oregano
• 500g good-quality minced beef, pork, or (even better!) a mixture of the two
• 2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• a small bunch of fresh basil
• 100g Parmesan cheese
• 400-500g dried spaghetti or penne

Jamie's Home Cooking Skills

Cheers Jamie!

Lose the bacon, lose the carrots and lose the celery and you might have the makings. Provided you don't think of using pork.

As for wine ... why? There's enough moisture in the tomatoes to make any further liquid excessive.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

The ultimate simple meal ...

Spaghetti
Butter
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

 

[The Large One]

The ultimate simple meal ...

Spaghetti
Butter
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Precisely what I had tonight.

Only slightly curried.

 

[BadFish]

My missus eats too much spaghetti so now when she is in our kitchen I can't get pasta.

 

[dannyboy]

Definitely loads of red or white wine . Lately I have been using only pork mince as it has a nicer consistency . Does no one splash in some balsamic ? I also put in a little dollop of American mustard . I put in a lot more herbs too and maybe some fresh corriander

 

[Bean]

Herbes de Provence ?

 

[Vegas Seagull]

Grano Duro quality pasta deserves a mention otherwise the effort put in elsewhere will be less effective

 

[Skint Gull]

No way a recipe with 500g of mince serves 6 properly but it sounds nice

 

[Lord Bracknell]

Definitely loads of red or white wine . Lately I have been using only pork mince as it has a nicer consistency . Does no one splash in some balsamic ? I also put in a little dollop of American mustard . I put in a lot more herbs too and maybe some fresh corriander

All this liquid will ruin the sauce.

 

[dannyboy]

All this liquid will ruin the sauce.

speaking to an italian family years ago they said it was almost a custodial offence if you didnt cook the sauce for hours!

 

[Lord Bracknell]

speaking to an italian family years ago they said it was almost a custodial offence if you didnt cook the sauce for hours!

I agree with that. It makes an astonishing difference to the outcome.

Use the wine to pass away those hours, though.

 

[Hillian1]

Lose the bacon, lose the carrots and lose the celery and you might have the makings. Provided you don't think of using pork.

As for wine ... why? There's enough moisture in the tomatoes to make any further liquid excessive.

Lose the bacon, are you mad?

Agree with the carrots and celery but the bacon is essential.

Freak.

 

[Trufflehound]

All this liquid will ruin the sauce.

Not if you reduce it.

 

[Trufflehound]

The question is, do you stir it in to the pasta or do you dollop it on top?

Stir a couple of tablespoons of the sauce into the pasta to loosen it and stop it sticking together on the plate. The rest can go on top.

 

[Trufflehound]

The best ragout/bolognese recipe I've ever seen entails poaching the meat and onions in a coiuple of pinks of milk - i kid you not - for a couple of hours, until it's all been absorbed/evaporated, before you add any tomatoes, which are then cooked for another hour at least. Really does make the meat succulent and tender.

 

[Bakero]

The best ragout/bolognese recipe I've ever seen entails poaching the meat and onions in a coiuple of pinks of milk - i kid you not - for a couple of hours, until it's all been absorbed/evaporated, before you add any tomatoes, which are then cooked for another hour at least. Really does make the meat succulent and tender.

I always add a bit of milk to my bolognese but not to poach the meat in. The best way is to pour it in near the end.

 

[Bakero]

Also, it's madness not to stir it through the pasta!