Every week --often with your help-- Food52's Senior EditorKristen Migloreis unearthing recipes that are nothing short of genius.
Today: A ragù that works around your schedule -- and might even be better than Nonna's, thanks to a secret ingredient or four.
It you're looking to make a correct bolognese or a definitive bolognese -- and you're looking to do so while avoiding scolding -- this is not the recipe for you.
There are times to make Bologna's saucy gift to the world -- a proper version, in all its delicate, slow-cooked glory. Let us appreciate it, and cook it sometimes -- but (please) let us also then play around with it, and make it new, ours, and, in our various ways, better.
Nigel Slater's version in The Kitchen Diaries is humbly named: "A really good spaghetti bolognese" doesn't begin to cover it. But it's not correct. In just about every way, it does the opposite of Marcella Hazan's bolognese, by many accounts the Platonic ideal.
More: Tomato sauce with onion and butter, another Platonic ideal from Marcella Hazan.
Hazan speaks to her sauce quietly, over long stretches. Plain ingredients -- ground beef, onion, celery, carrot -- melt. She doesn't brown a thing; she doesn't raise the knob above medium. "No less than 3 hours is necessary, more is better," she says. And that's after you've already watched tides of milk, then white wine, then tomatoes ebb away at a very, very slow simmer.
When you have a Sunday to loll near the stove, do this. If you want to really understand a classic bolognese, stand by, tasting here and there to see how the sauce mellows and sweetens and swells with time. To be fair, Hazan notes that you can stop at any point, then resume. But that doesn't get you to dinner in time for tonight.
In Slater's blasphemous, really good recipe, every step is brilliantly layered within the others, so that while your onions are softening, you're chopping carrots and celery; once they're in, it's onto the next.
The recipe is a model of kitchen efficiency and focus. If you're a compulsive mise-en-placer, that's okay (see ingredient shot above) -- you can still follow along.
Unlike in Hazan's standard of patience and virtue, heat gets cranked, and bits are left to color. On top of workaday soffrito, Slater pulls from the large-and-in-charge ingredient roster: there's pancetta, red wine, bay leaves. If you're feeling really hungry and feisty, there's even a ground lamb option, and it is outstanding. Perhaps most genius of all: there are portobello mushrooms.
Not only do the mushrooms plump up the earthy notes and umami, they also go all buttery and soft. Any textural subtlety you've lost in cooking your sauce a bit more aggressively is returned with the swollen swish of portobello. In about an hour and a half, you have an exceptionally supple, meaty ragù, one you'll consider eating without the interruption of pasta, or anything else on the plate.
But about that pasta. Slater calls for spaghetti. Counterpoint, Hazan: "Meat sauce in Bologna is never served over spaghetti." Fresh tagliatelle, yes. Lasagne, classic. Fresh tortellini, good. Twirly dry shapes like rigatoni, conchiglie, fusilli, irreproachable. We used linguine. Not irreproachable. But really good.
"I made it during the week," Food52er JadeTree told me when she sent it my way, "since I had a rare hour of freedom to chop (and chop you will), but we all agreed that this is company food, hands down. Just because you want a bigger crowd to marvel over it."
Nigel Slater's Really Good Spaghetti Bolognese
Adapted slightly from The Kitchen Diaries (Gotham Books, 2006)
Serves 4
For the bolognese:
4 tablespoons butter
3 ounces cubed pancetta
1 medium onion
2 fat cloves garlic
1 carrot
2 stalks celery
2 large, flat mushrooms such as portobello, about 4 ounces
2 bay leaves
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 cup crushed tomatoes or passata
1/4 cupred wine
3/4 cupstock
A nutmeg
3/4 cuphalf-and-half or cream
To serve:
Spaghetti or tagliatelle for 4
Grated Parmesan
See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.
Got a genius recipe to share -- from a classic cookbook, an online source, or anywhere, really? Please send it my way (and tell me what's so smart about it) at[emailprotected].Thanks to Food52er JadeTree for this one!
Photos by James Ransom
FAQs
For the bolognese all spice, cinnamon, and garlic powder really enhance the flavor of the meat. For the tomato sauce, fresh basil, bay leaves, and dried oregano are my herbs of choice, but feel free to mix it up! You can use dried basil, generic Italian seasoning, parsley, thyme.
What is the difference between spaghetti bolognese and spag bol? ›
Spaghetti bolognese, or shortened to "spag bol" in the UK, is a popular pasta dish outside Italy, although not part of Italian cuisine. The dish is generally perceived as inauthentic by Italians.
What does adding milk to spaghetti bolognese do? ›
According to our Food Director Amira, not only does milk add a rich flavour to the bolognese, but it also “helps cut through the acidity of the tomatoes and red wine”. She adds: “It also makes the mince meat nice and tender, creating that melt-in-your-mouth deliciousness.”
How do you deepen bolognese Flavour? ›
The best tip for intensifying the flavour of your sauce is just to cook it slowly on a low heat for a long time. This reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavours – four hours is not uncommon for my bolognese.
Does bolognese get better the longer you cook it? ›
Like most recipes the longer you leave it to slowly cook the better the flavour will be but this can also be knocked up with in an hour.
What is the missing ingredient in bolognese sauce? ›
If you are missing an umami note, it's possible you are missing a very common ingredient in bolognese - chicken livers. These give a meaty, almost sweet flavour. Soak them in water for a few minutes, then finely chop or pulse in a food processor. I use minced (ground) pork, beef and chicken livers.
Why do Italians add milk to bolognese? ›
Milk is a magical ingredient when it comes to bolognese. First, the lactic acid and calcium in milk help to tenderize the meat. More than that, though, milk balances the wine and tomato, creates a creamier texture and adds richness (similar to how butter or yogurt add more richness and flavor to dishes).
Why add vinegar to bolognese? ›
And as an added bonus, both the plums and the vinegar have some great benefits for digestion, energy, and as an antibacterial boost. Umeboshi vinegar is a deep reddish purple. Perfect for adding both the depth of flavour and colour into our bolognese sauce!
Do Italians put carrots in bolognese? ›
Bolognese sauce comes from the Bologna region of Italy and is made with ground beef and ground pork, although other ground meats can be used. Bolognese is slow-cooked with tomatoes a soffrito (made of onions, carrots, and celery), and milk. Finished with heavy cream and grated romano cheese to give it a creamy texture.
What do Italians eat with bolognese? ›
Take bolognese; you might be used to eating it with spaghetti, but no self-respecting Italian would ever serve a meaty ragú like this with such a thin pasta shape. Substantial sauces call for substantial pasta shapes, so a wider, flatter shape like tagliatelle or pappardelle is more appropriate.
If you want to cut the meat yourself, get cuts like chuck or flank steak, as per the Bolognese tradition, or even a skirt steak (the diaphragm, practically impossible to find at the butchers). The same goes for pork: choose pieces like the thigh which are fatty and tasty.
Do Italians use cream in bolognese? ›
The secret ingredient to a true Bolognese Sauce is milk (or cream), which is added in such small amount, you don't even know it's there. TIP: Bolognese Sauce is best made the day before to allow the flavors to develop. Cool the sauce, uncovered, and then refrigerate in an airtight container.
How do you pimp up spaghetti bolognese? ›
Next, add the staples that no good Bolognese is without
"Finely chopped carrots, celery and onions. I know it doesn't sound like it, but these are the things that give proper depth of flavour." "Crisp up some bacon or pancetta first. If you want a bit of a spiciness then chorizo also works well.
Should you use red or white wine in bolognese? ›
You could substitute with bacon but it won't have quite the same flavour. Soffritto - This is the onion, carrot and celery mixture and is the base of any good sauce! I like to chop them really fine in a food processor. White wine - Traditionally a bolognese is made with white wine and milk, not red wine.
What makes spaghetti sauce more flavorful? ›
Though garlic is listed in the ingredients of most store-bought pasta sauces, adding fresh garlic will make the flavor more powerful and distinct. This makes the sauce taste more homemade overall. Along with garlic, toss some other vegetables, such as diced onions, chopped peppers and chopped carrots into your skillet.
Why is my spaghetti bolognese bland? ›
Your spaghetti sauce may taste bland due to insufficient seasoning. Try adding more salt, herbs (like basil, oregano, or thyme), and other flavor enhancers like garlic, onion, or red pepper flakes. Also, a dash of sugar can balance flavors and bring out the natural sweetness of tomatoes.
How do you get the meaty taste out of bolognese? ›
just leave out the ground meat. or you could substitute another type of meat cut, such as cubed shoulder. if you do not sauté the ground meat before adding it, it's flavor will be attenuated. but5 simplest is just don't add any meat.
