This classic combination of rich, meaty mince and pasta is arguably one of the world’s five greatest dishes, such is the way it has become a staple in so many countries outside Italy.
Everybody has their own bolognese recipe but what tips and tricks could you pick up from other recipes for improving or tweaking yours? Let’s have a look.
THE BASE
I always start by making a fried and lightly browned base that’s 50 per cent very finely diced onion and 50 per cent very finely diced celery and carrot fried in butter and olive oil. The Italians call this a soffritto and it’s at the core of many of central Italy’s dishes. You can intensify your soffritto’s caramelised flavour by sprinkling in a little sugar. This cheat is a little frowned upon so try it but just don’t tell anyone. Just balance out the sweetness with a squeeze of lemon. Don’t use salt at this stage as this encourages the onions to give up their liquid, making caramelisation harder.
I’ll normally always add smashed garlic too. This is a bit of a sin for “bolognese nazis” but I reckon it needs it because I like to pump up the tomato content to the sauce.
THE MEAT
The meat choice is crucial. The classic meat lasagne is made with a beef sauce but I always struggle to keep Mr Piggy away from the party so I might mix my beef mince (or even veal mince if I ambeing fancy) with an equal amount of pork mince. Alternatively I’ll add some diced bacon, pancetta or even speck to my soffritto base when frying it.
More controversial is the addition of cleaned chicken livers to the soffrito or even of a glass of milk poured in, bit by bit, at the end of cooking the soffritto. Both give the sauce added richness. I don’t usually do these because I’m just a simple bloke. I’m not averse either but I do find that the milk rather deadens the brightness of the tomatoes.
THE EXTRAS
You can further pump up the intensity of your sauce with adding a couple of anchovy fillets. You’ll never realise they are there when you taste the finished article. This is most impactful when using a red meat mince.
Then there are herbs. Adding a couple of bay leaves is an absolute must but be careful of big flavoured herbs like sage, rosemary and basil that can dominate your sauce. Adding thyme, oregano or marjoram is better but hold back one-third of your fresh herbs to stir into the sauce just before serving, as it will elevate the flavour of the sauce. I wouldn’t use dried herbs like this as they are too pungent. (Sprinkling a handful of finely chopped Italian parsley before serving makes it taste fresher and less meaty as well as injecting some welcome colour to the dish.)
The original bolognese recipes left out tomatoes altogether because they hadn’t been discovered back then (by the Europeans). I always use good ol’ canned tomatoes and only use fresh tomatoes in lighter dishes using fresh pasta rather than dried. You can cheat in more flavour by “seasoning” the tomatoes with a little sugar and lemon juice now too.
During cooking, you can further improve your meat sauce by adding other flavourings to boost complexity; a splash of worcestershire or even some soy which are both especially good with beef mince.
My favourite Calabrian nonna adds a piece of pig skin the size of a cheese slice (ask your butcher).
While in northern Italy, I learnt to keep the crusts of parmesan to add them to the sauces and soups.
THE TIMING
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.
One final tip: Make your bolognese sauce the day before you need it and then let it mature in the fridge overnight. Like chilli con carne and takeaway curries, bolognese always tastes better treated this way!
Final note: “Make your bolognese sauce the day before you need it and then let it mature in the fridge overnight”
Follow Matt Preston on Twitter: www.twitter.com/mattscravat
Information in this article is correct as of 21 February, 2012.
Matt Preston writes for the taste section, available every Tuesday in The Courier Mail, The Daily Telegraph, and Herald Sun, every Wednesday in The Advertiser and in Perth’s Sunday Times
