Dolmio v Your Recipe

Jellybaby1

I've tried a few spag bol recipes from scratch but the family always wants Dolmio. I would prefer to make the sauce myself. Maybe boardsies can offer me a few good recipes to try. I want my family to say 'I prefer the home made sauce to Dolmio'!! Lol. I need your help please!

Mr Magnolia

Have a look here, feel free to bump any thread with questions or queries!

trackguy

I love bolognese. My recipe had been evolving all the time since I started cooking it. More often now I don't use beef mince at all and just use sausages that I de-skin and mash up. Sausage meat has more fat and more flavour than any beef mince I know.

That said, it's not really bolognese if there's no beef mince in it. I go for half beef mince/ half sausages.

My recipe would be as follows

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound mince
1/2 pound favourite sausages
1 onion
1 stick celery
1 carrot
4 cloves of garlic
2 400g tins plum tomatoes
1 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 glass red wine
200ml beef stock

I de-skin the sausages and mash them up into a big ball. I fry this with the mince until well browned. I normally find that flattening it out in the pan and leaving it alone for 2-3 mins on a high heat gets a good colour. I try not to move it around too much. I remove this to a plate.

Then I finely chop the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and fry them on a medium heat for about 10 minutes until well softened and just beginning to brown. I add the oregano into this during the ten minutes. I add the meat back in and turn up the heat. I throw in the red wine and reduce. I add in the tomatoes and beef stock and bring to the boil. I add the ketchup (bolognese super ingredient!) and leave to simmer until its really nice and thick so the sauce sticks to the pasta.

Note - if you don't like the finely chopped vegetables in the sauce just stick them in the food processor after frying them. They mince up completely. Add them back to the pan and it will give you a creamy, homogeneous sauce at the finish.

Honey-ec

trackguy wrote: »

That said, it's not really bolognese if there's no beef mince in it. I go for half beef mince/ half sausages.

In fairness, though, there's not really any such thing as bolognese sauce in Italy anyway, so there's no definitive way to make it.

eastbono

From trial and error this is what we do

a tin of chopped tomatoes
lots of tomato puree
stock cube
oregano
sugar
minced beef
for us its a whole bulb of garlic chopped finely
onion chopped

fry the mince dry(no need for oil)
add garlic & onion
add tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, stock cube etc... bring to boil... turn down to simmer until it reduces... the more it reduces the better the flavour.. serve with spaghetti and add parmesan.

trackguy

Honey-ec wrote: »

In fairness, though, there's not really any such thing as bolognese sauce in Italy anyway, so there's no definitive way to make it.

I agree - its definitely not Italian! It's Irish food sure!

whydoibother?

This one isn't mine and it's a little bit of effort, but so worth it. (taken from RTE Radio 1 website)

NEVEN MAGUIRE'S SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
(serves 6-8)

Ask people what their speciality is in the kitchen and Spaghetti Bolognaise is often the answer. Well, this recipe is the real McCoy and definitely doesn't use any of those readymade pasta sauces. It's is a perfect standby for converting into dishes such as moussaka, cannelloni, chilli con carne, lasagne, cottage pie and as a filling for pancakes and jacket potatoes..need I go on. It's just so versatile that it is worth the two hours cooking time. This is to allow the meat to break down and come completely soft and tender - trust me it's worth it!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1oz / 25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8oz / 225g button mushrooms, sliced
4oz / 100g rindless piece smoked streaky, finely chopped
12oz / 350g lean minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 pint / 150ml dry white wine
2 x 14oz / 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 pint / 300ml beef stock
1 tablespoon cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
11/2lb / 675g spaghetti
6-8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Warm Italian crusty bread, to serve


Method
Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan with a lid until sizzling. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms and bacon and sauté over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened and everything is lightly browned, stirring frequently.

Add the minced beef to the pan, reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes until well browned, stirring to breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced. Stir in the tomato puree, canned tomatoes and half of the stock and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.

Reduce the heat under the pan, half cover with the lid and simmer very gently for about 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender, stirring occasionally and adding a little more of the remaining stock as it becomes absorbed.

Add the cream and basil to the sauce and mix well to combine, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes until the bolognaise sauce is well reduced and thickened, stirring frequently. Season to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes until 'al dente' or according to packet instructions.

To serve
Drain the cooked spaghetti and tip into a large warmed serving bowl. Ladle over the bolognaise sauce and toss well to combine. Transfer to warm individual serving bowls and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Have a separate basket of the crusty bread to hand around.

Tip
I often make double the quantity of the bolognaise sauce and then freeze it in small batches.

TeRmInAlCrAzY

Using phone so can't put a lot here.

Two words.

Slow cooker.

Two friends of mine came to visit before leaving to live in Turkey. Sweated onions, tins of tomatos, puree, basil, oregano and a frankly illegal quantity of garlic. In the cooker for 8 hours, then added roasted meatballs for another hour of simmery goodness.

Epic.

Jellybaby1

Thanks Mr Magnolia for the link, I did find it after I'd posted here. So thanks everyone for the recipes. On the one hand it looks like anything goes, on the other there seems to be a strict list of ingredients (see link below). Some cook it as a quick meal, others simmer it for hours to concentrate the flavours but its versatile enough to take whatever you fancy.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7017565/Italian-chefs-tell-world-how-to-make-correct-bolognese.html

Well I have to confess my little secret I hate spag bol myself but the guys here love it (is it a guy thing I wonder?) and if I have to eat it I just put a dollop of it onto a baked potato as its mainly the pasta I don't like. I will be trying out these recipes and others listed the 'proper spaghetti bolognese' thread. I'm sure my guys will like them, but how much I'll have to wait and see.

the beer revolu

This and This are pretty authentic and it is interesting to read about the dish as served in Italy, despite some claims that it isn't a real Italian dish.

I tend to use beef, pork, smoked streaky bacon and sometimes Italian sausage and chicken liver too.
I always use onion, carrot and celery - no garlic and no herbs (except maybe some fresh basil to serve).
I use white wine, not red and I use a little milk.
I don't make it too 'tomatoey'.
A star anise fried up with the veg can give a subtle flavour that's good but be careful not to over do it!

Authentic or not, I like it with spaghetti or even better spaghettini or vermicelli !

OP, the problem you might have is that your family are more used to processed food that is laden with salt, sugar and fat and find homemade food bland. Do make sure that you season your food (just not overly so).

My sister refuses to put any salt in her food and then wonders why her family often prefer processed foods;)

kylith

Recipe 1:

1 tin tomatoes
2tbsp sundried tomato paste
Selection of herbs (basil, parsley, chives, etc)
Put the above in a saucepan, simmer till thickened. Use as normal.

Recipe 2:
Pile of cherry tomatoes
Basil
Chorizo
Fry the chorizo until the oil is released. Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pan and fry until softened, squashing them. Add the basil. Serve either over pasta or a chicken breast.

Jellybaby1

the beer revolu wrote: »

OP, the problem you might have is that your family are more used to processed food that is laden with salt, sugar and fat and find homemade food bland. Do make sure that you season your food (just not overly so).

My sister refuses to put any salt in her food and then wonders why her family often prefer processed foods;)

Lol! I'm sure you didn't mean to insult my cooking! Or did you? It was about 20-25 years ago when I began cooking spag bol. I have never been one to buy jars and tins - that's the way I was brought up and I've always continued that way. But when they said they didn't really like spag bol I bought a jar of sauce just to see what they thought of it and unfortunately, they loved it!! Dammit! I'm usually heavy on the seasoning though because that's my own taste but I've tried it with and without but still no joy. I'll just have to work my way through all these recipes. I cook pasta for 8 minutes so I know I haven't over cooked that.

the beer revolu

Jellybaby1 wrote: »

Lol! I'm sure you didn't mean to insult my cooking! Or did you? It was about 20-25 years ago when I began cooking spag bol. I have never been one to buy jars and tins - that's the way I was brought up and I've always continued that way. But when they said they didn't really like spag bol I bought a jar of sauce just to see what they thought of it and unfortunately, they loved it!! Dammit! I'm usually heavy on the seasoning though because that's my own taste but I've tried it with and without but still no joy. I'll just have to work my way through all these recipes. I cook pasta for 8 minutes so I know I haven't over cooked that.

No, I certainly didn't mean to insult your cooking - I don't know anything about it. I was just looking at possibilities.

Jellybaby1

the beer revolu wrote: »

No, I certainly didn't mean to insult your cooking - I don't know anything about it. I was just looking at possibilities.

Just windin' ya up!

Brian?

the beer revolu wrote: »

No, I certainly didn't mean to insult your cooking - I don't know anything about it. I was just looking at possibilities.

I think it's a very good point and one I continually make to friends. Not seasoning to taste is probably the most common mistake cooks make. I found that it actually took me over salting food a few times before I actually realised how much salt is needed in certain dishes to get the flavour balanced right.

In case anyone cares:

The health scare around salt has nothing to do with people adding salt to home cooked meals. The problem lies with the increased consumption of heavily processed foods. Somehow this has translated in peoples heads to putting salt in your food when cooking will kill you. In summary, salt your food so it tastes good but don't eat processed foods and you'll be grand.

Heroditas

For my own recipe, I ALWAYS use passata instead of tinned tomatoes.
You get a much thicker sauce and you don't need to add purée which I find can sweeten the sauce far too much.

Give passata a go. You'll never use tinned tomatoes again!

Mellor

Honey-ec wrote: »

In fairness, though, there's not really any such thing as bolognese sauce in Italy anyway, so there's no definitive way to make it.

Yes there is. It's a meat (beef of veal) based sauce from Bologna. Tomatos aren't really a big part of the dish, but for some reason that what it has become outside Italy

trackguy wrote: »

I agree - its definitely not Italian! It's Irish food sure!

Not it isn't. The tomato and meat version we all know is availible all over the world (except italy) and is by no means irish.

busyliving

This is one I have seen posted by another boards member, its a good one and full of flavour

http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-spaghetti-bolognese-21242?scaleto=1&sys=m

Tom Dunne

I use a similar enough recipe to everyone else, but the main thing I found was to get tins of tomatoes with nothing else in it - just tomatoes and tomato juice.

I found a load of different tins of tomatoes have sugar, salt, citric acid and even garlic in them. I think this impairs the flavour of the sauce.

It's actually funny, up until a year ago I used to buy Lloyd Grossman sauces all the time. Now I wouldn't dare contemplate such an act of heresy.

nompere

I have fond memories of Janet's in Dun Laoghaire. It closed some years ago due to the ill-health of Janet's husband, Roberto. I believe he is cooking again in Wicklow, but that's too far.

Here is a link to Roberto's bolognese sauce recipe.

http://www.tasteofireland.com/frontend/recipes/show/13?page=1

As the article says, Roberto is a native of Bologna. At one time he had a Michelin star there.

trackguy

Mellor wrote: »

Not it isn't. The tomato and meat version we all know is availible all over the world (except italy) and is by no means irish.

I'm aware 'spaghetti bolognese' isn't Irish. I was alluding to the fact that we've made it our own. It was just a joke.

Toto Wolfcastle

Heroditas wrote: »

For my own recipe, I ALWAYS use passata instead of tinned tomatoes.
You get a much thicker sauce and you don't need to add purée which I find can sweeten the sauce far too much.

Give passata a go. You'll never use tinned tomatoes again!

I always use passata too. I'm not a fan of tinned tomatoes.

Generally I'll use a grated carrot and an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic that I puree with the stick blender. I fry this for a couple of minutes and then I remove it and fry the mince. Once that's done I add back in the carrot and onion, then the passata, a little bit of sugar and herbs.

My mother uses a ragu recipe that she learned on a course in Italy and I hate it.

Might make spag bol tonight actually, haven't had it in ages.

Heroditas

Bobblehead Panda wrote: »

I always use passata too. I'm not a fan of tinned tomatoes.

Generally I'll use a grated carrot and an onion and a couple of cloves of garlic that I puree with the stick blender. I fry this for a couple of minutes and then I remove it and fry the mince. Once that's done I add back in the carrot and onion, then the passata, a little bit of sugar and herbs.

My mother uses a ragu recipe that she learned on a course in Italy and I hate it.

Might make spag bol tonight actually, haven't had it in ages.

I have my own version simmering on the cooker at this very moment.

emeraldstar

Heroditas wrote: »

I have my own version simmering on the cooker at this very moment.

I've just eaten mine

Spanish Eyes

I'd go with the passata. Possibly your kids like Dolmio cos it's SMOOOOOTH! When you use tinned toms they can have "bits" in them. I use tinned toms or passata, doesn't matter, but your kids might notice the tomatoey bits!

I'm a big fan of cooking the sauce and the mince mixture for a few hours, adding a bit of milk too. I cannot stand that quick bolognese where the mince is lumpy and gritty. Give it a bit of welly!

My sauce is

pork and beef mince and if I have it chorizo chopped up finely( oh dear, but yes) or chopped up rashers.
Tinned toms or passata
a bit of milk depending on the volume, just guess, no more than half a teacup for 2 servings and so on.
finely diced onion
3cloves garlic, crushed
worcestershire sauce
tomato puree
Knorr seasoning
a few herbs chopped up (not rosemary though, don't like it)
Glass of white wine

I never brown the meat, I cook it for a long time though..

So, I get all the wet ingredients together and mix with the herbs.

Mix the meats with my hands

Throw the meat mix into an ovenproof pot or pan
Add the wet mix
Stir well

Bring to boil on stovetop

If you think the mix is too dry, add a veg stock cube dissolved, and/ or more wine... You should know by looking at it. It will reduce with cooking too.

Then transfer to oven for about 2 hours depending on the volume.

If I can I leave it overnight in the fridge after cooling down, and reheat next day, delish.

We all have our different tastes. But this works for me.

Jellybaby1

All great stuff people. As I only cook mince once every 10 days or so its going to take me a while to try all these wonderful recipes which I intend doing. No harm in keeping it going of course!!

sponge_bob

whydoibother? wrote: »

This one isn't mine and it's a little bit of effort, but so worth it. (taken from RTE Radio 1 website)

NEVEN MAGUIRE'S SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE
(serves 6-8)

Ask people what their speciality is in the kitchen and Spaghetti Bolognaise is often the answer. Well, this recipe is the real McCoy and definitely doesn't use any of those readymade pasta sauces. It's is a perfect standby for converting into dishes such as moussaka, cannelloni, chilli con carne, lasagne, cottage pie and as a filling for pancakes and jacket potatoes..need I go on. It's just so versatile that it is worth the two hours cooking time. This is to allow the meat to break down and come completely soft and tender - trust me it's worth it!

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1oz / 25g butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
2 celery sticks, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8oz / 225g button mushrooms, sliced
4oz / 100g rindless piece smoked streaky, finely chopped
12oz / 350g lean minced beef
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1/4 pint / 150ml dry white wine
2 x 14oz / 400g cans chopped tomatoes
1/2 pint / 300ml beef stock
1 tablespoon cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
11/2lb / 675g spaghetti
6-8 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Warm Italian crusty bread, to serve


Method
Heat the butter and oil in a large sauté pan with a lid until sizzling. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms and bacon and sauté over a medium heat for 10 minutes until the vegetables have softened and everything is lightly browned, stirring frequently.

Add the minced beef to the pan, reduce the heat and cook gently for 10 minutes until well browned, stirring to breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced. Stir in the tomato puree, canned tomatoes and half of the stock and bring to the boil, stirring to combine.

Reduce the heat under the pan, half cover with the lid and simmer very gently for about 2 hours or until the meat is meltingly tender, stirring occasionally and adding a little more of the remaining stock as it becomes absorbed.

Add the cream and basil to the sauce and mix well to combine, then simmer uncovered for another 30 minutes until the bolognaise sauce is well reduced and thickened, stirring frequently. Season to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the spaghetti in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes until 'al dente' or according to packet instructions.

To serve
Drain the cooked spaghetti and tip into a large warmed serving bowl. Ladle over the bolognaise sauce and toss well to combine. Transfer to warm individual serving bowls and sprinkle over the Parmesan. Have a separate basket of the crusty bread to hand around.

Tip
I often make double the quantity of the bolognaise sauce and then freeze it in small batches.

made this today and it went down a hit, had to hunt the kids away from the pot in an effort to save some for herself:D

whydoibother?

sponge_bob wrote: »

made this today and it went down a hit, had to hunt the kids away from the pot in an effort to save some for herself:D

Glad it went down well. My Mom would be delighted. She's the one who discovered it for us.

The Sweeper

Tip: if you can't get cheap passata (because sometimes a jar of same will be considerably more pricey than a tin of toms), open a tin of whole, peeled tomatoes, and pour the juice off into the pot. The tin will now be 2/3 full.

Use a stick blender to blitz the whole tomatoes in the tin. Pour out into the pot and rinse the stick blender. Vastly improves the texture of a tin of toms with minimal fuss.

Honey-ec

The Sweeper wrote: »

Tip: if you can't get cheap passata (because sometimes a jar of same will be considerably more pricey than a tin of toms), open a tin of whole, peeled tomatoes, and pour the juice off into the pot. The tin will now be 2/3 full.

Use a stick blender to blitz the whole tomatoes in the tin. Pour out into the pot and rinse the stick blender. Vastly improves the texture of a tin of toms with minimal fuss.

A 500ml carton of passata is about 49c in Aldi.

I always buy whole tinned tomatoes (because they're cheaper and the tomatoes tend to be better quality) and have been whizzing them in the blender before adding them to sauces for years. Have my whole family doing it too.

The Black Oil

Presumably if you buy a large jar of passata it has to be used within 2-3 days of opening/kept in the fridge?

Toto Wolfcastle

The Black Oil wrote: »

Presumably if you buy a large jar of passata it has to be used within 2-3 days of opening/kept in the fridge?

It does tend to go off quite quickly. I usually pour the rest of it into a ziploc bag and freeze it.

John Mason

i wont give you our recipe, as you have loads but if you get a good recipe, your family wont touch dolmio again.

It has really funny chemically taste - i get very excited when i know we are having spag bol

The Sweeper

Honey-ec wrote: »

A 500ml carton of passata is about 49c in Aldi.

.

I wish we had Aldi... I pay 3-4 times the price of toms for an equivalent weight of passata.

Honey-ec

The Sweeper wrote: »

I wish we had Aldi... I pay 3-4 times the price of toms for an equivalent weight of passata.

I lied - it's 59c. Checked today.

Aldi rocks, I'll be the first to say it.

Jellybaby1

busyliving wrote: »

This is one I have seen posted by another boards member, its a good one and full of flavour

http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-spaghetti-bolognese-21242?scaleto=1&sys=m

Ok I've started to try some of the recipes you've been giving me here and this was my first one. I noticed some strange amounts in the ingredients like 1/4 lb mince but when I clicked 'print this recipe' they all came up ok and it was 1lb mince. Anyway I have to say the house smelled fantastic while this bubbled away for a couple of hours today. Couldn't wait to taste it. It didn't disappoint, I loved it. However, I have one voter still voting for Dolmio. Thanks to busyliving for the recipe. I'll try some others over the next weeks - it'll take some time but I'm determined to change that voters mind!! This is what this one looked like.

snickerpuss

The Neven Maguire recipe is also the one we use in our family! Can't beat it.

Toulouse

We use Neven's too but it's a slightly different version I think. This is the one in his Real Food for Families book.

2 tbsps Olive Oil
1oz rindless streaky bacon (diced)
1 Carrot (small dice)
1 Celery stick (small dice)
1 Small Onion (small dice)
1 tsp fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried Oregano
1lb/454g Mince beef
1 tbsp tomato puree
150ml Red Wine
400g tinned tomatoes
600ml Chicken/Beef Stock
Salt and Pepper to season.

1: Add the Olive Oil to a heavy bottomed pan and fry the bacon until it's
crispy and it's fats have been released.
2: Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, bay & oregano and fry gently until
starting to soften.
3: Add the meat and mix well with the other ingredients. Break up any big
lumps and brown.
4: Add the tomato puree and continue to fry for a further 2 minutes.
5: Add half the red wine and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scrape up any
sediment and add the rest of the wine.
6: Add the tomatoes and stock and bring up to the boil.
7: Allow to simmer for between 2-4 hours, until the meat is tender and the
liquid has reduced. Check seasoning.

I use Passata instead of tinned tomatoes as I hate the bits in tinned tomatoes. I also add a couple of dashes of worcester sauce for piquancy
after I've added the stock. If you don't have fresh thyme just use dried.

Everyone that's tasted it agrees that's it the best bolognese sauce ever so give it a shot and convert that last voter!

whydoibother?

While homemade is always the nicest, on occasions where there just isn't time, I do think Loyd Grossman is a very good jar option - nicer than Dolmio.

Guill

Made Meatballs last night - my first ever attempt.

The plan was for meatballs in tomato sauce. I made a mistake in the recipe, i never browned the meatballs on the pan before adding to the sauce, as the recipe asked for. I just plopped them into a boiling can of tomatoes, I let the sauce reduce as the meatballs were cooking, then grated a small bit of Parmisan cheese and a chillie.
Due to my error all the flavour from the spices i used in the meat was absorbed into the sauce, it was savage! Deffo making it again like that.

Jellybaby1

Guill, that's probably how a lot of successful recipes are discovered, by some trial, and a little error!

the beer revolu

Guill wrote: »

Made Meatballs last night - my first ever attempt.

The plan was for meatballs in tomato sauce. I made a mistake in the recipe, i never browned the meatballs on the pan before adding to the sauce, as the recipe asked for. I just plopped them into a boiling can of tomatoes, I let the sauce reduce as the meatballs were cooking, then grated a small bit of Parmisan cheese and a chillie.
Due to my error all the flavour from the spices i used in the meat was absorbed into the sauce, it was savage! Deffo making it again like that.

Despite the commonly used term of 'sealing meat', the process of browning meat doesn't seal it at all but rather creates lovely caramelised, meaty flavours. So, had you browned the meat balls they would still have released their spicy flavours but might have added some more flavours to boot. Next time try browning the meat balls and see if it makes any difference, then you can decide whether it's worth the trouble or not. Just cause they tasted good without browning doesn't mean that that is the best they could taste (although it might be).