secret ingredient in a restaurant bolognese

Question

I have dabbled with almost every ingredient I can think of in varying amount to get my Bolognese to taste similar to a restaurant made Bolognese in the italian alps.

Including: Pepper Sugar Salt Tomatos and tomato puree, tinned and chopped tomatos garlic lea & perrins / Worcester sauce Onions & onion gravy granules different meats, pork, beef and veal Herbs Basil, greek basil, thyme and oregano red wine and most recently balsamic vinegar

These all get close and do make a nice Bolognese. However the secret ingredient is still missing!

score 6 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 12 '13 at 11:06

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.

You might also try adding pancetta, to add a smoky tinge.

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Sep 10 '13 at 16:30

3

My guess is a good, highly reduced, veal stock; I've found that this is (often) the difference between a really rich, flavourful, sauce and one that is lacking oomph.

answered Sep 10 '13 at 16:30

Dave

450
2
5
15

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered Sep 12 '13 at 09:08

In my experience, there is no Bolognese without celery. I normally use very finely chopped celery stems, and add them after the onions have softened a little. You can use celery salt too, but fresh celery is best.

There is also something to be said for finely chopped carrots, but the effect on the overall flavor isn't that big.

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 13 '13 at 05:03

2

Not sure what flavor you're looking for, but try adding a parmesan rind. Pull it out at the end of cooking.

answered Sep 13 '13 at 05:03

Steve

1,519
8
10

score 2 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 13 '13 at 15:51

Milk

I don't see any dairy listed in the things you tried, but a true Ragù Bolognese (ie, in the style of Bologna, not the British tomato & meat sauce) contains a bit of dairy in it.

It also requires cooking for hours, as you want the meat to completely fall apart. By that time, the milk's completely incorporated and impossible to distinguish in the final sauce.

score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Sep 14 '13 at 03:55

Dried, reconstituted porcinis? I've been tweaking Bolognese for a while now, adding those was an AHA moment. After reconstituting and chopping, I sauteed them with the sofrito. Very nice. The chicken livers mentioned above could be the key too, I just can't do it. I viscerally hate liver.

score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Dec 17 '13 at 09:53

1

A pinch of sugar cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes, also slow cooking improves texture and flavors.

answered Dec 17 '13 at 09:53

george georgeson

11
1

score 0 · Answer 8 · edited Feb 28 '15 at 17:43

0

Sweet cherry, smoked bacon, heaps of basil and a glass or 2 while cooking helps for a great spaghetti bolognese.

I love adding a chorizo sausage during the slow simmer also!!!

edited Feb 28 '15 at 17:43

Cascabel

58,695
27
187
326

answered Feb 28 '15 at 06:43

Ric

1

score -1 · Answer 9 · edited Feb 07 '14 at 17:42

-1

I use umami paste by Laura Santtini (in fact her entire line is awesome) as well as her tomato paste bomb. With a little Worcestershire sauce that added level of flavour depth is reached. Hope this helps.

edited Feb 07 '14 at 17:42

SourDoh

11,544
1
32
48

answered Feb 07 '14 at 16:56

cmidmid

1

secret ingredient in a restaurant bolognese

9 Answers9

Linked