@binners Yes, you do need to be very careful 🤣 🤣 I seem to recall it says on the tin "Little is enough". True words indeed 🤣
@GlennQuagmire - this is a favourite slow cooker recipe with the smoked paprika. The soured cream takes the edge off the heat. It’s absolutely bloody lovely!
@binners Oh many thanks for the recipe, that sounds absolutely amazing 😋 I will need to give that a go 🤩 👍
This is the official Bolognese
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Apart from the fact that an "official" recipe for something that every family has a different recipe for is a bit crazy, that's the recipe that I use and it's great.
Milk and white wine FTW. No garlic, no herbs and not too many tomatoes.
I've just returned from Bologna, and I can now say with some authority that there is no such thing as an 'official' Bolognese sauce. That recipe, and variations of it, is just something close to a general recipe as used by many people traditionally from available ingredients. Bear in mind that tomatoes were not available to Europeans until at least the 16th Century, and that many of the other ingredients would have been out of reach of ordinary folk. Tomatoes didn't really enter everyday Italian cooking for quite a while after the first European explorers returned from the Americas. So we're talking at least late 17th century before Tomatoes were established in Italian agriculture and cuisine. So the term 'traditional' is pretty loose, and therefore it's impossible really to establish any kind of consensus on what such a recipe would actually be. That website looks more like something that promotes Italian culture in terms of tourism, than anything else. I don't believe it's an actual academic institution.
'Spaghetti Bolognese' as loved by Brits everywhere, is pretty much an invention of Italian restaurants in this country and perhaps elsewhere in Europe where Italian migrants settled, as it's an easily made and very palatable dish. You will struggle to find Spag Bol in Bologna; perhaps in one or two places catering to tourists, but nowhere else. The term 'Bolognese' is applied to a wide range of dishes, I discovered, and they can vary greatly, from creamy, cheesy sauces, to rich dark meaty sauces with other without tomatoes. What we Brits recognise as a 'Bolognese' sauce is basically what Italians call a 'Ragout' or Ragu. This will often involve tomatoes, but again can vary greatly too. As mentioned above; every family will have its own version of that they might claim is the 'best', but really it doesn't matter. The basic essence of a Bolognese sauce that we Brits understand, is a tomato-based ragu which is tangy and meaty. The natural acidity and sweetness of tomatoes can be countered with the saltiness of anchovies, or cured pork. Celery can be added for a peppery taste (celery might be more 'traditional' as of course pepper also wasn't available until relatively recently in Europe), carrot for extra sweetness, but really everyone has their own tastes and preferences. You won't find a consensus; Italians love to argue about food, if you had an 'official' recipe, they'd have nothing to argue about. And this is great, because it gives us all loads of amazing food to enjoy!
Personally I like to keep it simple with just tomatoes, garlic and onion, basil and oregano, salt and pepper as an absolute base, than add extra ingredients according to whim. I like mushrooms in mine; that's sacrilege to some. I like to use the natural strengths of the ingredients to give it the taste I want. I often just mix it up and do whatever I fancy anyway; it might not be 'authentic' but many Italians have enjoyed my attempts. Some friends run an Italian deli in London, and I love shopping there for all sorts of wonderful things. If you want to cook Italian, talk to Italians is the best method. You will come away totally confused and with no clear idea, but it will be fun!
But whatever you do, do NOT use Worcestershire sauce in any Italian cooking. If you want the tanginess, use wine (not vinegar), if you want the fishiness, use anchovies. And so on. Let the ingredients themselves sing. I once walked out of a place in Bristol because they added WS to my Carbonara. WS has its place; but it's nowhere near Italian cuisine.
Goes without saying, if you get the chance have a short break in Bologna. Ryanair go, quick train from the airport, friendly people, not expensive, fantastic food and a great place to pick up eg guanciale in oak-lined groceries served by moustachioed men in white jackets. Loads of museums and interesting buildings. Check which restaurants get rammed and slot in there early.
Yes, it really is worth the visit. The centre is quite touristy, but you can easily avoid the crowds. Many of the restaurants in the central area (near the Piazza Maggiore) cater for tourists, and will be relatively expensive and a bit gimmicky, but still very good. The Bolognesi pride themselves on their cooking, so you won't find the kind of tourist strip rip-off joints you would in many other popular places in the word. A top tip is to visit the many delis off the Piazza Maggiore, on the map it's the area just to the east of that. Little alleyways full of delis specialising in meat, fish, pasta, bread, etc. You can sit in some and snack, or even better, buy up what you want, and then sit in the Osteria del Sole, which allow you to bring in your own food and eat it, and sample some of the many wines available. Like taking a picnic to a pub!
Less expensive but equally or even better restaurants are to be found further from the centre; I'm not giving away my secrets but TripAdvisor is your friend. And even the supermarkets are good for cheap picnics; the quality of available produce is significantly higher than the equivalents here. Bologna is a student city (the home of the first secular university in Europe), and there are millions of little places doing cheap food in the 'University District'. A slice of excellent pizza for a couple of Euros, bars doing inexpensive nibbles, places doing pastries savoury and sweet, you will not go hungry. Enjoy a gelato or several. A proper coffee; espresso or at most a macchiato, they don't go in for that nonsense of vaguely coffee flavoured milk. The only problem you will have is which places to choose.
The major art galleries and museums aren't that busy; most tourists seem to flock to the churches and cathedrals. MAMbo is good for modern art, if you get a bit overwhelmed by the amount of incredible medieval and Renaissance art elsewhere, and the Museo de Palazzo Poggi is a real surprise with some fantastic biological and anatomical exhibits. That's close to the Pinacoteca de Bologna, which is essential for those studying art history. You can do a 3-mile walk up to the Santaurio Madonna di San Luca, along the world's longest portico, or covered walkway. Bologna is famous for these, and they really are a Godsend to staying out of the heat. I would not advise going from now on, as it can get really hot, high 30s, so consider going at a cooler time of year.
Ryanair are predictably dreadful, there are options but they tend to be expensive. The airport train, the Marconi Express, is really expensive and if there's more than 2 of you, it's much cheaper to get a taxi into town. The train will only take you to the central station, which can be bewildering if you're tired from travelling, and you've still go to get to your place of stay. Bear in mind the centre has few bus services, no metro or anything. So lots and lots of walking. We were averaging around 8-9 miles a day. I would recommend a hotel towards the outskirts of the old town (as ringed by a dual carriageway) rather than in the centre, as they tend to be cheaper and quieter. Students are really, really noisy.
Bologna is pretty close to several other great places; we visited Modena and Ferrara for the day, and train tickets are around €4-5 each way (the Marconi Express is €12+). Modena is of course the home of Ferrari, although the main Ferrari museum is in Maranello just to the south, and there are regular buses there. For car lovers/motor racing fans, the big names such as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati and Bugatti are all based in their area. Imola is another train ride away, as is Parma. We also went to Siena for a few days; that is well worth it for the art alone. Incredible. And in a stunningly beautiful area. We'll definitely be returning.
Carluccio's recipe for Ragu is our meat-eating favourite served with ribbon pasta of some sort.We haven't found a veggie ragu that we like yet.
Chilli for Vegans this:
Oven-baked Tofu Chilli
2 brown onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 red peppers (about 450g), pith and seeds discarded, flesh cut into chunks
280g extra-firm tofu, drained and roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
140ml rapeseed oil
1¾ tsp fine sea salt
3½ tbsp chipotle paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground cinnamon
500ml passata
2 tbsp white miso paste
2 x 400g tins pulses (I used a mix of chickpeas and kidney beans), drained
To serve
Fresh coriander, shredded
Rice, guacamole and vegan creme fraiche
Heat the oven to 210C (190C fan)/410F/gas 6½. Working in batches and one ingredient at a time, pulse the onions, peppers and tofu in a food processor to mince-sized pieces, then tip them one by one into an oven tray. Add the garlic, oil, salt, chipotle, oregano and spices to the tray, mix well, then pop into the oven for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, stir the passata into the tray, then return it to the oven for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the miso in a jug, pour over 500ml just-boiled water and stir to dissolve.
After the chilli has had another 30 minutes (ie, after an hour in total), stir in the drained pulses, pour in the stock and return to the oven for a final 30 minutes, or until the chilli is rich, dark red and bubbling.
To serve, transfer the chilli to a serving bowl, scatter over the shredded coriander and serve with rice, guacamole and creme fraiche.
Celery and carrot blitzed in the food processor is essential for good Bolognese
I've just started using this method from a Gordon Ramsay recipe and it works well. Blitz garlic, onions, carrots, celery and olive oil.
and a 15 year old Chianti.
Cheapest supermarket red wine. Use what the recipe needs and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for next time.
That mince needs to bee cooked low and slow. Makes a huge difference.
2 hours in the Ramsay recipe.
Bologna is pretty close to several other great places
We did Venice first and caught the train to Bologna (90 minutes and ~€30). Mercure Hotel across the road from the station was good and only a few minute walk from the main Piazza.
Somewhat at odds with all the proper Chef-ery in this thread, we made the one pot version from one of the "Nom" books last night, using sausage meat. It was blooming lovely, and shall defo be making again.
This thread tho has had me adding Bologna tho to possible cheeky short escapes.
I've just started using this method from a Gordon Ramsay recipe and it works well.
He omits the milk. Amateur.
(actually I do like the GR quick guides to cooking and his general recipe stuff. Not a fan of the Hell's Kitchen type programmes but when he's being a regular chef talking through normal recipes, he's excellent)
I once walked out of a place in Bristol because they added WS to my Carbonara. WS has its place; but it's nowhere near Italian cuisine.
Whether or not I agree with not putting Worcester Sauce in Italian food, it really, REALLY does not belong in a carbonara. And neither does cream, for that matter.
Cheapest supermarket red wine. Use what the recipe needs and freeze the rest in ice cube trays for next time.
Keith "The Don" Floyd always said to cook with what you drink not cheap wine-lake stuff! Watching him reduce 2 bottles of Chambertin to a sauce was educational (in the 80's this was £40+ a bottle stuff).
