How do you make the perfect Bolognaise Veeky Forums?

I sort of disagree with you. The original recipe is great as is, and should definitely be tried that way - perhaps with more wine if you like. The dish isn't meant to be earth and fragrant, but rich, meaty and somewhat sweet. I feel like adding herbs would compromise that. If I wanted to include the taste of basil or oregano, I'd go for a more tomato-based British/American or Neapolitan style ragu.

Italians who insist that their recipes are sacred are idiots, but at least consider the effect you're actually having on the dish and if it's worth cooking that dish at all, or if you would prefer something else. I think bacon goes fine in carbonara if you can't find pancetta (hard to find guanciale anywhere), I can just about understand cream, and I think mushrooms are a great addition. But I can't for the life of me imagine why people would add parsley or onions.

I am a bit bemused by your post.

On one hand you are calling out Italians and 'their sacred recipes' as idiots but on the other hand you extol the virtues of a little experimentation.?

This is what I meant by Italians fail at being cooks, they stick to traditional and refuse to budge. The English and the French do add to it but not in a silly way but subtle changes that make the dish better.

I'm all for experimentation, but at least give some thought to what you're trying to achieve with the dish. Basil in a bolognese ragu will cut the richness, which is one of the main qualities of the sauce. Same with parsley or onions in carbonara. If you really wanted to add some herb to a bolognese, I'd go for rosemary. Basil is just too light, and there are better styles of ragu if you want a lighter, sweeter flavor.

It's the difference between adding a touch of MSG for stronger flavor and adding to much and making your food taste of nothing. Never trust traditionalists, always experiment - but make sure the ingredient you're adding doesn't take anything away from the dish.

*unzips dick*

you're just talking yourself into a hole with arbitrary post hoc descriptions of what you should or should not do.

basil does not erase the fundamental richness of a sauce, it just adds a flavour. there is a lot of subjective perceptual stuff in your posts that doesn't really convince.

I never would have thought to add milk.

Then again I had thought bolognese was more like a Neapolitan ragù or Sunday gravy.

Mirepoix
Garlic
Minced meat cooked in seperate skillet
Deglaze skilled with red wine
Tinned tomatoes
Bay leaves
Salt and pepper

That. Is. All.

Puttanesca is far better than bolognese.

You want to know how I know you are American... "Muh heritage" also implying sicilian terroni cook bolognese..

...

Thanks for the link to that site user, here's another that I like quite well: academiabarilla.com/cerca-sito/dir/Speciali/Cerca.aspx

I hink however you make the sauce the key is letting it simmer for at LEAST a couple hours. it axtually tastest best if on top of that you make it a day or two early. plus, never forget the wine!!

owo

I liek to add italian seasoning

Sweat mirepoix and pancetta
Add ground beef/pork, render
Add tomato paste, cook it down
Deglaze with some milk, cook it down
Deglaze with white wine, simmer a few hours
Add beef broth if it starts to dry
Toss in frying pan with pasta of your choice

You resurrect the she-wolf that nursed Romulus and Remus, and ask for her recipe.

It doesn't matter how closely you follow it though, because no Italian will admit it's on the same level - nevermind better - than his/her grandmother's.

I start it off with bacon - ideally something other than cheap streaky sliced shit, but quite often, just straight up cheap bacon - remove once somewhat cooked

sautee some superfine mirepoix/sofrito in the fat, and remove to the bacon receptacle, give some garlic the same treatment

brown about a 50/50 of ground veal/beef and ground pork, give it a bit of veal stock if I have any, wine if I don't, add a few bay leaves,

Add in tinned/stewed tomatoes, and all the pre-cooked stuff, let that go for half an hour

Finish it off with a bit of hard cheese, a good amount of basil and oregano, salt, pepper, and I usually add a small dash of cream.

Perfect? No. Authentic? No. Good? My neighbours like it, and they usually don't like anything done in a way Nonna wouldn't do.

Mio Pisan

Bolognese is one of the italian dishes where I just don't follow the simple recipe.
Anchovies, chicken livers, a mix of beef and lamb meat, parsley, bay leaves, all that added to the usual mirepoix/pancetta/wine/milk.
Parpadelle is nice with it.

Yeah, or like this.
I mean, bolognaise is what it is, but "perfect" is subjective I think...kinda. Everyone still does it like Ma or Pa did. The lines between bologna and naples are so blurry at this point when talking ragu. Just stick to the trinity, dense tomato puree, and mass quantities of meat. Deglaze with wine (red or white), or dairy (milk, cream, half, butter, w/e). Use garlic and herb with the respect they deserve.
It's so simple, timeless, ragu4lyfe.

make your own spaghetti