Forum: cooking.stackexchange.com
Tags: <meat><sauce><italian-cuisine>
Title: 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:PepperSugarSaltTomatos and tomato puree, tinned and chopped tomatosgarliclea & perrins / Worcester sauceOnions & onion gravy granulesdifferent meats, pork, beef and vealHerbs Basil, greek basil, thyme and oreganored wineand most recently balsamic vinegar  These all get close and do make a nice Bolognese. However the secret ingredient is still missing!

Answers:
sents: text: If you are missing an umami note, it's possible you are missing a very common ingredient in bolognese - chicken livers.
text: These give a meaty, almost sweet flavour.
text: Soak them in water for a few minutes, then finely chop or pulse in a food processor.
text: I use minced (ground) pork, beef and chicken livers.
text: You might also try adding pancetta, to add a smoky tinge.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/4194/ElendilTheTall
score: 6
sents: text: 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.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/16833/Dave
score: 3
sents: text: In my experience, there is no Bolognese without celery.
text: I normally use very finely chopped celery stems, and add them after the onions have softened a little.
text: You can use celery salt too, but fresh celery is best.
text: There is also something to be said for finely chopped carrots, but the effect on the overall flavor isn't that big.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/611/Carmi
score: 3
sents: text: Not sure what flavor you're looking for, but try adding a parmesan rind.
text: Pull it out at the end of cooking.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/5263/Steve
score: 2
sents: text: 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.
text: It also requires cooking for hours, as you want the meat to completely fall apart.
text: By that time, the milk's completely incorporated and impossible to distinguish in the final sauce.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/67/Joe
score: 2
sents: text: Dried, reconstituted porcinis?
text: I've been tweaking Bolognese for a while now, adding those was an AHA moment.
text: After reconstituting and chopping, I sauteed them with the sofrito.
text: Very nice.
text: The chicken livers mentioned above could be the key too, I just can't do it.
text: I viscerally hate liver.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/20183/Jolenealaska
score: 1
sents: text: A pinch of sugar cuts through the acidity of the tomatoes, also slow cooking improves texture and flavors.
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/21963/george georgeson
score: 1
sents: text: Sweet cherry, smoked bacon, heaps of basil and a glass or 2 while cooking helps for a great spaghetti bolognese.
text: I love adding a chorizo sausage during the slow simmer also!!!
answer_details: author: cooking.stackexchange.com/users/33856/Ric
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
Adding chicken livers, pancetta, chorizo or a good highly reduced veal stock can improve the meat, and celery, finely chopped carrots and dried porcinis can improve the vegetable element. A true Ragù Bolognese contains some dairy, such as parmesan rind, and the taste can be improved with basil and wine. Finally, the sauce should be cooked for a long time to allow the flavours to develop.
Many ingredients can be added to a Bolognese sauce in the search for an authentic taste. It is considered essential to cook the sauce for a long time.