secret ingrediants

[slinky.kate]

i am making spag.bol. the sauce is nice'but'it seems to be missing something to give it oomph'what do you add to bring the flavours out??

[DTCwordfan]

a smidge of chipotle (a form of mild chilli pepper that is wonderfully "smoky").

[cathfromsaron]

brown sauce? branston?

[emmie]

always add Worcester sauce, and if really daring a smidgen of Tabasco.

[FrillyPancake]

All Spice, and nutmeg. Bpth work really well in Sapg Bol.

[FrillyPancake]

Both and Spag - sorry!

[pastafreak]

My Italian ancestors must be turning in their graves over these suggestions!

[Anngel]

I assume you already have some basil in there? If not, dried basil is lovely, but fresh is even nicer. I always add an oxo cube to my sauce too.

[friedgreentomato]

if you use fresh herbs I have not had this issue - did you add smoked bacon when frying off the mince?

[Auracaria]

Minced beef, minced pork, diced pancetta, chicken livers, tomatoes, good red wine, tomato puree, onions, garlic, basil, salt and black pepper. Thats a bolognese to love!

[LyndaB]

My spag bol - if I say so meself - is lovely. I fry a couple of small chopped onions in olive oil, crush a clove of garlic with salt and add that. Add a tin of tomatoes, then swill the tin out with water and add that too. Add some dried mixed herbs (fresh if you have them) and bring to the boil. At this point, you can add the browned mince if you are using it. I always used to use tomato puree as well, but then one day I found I had none - so I substituted tomato ketchup. Guess what - it tastes even nicer! So now I always use that. A bit of brown sauce (only a bit) is good too.

[LyndaB]

I should add that I turn the heat right down and simmer for as long as it takes for nearly all the liquid to have evaporated - you are left with a lovely thick savoury tomato sauce x

[snags]

Red wine.

[rowanwitch]

Fresh Basil and oregano garlic and a good dash of red wine

[B00]

i always add chilli to it, mind you, i pretty much add chilli to most things.

[grasscarp]

My husband's mother (an old Italian mamma) used to chop the onion, celery and carrot base into tiny tiny bits (some of which ended up on the floor)

[Tilly2]

Grasscarp, you can buy those tiny, chopped, frozen vegetables from Sainsbury's now. It's a new line. They are an absolute boon, along with the frozen chopped onions and the frozen chopped garlic. My life has become so much more simple!

[daffy654]

Bacon

[gingejbee]

A good squeeze of Umami paste (Taste No.5) - I get it at Waitrose.

[vodkancoke]

Lol @Pasta, mine too!

My wee Nonna uses red wine and fresh herbs (basil and oregano) and let's it bubble for hours.