The idea may seem strange, but the logic behind the addition comes from the sweet, sour and bright flavour of the juice.
Tomato sauces by their nature are naturally rich in acidity. While that acid is crucial for its vibrant flavour, on its own it can sometimes become the sole flavour.
This is where the sweetness and sourness of the orange juice steps in, balancing out the flavours and giving it more of a pop.
The intention isn’t to make your bolognese taste like a smoothie, so it is crucial to only add a tiny bit of time.
Adding just a few teaspoons should allow the actual orange flavour to mellow into the background, allowing your sauce not to have that orange-like taste and instead simply balance out the existing tomato flavour.
Emily Alexander at Food Republic adds: “If you aren’t careful with proportions, spaghetti sauce can get bogged down with the abundance of savoury ingredients found in a typical recipe.
“For the most part, you want lots of umami and warmth, but a light element helps balance the components to perfection.
“Orange juice is a good substitute for balancing acidity without adding refined sugar. Juice from half of a fresh orange is ideal, but a shot of orange juice works, too.”
Heat also tends to reduce the sourness of orange, and therefore if you add the juice towards the start of the cooking process, the tartness from the juice will begin to mellow leaving you with a sweeter sauce.
Some chefs even suggest adding a tiny bit of the zest to add more aromatics to the sauce, but this should be done with caution as the oils in the zest can quickly become overpowering and lack any sweetness.
If you are a particular fan of the orange taste you can add a slightly larger glug and pair it with some complimentary additions such as fennel or even some chilli.
