Bolognese sauce (aka ragu bolognese) : learn from a bolognese grandma!
Ragu bolognese, or simply ragù or bolognese sauce, is one of the most known recipes from Italy, but also one of the most abused. This for two main reasons:
- it is not easy to find good ones abroad (I would say almost impossible, to be honest)
- they often serve it in the wrong way. I will never stress enough how in Bologna we will never serve spaghetti with ragù (and if some restaurants do, change place immediately!). Spaghetti with ragù don’t exist, and the real recipe from Bologna for spaghetti… is with a tuna based sauce! The reason is very simple: ragù requires a kind of pasta that is not smooth, otherwise it cannot stick to the pasta itself. Spaghetti are perfect for tomato sauce, for pesto alla genovese, for aglio e olio (garlic and oil.. and red hot chili pepper) but please forget them if you want to taste ragù.
Bolognese sauce is actually a quite simple recipe, it just takes… time! And one ingredient that can be tough to find abroad, but that I link below.
When you will have your ragu bolognese ready, you can put it into the freezer in small boxes and use it for quick but “soooo Italian” dinners with your guests. Amazing as a sauce for tagliatelle or gramigna, it can be used to prepare true bolognese lasagne. It will be great with almost any kind of pasta, but never smooth one, otherwise ragù will stay in the plate… just like with spaghetti.
To read my step-by-step guide to your first authentic bolognese ragu, visit: https://www.eatalianwithroberto.com/bolognese-sauce/ and…
Buon appetito!
Suggested wine pairings
The perfect wine pairing for a pasta (e.g. tagliatelle) with bolognese sauce is a Sangiovese. For this pairing, see also the review of a lunch at Trattoria nonna Aurora. A good advice is always to pair food with a wine produced in the same area, so I suggest an excellent Sangiovese di Romagna (near Bologna).
Bolognese sauce FAQ
What is bolognese sauce made of?
Bolognese sauce, or ragu bolognese or simply ragù, is made of minced beef meat, some pork meat (usually ham or bacon), a mix of vegetables (onion, celery, carrot), extra virgin olive oil, butter, concentrated tomato paste.
Is bolognese sauce good with spaghetti?
No, it is not a proper sauce for spaghetti. Appropriate pairings are with tagliatelle or maccheroni. It is a relevant ingredient in lasagne recipe. And yes, I know, everywhere you will find spaghetti alla bolognese.. but for us in Bologna it is a dish of spaghetti with tuna sauce, definitely not ragu! To deep dive this, I recommend reading about spaghetti bolognese here 🙂
Where is bolognese sauce from?
As the name says, it comes from the ancient city of Bologna. Bologna, in northern Italy is famous for the most ancient University of whole Europe and for its porticoes. Our porticoes are now Unesco “world heritage site”. About this important event you can also read a post from one of my favorite and most authentically “bolognese” blogs.
Yes, Italian. In love with our food, our gastronomic culture. Being born in Bologna, one of the capital towns of italian food, eating is not just a necessity, is a way of sharing love and care with your friends and family.
Originally published at https://www.eatalianwithroberto.com on January 19, 2019.
