What's the difference between bolognese and ragù?
let's find out shall we
Hello hello! Happy end of the week my friends!!
I made a yummy casarecce bolognese this week and one of my friends asked me what the difference is between a ragù and a bolognese? I felt like I had a “tip of the iceberg” level of understanding, but not as in-depth as I’d have liked. So, if you’re still reading this because you’re also rather interested…let’s dive in.
The way I like to see it (based on various different articles, blogs, and Italian’s opinions) is that ragù is a meat-based sauce with traces of tomato. There’s no specific way of cooking it and there are dozens of varieties made all over Italy from oxtail ragu to fish ragu. It’s very much the umbrella term for a meat-based Italian sauce. This is where bolognese comes in. Firstly, bolognese originates from Bologna, a city in northern Italy. And secondly, bolognese is known as ragù alla bolognese because it’s a type of ragù. Bolognese sauce is typically more strict in its recipe, including ingredients like ground meat (usually a combo of pork and beef mince), onions, carrots, celery, tomatoes, broth, wine, and sometimes milk or cream. It’s generally a much thicker sauce than other ragù varieties and is served with taglatielle.
I feel like that’s how I understand the two to be different yet very similar…but if you have any other differences or similarities that you want to share with me, feel free to send over your thoughts!
Now that we’ve got that covered, onto the recipes of the week…but first, I’d like to share my newest YouTube video with you!!
I’ve been working on my secret project for several months and my kitchen is a MESS. So, it’s time to clean, re-organize and de-clutter my entire kitchen. Check out the video below if you like silly and only mildly aesthetic videos of people cleaning their kitchen…
CASARECCE BOLOGNESE - This is my simple and delicious Casarecce Bolognese. All you have to do is make a simple bolognese ragu with onions, garlic, carrots, beef mince, tinned tomatoes, and a handful of other ingredients, and then serve it with al dente casarecce pasta. It's a perfect meal to batch cook or to make on a busy midweek night. Enjoy!
SPAM RAMEN - For a super simple weeknight dinner, this Easy Spam Ramen recipe is the perfect meal. Low-effort and delicious, this spam, eggs, and ramen noodle combination come together so quickly. Spam fried in garlic, sesame oil, oyster sauce, and chilli flakes really takes spam to the next level!
CRISPY SKIRT DUMPLINGS - They’re crunchy on the outside and full of flavour on the inside. The filling is a combination of chicken mince, chives, hoisin sauce, and garlic. Honestly, they are the juiciest dumplings I’ve ever made, I could eat these for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day.
Thank you for your continuous support! Let me know if you make any of my recipes! Speak soon and have a gorgeous weekend my little blueberries!
Em xx