ragù; ragù alla bolognese; bolognese sauce

[rah-GOO boh-loh-NYEH-zeh] A thick, full-bodied meat sauce that's a staple of northern Italy's Bologna. Ragù usually contains ground beef (and sometimes pork), pancetta tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots and garlic, enhanced with wine, milk or cream and seasonings. The term alla Bolognese (in French, à la Bolognese) on a menu designates a pasta or other dish sauced with ragù. The words for Italian ragù and French ragoût (though for entirely different dishes) are both derived from the verb ragoûter, which means "to stimulate the appetite."