Blogging about Bolognese… A Fascinating Deep Dive Pays Off!

Wednesday, November 19, 2025.

Well, I’ve been working very hard on my Bolognese recipe. Part of what I like to do with my recipes is research the dish’s origin story and the original recipe, if it can be found in archives. The story goes that when Napoleon’s soldiers invaded Italy in 1796, they brought their culinary traditions, including ragu. Italian chefs began adapting these French techniques, creating their own versions of various meat-based sauces that eventually became what we now know as Bolognese sauce.

Google said it first used dry white wine; most recipes call for red wine or no wine at all. The more I looked, the more radically different versions I found. I typically pick and choose my ingredients based on my take from the original recipe and the recipes of chefs I admire – but with this Bolognese recipe, the more I read, the more lost I became. I already have a delicious “Gilly’s Beautiful Bodacious Bolognese” recipe, but I also wanted to have the quintessential authentic recipe. But the more I looked, the less clear it was what that recipe would be.

Feeling confused, I thought, ‘Hey, Massimo would know.’ He’s my Italian ex-boyfriend, now a close friend. I left him a message asking whether to use certain spices in the Bolognese. He called me right back and shared a recipe from his sister Monia, who has been a chef in Rome for over 20 years. He read it to me, we translated it, and then I converted the metric measurements into our more complicated measurements. (In Italian, it’s all in grams, which makes it easy. In the USA, it’s pounds, ounces, cups, or teaspoons…not easy.)

And again, the recipe was very different from the others – but she is Italian and a chef in Rome, what could be more authentic than that? Nothing. And how cool that it came from a dear friend. I also found that Bolognese recipes vary significantly even within Italy. For example, I learned that in Naples they use veal and beef cubed chunks, Lots and lots of onions, carrots, olive oil, and salt – and that’s all. No wonder I was getting confused. But now, I am excited and inspired. It definitely makes me want to travel to Italy for a Bolognese tour. And I already love Belogna, Rome, and Naples, who needs more excuse than that?

In conclusion, keep an eye out for a new Bolognese recipe on GillyCanCook.com titled, “Truly Authentic Pasta alla Bolognese di Roma.” At least, that is my current working title. I will send out a new GCC Newsletter when I post it. The recipe is written and ready, but I need to cook it, film it, and take all the photos from preparation to presentation. I am very excited about it! I hope you are too!

Ciao for now,

Gilly 🍴

And remember, food is fun, so let’s get cooking!