Ragu vs Ragout plus a recipe to go along.

The other night for dinner Andy asked me what I was making.  Lots of times I am not really sure until it is finished.  But, I had thawed out a package of lamb stew meat and I had a head of cauliflower.  I started thinking of doing a cauliflower mash with something saucy and meaty to pour over the top.  So, I told him that I was going to make a Lamb Ragu or Ragout over Cauliflower Mash.

Then, the discussion started Ragu.... Ragout?

Do you know the difference?

I told Andy that I thought a ragu was a meaty, thick sauce with a tomato base.  And a ragout which I was murdering saying rag-out was more like a stew type dish that you could also put on a starch.  But then I started to wonder if I was right.

So, I looked it up like I usually do when I am not sure.  I swear I look in the urban dictionary almost weekly.  Here's what I found out:

Ragout [ra-GOO] – A derivative of the French verb ragoûter , meaning “to stimulate the appetite,” ragoût is a thick, rich, well-seasoned stew of meat, poultry or fish that can be made with or without vegetables.

Ragu [ra-GOO, rah-GOO] – A staple of northern Italy’s Bologna, ragu is a meat sauce that is typically served with pasta. Though different than the French RAGOUT, both are derived from the verb ragoûter , which means “to stimulate the appetite.” Ragu usually contains ground beef, tomatoes, onions, celery, carrots, white wine and seasonings.

So it seems that was on track except for not pronouncing the word ragout correctly.  They are both pronounced ra-goo.  So based on the definitions above, I made a ragu-ragout.  But I would say it is a ragout.

I forgot to take a picture but it looks similar to this one.

photo source

Lamb Ragout over Cauliflower Mash

1 lb. lamb stew meat
1 chopped onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
2 T grape seed oil
1 pint of homemade roasted tomato sauce (substitute with something similar)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine
2 bay leaves
salt & pepper
1 head chopped cauliflower
2 T butter
2/3 cup milk

I sautéed the onion and garlic in the oil until soft then added the meat and cooked on med-high until browned.  Then, add the tomato sauce, water, wine, bay leaves and salt & pepper to taste.  Cook on med - low for about 1 1/2 hours.  You could also do this in the crockpot.

I melted the butter and sautéed the chopped cauliflower.  Then covered it with water.  I let it cook until it was soft.  I mashed it and added about 2/3 cup of milk.  You have to judge the exact amount of milk to add in case it is too thick or not.  Then I seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Put a spoonful of mash in a shallow bowl and top with the lamb ragout.  Serves 4 people.

Bon Appetit!