Wild Mushroom Ragu
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Quick and easy, this sauce has a deep, earthy flavour with a rich, meaty texture. Perfect with pasta, rice, eggs or as a topping for a big plate of greens.
Serves:4 people
Ingredients
- 800 g wild mushrooms native to your region - we used a variety of Boletes (Porcini /Cepe/Penny bun) plus the more mature Caesar's mushroom. Add a few chestnut mushrooms (button mushrooms) or rehydrated dried porcini to make up the quantities. Buy wild mushrooms from a reputable source - many poisonous mushrooms look precisely like edible ones so please don't risk picking your own.
- 50 g butter
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 1 large white onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic peeled and grated
- 1 stick celery - finely chopped including the leaves
- 1 tsp chilli flakes optional
- 1 lime zested You can also use lemon - limes are in season at the moment - lemons not yet
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ tsp cardamom powder
- 1 handful parsely
- 1 tbsp concentrated tomato sauce
- 1 generous tbsp Madeira Optional or Masala is a good substitute.
- 400 ml a glass of red wine Optional or meat/vegetable stock
- olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
To Serve
- 50-75 g grated parmesan to serve
- pasta of choice
- fresh parsley to serve
Instructions
- If you use dried mushrooms - empty them into a bowl and cover them with hot but not boiling water.
- Saute the finely chopped onions in a little olive oil; when turning golden and translucent, add celery, garlic and carrot. Add more oil if it cooks too quickly. Keep the heat low, and don't let it burn.
- Drain or scoop out the rehydrated mushrooms (they need about 20-30 minutes), reserving the stock for later. Drain well and chop - use together with the rest of the mushroom.
- Continue cooking until soft; add the mushrooms, cardamom, chilli, bay, lime zest, thyme and butter.
- Continue cooking until the mushrooms start to brown; add the Madeira and parsley - let the Madeira evaporate, and add the wine and concentrated tomato. Gently bubble until the sauce starts to thicken and darken. Add more wine or a little water (mushroom stock from reconstituted mushrooms) if necessary. Season with ½ tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper. You want the mushrooms to be well cooked but not lose shape—about 35 minutes.
- If you are serving immediately as a ragu pasta. Prepare the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water as per the instructions. Drain the pasta water, saving a generous cupful. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well. Add a little of the pasta water if you think it's dry or the sauce needs to loosen. Cook for a minute and serve immediately with plenty of grated parmesan and fresh parsley.
- See notes below for other serving suggestions and freezing instructions.
Notes
Serving Suggestions. As a filling for tortellini, an omelette, or to replace a classic ragu in lasagne. You can also toss the ragu into risotto or use it as a topping for a big plate of mixed greens or polenta.
To Freeze. Great for batch cooking as it is easy to freeze and makes for a speedy exotic supper. Cook as above and allow to cool. Transfer to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. To serve, defrost thoroughly - preferably in the fridge overnight. Reheat on medium heat with some water, stirring occasionally until thoroughly heated through.
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