Wild mushroom ragu
- Prepare
- less than 30 mins
- Cook
- 30 mins to 1 hour
- Serve
- Serves 4
- Dietary
- Nut-free
Packed with a variety of mushrooms, this Italian sauce is best paired with buttery pappardelle pasta and a glass of red.
By Matt Tebbutt
From Saturday Kitchen
Ingredients
For the ragu
- 500g/1lb 2oz wild mushrooms, chopped
- 1 onion, cut into quarters
- 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 portobello mushrooms, blended
- 30g/1oz dried porcini, soaked, then drained and chopped
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 500g/1lb 2oz cherry plum tomatoes
- 150ml/¼ pint Italian red wine
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 large rosemary sprig
- 1 Parmesan rind
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
- 25g/1oz unsalted butter
- 500g/1lb 2oz pappardelle, cooked according to packet instructions
- 75g/2½oz Parmesan, grated
Method
To make the ragu, place a pan over a high heat. Add the chopped wild mushrooms and sauté to colour and soften for 6–8 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic, celery and carrot to a food processor and blend. Place the pan over a low heat with the olive oil then add the blended veg and sweat for 15 minutes or so.
Add the blended portobello mushrooms and chopped porcini to the pan followed by the tomato purée, tomatoes and the wine. Cook until reduced by half.
Add the oregano, rosemary and Parmesan rind. Stir in the sautéed wild mushrooms.
Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the butter and serve with the cooked pappardelle, with a grating of fresh Parmesan over the top.
