Mushroom Bolognese
Made this yummy dish for a casual dinner get together for my daughter Madeleine and a few of her friends when visiting in her fabulous Brooklyn abode.
The combination of fresh and dried wild mushrooms is the magic that gives this sauce a beautiful depth of flavor that will bring on your happy food dance with the first fork full.
Ingredients
-1 1/2 cups boiling water, plus more for cooking the pasta
-2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
-3 cloves garlic-minced
-1 medium yellow onion-small diced
-2 large carrots-small diced
-2 medium celery stalks-small diced
-2 pounds fresh cremini mushrooms or a mixture of your favorite wild mushrooms
-Small bundle of fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs
-2 ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup) divided
-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
-1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1/2 cup dry red wine
-1/2 cup whole milk
-1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
-1 pound dried rigatoni pasta
Method
Place 1 1/2 cups boiling water and the dried porcini mushrooms in a medium heatproof bowl and let soak for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce ingredients.
Place all of the following in the same bowl: garlic, onion, celery and carrots
Place the cremini mushrooms in a large bowl. Smash with your hands to create small (about 1/4-inch) pieces.
When the dried porcini mushrooms are ready, drain but reserve the soaking liquid. Finely chop.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil and 3 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the garlic/veggie mixture and cook until the vegetables are softened, fragrant, and just starting to brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cremini mushroom mixture, porcini mushrooms, 1 28 ounce can whole tomatoes with their juices, 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and the thyme/rosemary bundle.
Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring often and smashing the tomatoes with a potato masher so they fall apart, until there is no liquid remaining in the bottom of the pot, the mushrooms are dark brown, and the pot has a few brown bits stuck to the bottom, about 20 minutes. If the bottom of the pot starts to burn during cooking, add a tablespoon of the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and continue cooking. Don’t rush this part. The mushrooms need a long time to develop a savory flavor.
Add 1/2 cup dry red wine and scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Cook until the wine has almost completely evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Strain and add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid and 1/2 cup whole milk. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the bolognese is thick, darkened in color slightly, and the liquid has reduced by half, 6 to 7 minutes. Remove the herb bundle. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat.
Add 1/4 of the grated Parmesan cheese to the sauce and stir until melted. Taste and season the bolognese with more kosher salt as needed. Reduce the heat to low to keep it warm. Add 1 pound dried rigatonito the pot of boiling water and cook according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bolognese. Turn the heat off and toss to coat the pasta. Serve immediately with the remaining Parmesan cheese and freshly cracked black pepper