Simon Rimmer's mushroom and red wine ragu recipe
Mushrooms are one of the nation’s favourite vegetables as they’re packed full of goodness, flavour and provide a cheap and tasty way to bulk up any meal.
Simon Rimmer’s Top Tips for Cooking Mushrooms
Mushrooms are tasty, great value and an easy to cook ingredient that adds extra flavour to a wide variety of meals – but it’s such a shame that so many of us don’t know the best way to cook them! Mushrooms should be fried in a very hot pan to seal in moisture and create a lovely crispy texture. Make sure your pan is almost smoking hot before adding the mushrooms to it.
To ensure you’re getting a really good temperature for frying mushrooms, it’s essential to have the right kind of pan. A good quality, heavy-based pan is best for conducting heat and keeping your pan hotter for longer.
Ingredients
- 1 White onion, finely chopped
- 1 Small carrot, finely grated
- 1 Stick of celery, finely chopped
- 1 Sprig of thyme (leaves removed)
- 1 Bay leaf
- 245 g White close cap button mushrooms, sliced
- 100 g Chestnut closed cup mushroom,s sliced
- 4 Brown anchovy fillets
- 1 Star anise
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1.5 Glasses of red wine
- 700 g Passata sauce
- 400 g Pappardelle pasta
- 1 Small bunch of flat leaf parsley
- 50 g Parmesan
Details
- Cuisine: Italian
- Recipe Type: Main
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 20 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Make sure the mushrooms are clean by gently brushing any dirt off with a clean, damp cloth or soft brush. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large pan and gently sauté the onion, carrot, celery, thyme and anchovy fillets over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, turn up the heat and add in the red wine, star anise and bay leaf cook out for 2 minutes rapidly allowing the alcohol to burn off.
- Add in the passata and bring to the boil and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue cooking for a further 20 minutes to allow the flavours to intensify
- Using a non-stick frying pan, heat a tbsp of olive oil to near-smoking point before adding in the mushrooms. Cook for about 4-5 minutes sealing in the moisture.
- After the sauce has been simmering for 15 minutes, add in the cooked mushrooms and continue simmering for a further 5 minutes, this will ensure that the mushrooms stay juicy and firm.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet, usually around 10-11 minutes. Drain the pasta and add to the ragu, ensuring the pasta gets an even coating of sauce. Using a pair of tongs distribute between 4 pasta bowls.
- To serve, sprinkle with some chopped flat leaf parsley and a good grating of Parmesan.
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