Page 86 of the March issue. Mushroom Bolognese! The photo of the dish in the magazine made me warm and fuzzy and sent me back. Transported back to a comfortable, safe haven. Saturday dinners with Dad. As a teen, I remember Dad and I making Kraft Italian Style Spaghetti from a box. We always doctored up the the recipe, adding meat and more mushrooms and more spices. It was a fun bonding time of father and daughter. Page 86 reminded me of my comfort food but without the beef.
The next best thing about this recipe is it required very little altering to fit our dietary restrictions (elimination of the sugar ingredient and the use of gluten free pasta) and some of its ingredients could, in some form, come from my very own garden! Fresh carrots, baby eggplant and tomatoes, tomatoes. tomatoes! Doesn't it taste better when you've grown it yourself!
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| Stubby raised bed carrots. They are meant to be this short and aren't they cute! |
INGREDIENTS
·
1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms
·
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
·
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
·
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
·
1 baby eggplant (8 ounces), peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
·
1 pound cremini mushrooms, one-fourth sliced, the rest cut into
1/4-inch dice (FYI, Cremini and Baby Bellas are the same thing. I NEVER knew!)
·
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into 1/4-inch
dice
·
Kosher salt
·
Pepper
·
5 garlic cloves, minced
·
2 tablespoons tomato paste
·
1 tablespoon white miso
·
One 2-inch chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus grated
cheese for serving
·
One 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
·
1 thyme sprig
·
12 ounces brown rice spaghetti
·
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
HOW
TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
1. In a small bowl,
cover the porcini with 1 cup of boiling water; soak until softened, about 30
minutes. Finely chop the porcini, discarding any tough bits. Pour off and
reserve 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.
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| Shitakes, creminis, porcinis, garlic, onion and carrot from my own garden |
2. In a large enameled
cast-iron casserole, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the onion and carrots
and cook over moderate heat until light golden, about 8 minutes. Add the
eggplant and 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until
softened, 8 minutes. Stir in the cremini, shiitake, chopped porcini and the
remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring
occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in the
garlic, tomato paste and miso and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chunk of cheese,
the tomatoes and their juices, the thyme, sugar and reserved mushroom soaking
liquid and bring to a simmer.
3. Cover and cook over
low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is very thick, about 1 hour
and 30 minutes. Discard the thyme sprig; season the sauce with salt and pepper.
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| Hearty and flavorful. One would never know it was vegetarian! |
4.In a pot of salted
boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
5. Add the pasta, pasta
water and parsley to the sauce; toss to coat. Serve in bowls, topped with
grated cheese.
MAKE AHEAD
The mushroom
Bolognese can be refrigerated for 2 days.
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| Delicious |
