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Mushroom Ragu

Servings: 6

Ingredients

  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup shallots, diced
  • 1 pound mixed mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1 cup dry Marsala wine
  • linguine
  • 3 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, soak the dry porcini and warm water for about 20 minutes (or until fully rehydrated). Gently remove the porcini. Chop and set aside.
  • Take the soaking liquid and strain through a sieve. Set aside to use later.
  • Meanwhile, add 1 tablespoon of butter and the extra-virgin olive oil to a flat bottom skillet or sauce pan. Cook over medium heat and until the shallot are softened, about 5-6, minutes.
  • Push the shallots to the sides of the pan. Add half of the mushrooms (including the porcini) and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and reabsorbs it, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. Once the butter has melted add the second half of mushrooms, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook for 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
  • Push the mushrooms to the sides of the pan. Add the tomato paste and stir. Brown the paste, this will take about 1-3 minutes. Stir occasionally
  • Add the Marsala and the reserved porcini soaking liquid. Scrap the bottom of the pan to remove browned bits. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered for 12 minutes.
  • Meanwhile boil the linguini. Once cooked, strain and place back into the same pan. Add the last tablespoon of butter and cream to the cooked pasta. Stir and heat through about 3 minutes.
  • Add the mushroom ragu and parmesan to the pasta. Mix well.
  • Serve topped with chopped parsley.

Notes

My favorite mushroom to use for this dish are shiitake. Sometimes, to save a bit of money, I use a combination of shiitake, portabello and cremini mushrooms. If you use shiitake mushrooms, be sure to remove the stem before cooking. Also, when purchasing Marsala, be sure to select DRY Marsala. There is a sweet Marsala option and avoid this one at all cost. It will add a very sweet taste to the dish that I find unappetizing. When it comes to the amount of linguine to cook, I typically use a little bit less than 1 pound. Eyeball the amount of pasta used to toss with the ragu. Adjust the amount used according to your preferred ragu to pasta ratio. This ragu would also be delicious served on top of polenta (click here for polenta recipe).