Summer Sunday Ragu
why you should make this:
Three reasons:
Pasta recipes, this one included, typically come together quickly (i.e less time in the kitchen on a hot day)
It tastes as good at room temp as it does straight off the stove, which means it packs well for beach days and picnics, or if you want to make it ahead and have it for dinner without reheating.
Mushrooms, garlic, and wine make for a sublime, saucy, umami trio.
what you’ll need:
1 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery, finely chopped
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 pd mushrooms
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup wine
1 tbl thyme
salt & pepper to taste
how it’s done:
In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat up 3 tbl olive oil over medium heat.
Once the oil is shimmery and runs quickly through the pan, add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt. Allow to soften and cook down, at least 10 minutes. (Be patient with this step, you are building the base for great flavor!)
Add garlic and stir constantly until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Push the mixture to the sides of the pan and add half the mushrooms in the center. Let it sit without stirring for 5-8 minutes. This will allow the mushrooms to brown. Once the mushrooms have a nice golden color, add the rest of the mushrooms with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to incorporate.
Once the mushrooms have cooked down, add the wine.
Once the wine has reduced and the mixture beings to bubble, add the chicken stock.
Turn the heat down and allow the mixture to simmer.
At this point, boil a pot of water for the pasta. Add 2 tbl salt to the water.
Cook the pasta just under it’s cooking time, so it still has a slight bite to it.
Using a slotted spoon, add the pasta from the water to the mushroom sauce. Add in about 1/4 cup of the pasta water. This will help the sauce stick to the pasta and allow the pasta finish cooking in the sauce.
Add the butter and thyme and more salt, if needed.
Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with basil and grated parmesan.
Serve immediately. (But still delicious at room temp, too!)