Tagliatelle with Mushroom Ragù
A rich, hearty pasta dish featuring earthy mushrooms in a tomato red wine sauce. The recipe is fairly quick to prepare for an easy weekday meal. Enjoy the dish with a fruity, lush red like Illuminati Riparosso Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2009, a terrific bargain at $12.95.
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
1 ½ cups mixed dried wild mushrooms (any mixture of porcini, shiitake and morels)
3 tbsp quality olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
2 cups cremini mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
½ to ¾ tsp sea salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
¾ cup dry red wine
2 cups purchased tomato or Marinara sauce
2 tsp butter
500 g Tagliatelle or Pappardelle pasta
Fresh chopped parsley
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino cheese
Directions
Place dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand until rehydrated, about 20 minutes. Drain and roughly chop the mushrooms.
In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat and add the chopped onions. Sauté about 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until they start to become golden. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they release most of their moisture, about 5 to 8 minutes. At this point, add the chopped rehydrated mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Increase heat to high and add the red wine, allowing the liquid to simmer until most of the wine has cooked off. Reduce heat to medium and add the tomato or Marinara sauce. Continue to heat until the sauce is warmed through. Add the butter and adjust seasoning if necessary. Cover with a lid and keep warm.
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the Tagliatelle as directed until al dente. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the pasta from the boiling water and add to the mushroom ragù. You don’t need to drain the pasta thoroughly, the addition of some of the pasta water will help thin the ragù if your sauce is too thick. Fold the pasta into the ragù and check seasoning (you will be topping each serving with parmesan cheese which will add salt).
Divide the pasta and ragù between 4 or 6 dishes. Top each serving with a generous handful of chopped fresh parsley and grated cheese.
Recipe created by: Christie Pollard for the Trialto Wine Group
