top of page

pappardelle conragu di funghi

pappardelle in mushroom ragù

Here’s a fantastic alternative to a meat ragù which even the most ardent carnivores will love ... for a change at least! If you’re going to cook this outside of Italy and fresh porcini season, or if you don’t have the courage or experience to go out and pick your own, your only option is to go for a mix of dried porcini and fresh mushrooms, and quite honestly it’s actually more interesting than a fresh mushrooms only sauce. 


Looking at the recipe, this might seem like a lot of mushrooms on paper but remember that the fresh ones lose loads of water in cooking- one little supermarket punnet really isn’t going to work for more than 2 people.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO
(scroll down for the full method)

  • re-hydrate dried mushrooms (30-45 mins)

  • cook the fresh mushrooms

  • cook the re-hydrated mushrooms

  • add mushrooms to tomato

  • simmer the sauce

  • boil and cook the pasta

  • combine pasta with sauce

pappardelle in mushroom ragù

INGREDIENTS

FOR FOUR PEOPLE

  • 400g chestnut, flat, portobello mushrooms

  • 40g dry porcini

  • 2 large garlic cloves

  • 1 cup salsa al pomodoro

  • sprinkle of pinoli

  • sprinkle of cinnamon

  • sprinkle of oregano

  • butter

  • black pepper,

  • parmesan

  • pecorino


PASTA

500g fresh egg pappardelle


MANTECATURA 

minimal

PandM_logo_section_divider.png

METHOD

Start by rehydrating your dried mushrooms - you could soak over night but I almost always put them in a bowl of boiling water for 20 mins or so, and then change the water and repeat the process until they're soft enough to use. You’ll probably get some gritty residues and oomshka settling at the bottom, and that needs to NOT be in your sauce. The second time you soak the mushrooms, discard any grit but keep the mushroom liquor to add to the final sauce later.


Once you’ve rehydrated the dry mushrooms, just treat then as fresh mushrooms - they’re not ready to eat yet and will need cooking and adding to other ingredients too. I normally start with cutting up the fresh mushrooms and frying gently in some EVO for a few minutes, then adding the garlic, crushed, and then soon afterwards a splash of white wine and oregano, and then the porcini and some of the tomato sauce. Let everything cook down, keep checking the mix for seasoning. While the porcini are cooking you also need to prepare the fresh mushrooms - just in a separate pan but with the same technique, wine, oregano and garlic. Cook them until soft, adding a little splash or water if they dry out.

Once you have all the fresh and dry mushrooms prepared, add them all to the same pot with any of the additional tomato sauce and simmer for about 20 mins, making sure everything doesn't dry out and you have a nice balance of flavours. 


Cook the pasta and 3-4 minutes before you think it's ready take the sauce off the heat and add a couple of tablespoons of butter, stirring it through the sauce and allowing it to melt. When the pasta's just past 'al dente' add it to some of the mushroom ragu in a sauce wok and toss and mix to combine. You can add a splash of pasta water as you do so but don't go crazy with the mantecatura (see Technique section) to avoid overcooking the pasta and getting a starchy mess - you're just flavouring the pasta and finishing off the cooking, not making wallpaper paste! Black pepper and parmesan / pecorino on the top.

NUTRITION per serving

  • KCAL: 278

  • Fat (g): 5.6

  • Sat Fat (g): 1.7

  • Carb (g): 38.7

  • Sug (g): 1.7

  • Fibre(g): 4.8

  • Prot (g): 12.4

  • Salt (g): 0.18

bottom of page