Wild Mushroom Ragout With Bacon And Farro Recipes

CREAMY WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in mushrooms with a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until any liquid evaporates and mushrooms are light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 1/2 tablespoon butter and shallots; cook, stirring, until mushrooms are caramelized and almost tender, about 10 minutes.
• Drizzle in Cognac and vinegar; cook until liquid evaporates, 1 minute. Stir in creme fraiche.
• Stir in chicken broth, marjoram, and salt and black pepper to taste. Reduce heat to medium-low, cook until slightly thickened and mushrooms are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

BEST-EVER WILD MUSHROOM RAGU

Steps:

• Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot (such as a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Once hot & shimmering, add half of the mushrooms. Stir to coat the mushrooms in the oil then cook, stirring occasionally, until deeply browned & golden, about 8-10 minutes. Once browned, season with a good pinch of kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Transfer the browned mushrooms to a plate & set aside. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.
• Meanwhile, as the fresh mushrooms brown, reconstitute the dried porcini mushrooms. Add the vegetable broth & dried porcini mushrooms to a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil & reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer 10 minutes to reconstitute the mushrooms. Use a slotted spoon or spider strainer to remove the mushrooms from the pot, allowing all excess liquid to drain back into the pot. Remove the porcini-infused stock from the heat & set aside for later use. Transfer reconstituted porcini mushrooms to a cutting board & finely chop. Set aside.
• Once the fresh mushrooms are browned, cook the aromatics. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same pot used to brown the mushrooms. Reduce heat to medium. Once hot & shimmering, add the onions. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper, as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened & fragrant, about 5-6 minutes. Add the chopped porcini mushrooms from Step 2 & cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the moisture is cooked out, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the garlic & fresh thyme. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes longer.
• While the aromatics soften, it's a great time to get your pasta going. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked to al dente according to package directions. Carefully dip a liquid measuring cup into the pot, reserving about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, and set aside. Carefully drain the pasta - do NOT rinse it!
• Increasing the heat to medium-high, pour the dry vermouth into the pot. Stir constantly, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed at the bottom of the pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the vermouth is almost completely absorbed into the aromatics.
• Add the porcini-infused stock from Step 3 to the pot, along with the grated parmesan. Stir to combine. Bring the ragu to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer 5-7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Stir in the heavy cream & the browned mushrooms from Step 1. Taste & adjust seasonings as desired.
• Add the cooked pasta to the pot with the wild mushroom ragu sauce, tossing to coat. The wild mushroom ragu should evenly coat the pasta. Add in some of the reserved pasta water if the ragu needs to loosen up a little; add in an extra handful of parmesan if it needs to tighten up a little. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with & absorb some of the wild mushroom ragu.
• Portion the wild mushroom ragu pasta into individual pasta bowls, topping with additional grated parmesan & chopped fresh herbs as desired. For an extra-luxe finishing touch, I like to finish each bowl with the lightest drizzle of black truffle oil. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

WILD MUSHROOM RAGù

Steps:

• Soak the porcini in 3 cups hot water until very soft, about 30 minutes.
• Coat a large wide saucepan generously with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the onion and red pepper and season with salt; cook until the onion is soft and aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more.
• Add the fresh mushrooms, season with salt, and sauté until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the wine and continue cooking until reduced by half, 5 to 6 minutes more.
• Using your hand, scoop the porcini out of the soaking water, being careful not to disturb the water-you want the crud to stay settled. Put the porcini in a food processor, ladle in about 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, and purée to a very smooth paste.
• Add the porcini paste, 2 cups of the porcini water, and 1 cup of the stock to the pan; toss in the thyme bundle and the bay leaf. Taste and season with salt if needed. Bring the liquid to a boil (BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS). Simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, adding more stock if needed; this sauce should be saucy but not soupy. Remove the thyme bundle and bay leaf before serving. Serve tossed with pasta or gnocchi or over polenta.

FARRO WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water; soak until mushrooms are reconstituted, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain and chop mushrooms.
• Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Saute brown mushrooms with a pinch of salt in hot oil until slightly golden and moisture cooks off, 5 to 10 minutes. Add chopped porcini mushrooms, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until hot, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Stir onion into mushrooms; cook and stir until translucent and golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Pour farro into mushroom mixture; stir until farro is coated in olive oil. Increase heat to high and add 1 cup chicken broth with a pinch of salt to mushroom mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring once, until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Increase heat to high and stir remaining chicken broth into farro mixture; bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until farro is starting to get tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid from the pot and continue simmering uncovered until farro reaches desired tenderness, about 15 minutes more.
• Reduce heat to low; stir creme fraiche and parsley into farro mixture. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into farro and ladle into bowls.

MUSHROOM RAGOûT

Steps:

• Place the dried mushrooms in a pyrex measuring cup or a bowl and pour on 2 cups boiling water. Let soak 30 minutes, while you prepare the other ingredients. Place a strainer over a bowl, line it with cheesecloth or paper towels, and drain the mushrooms. Save the liquid. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer and rinse until they are free of sand. Chop coarsely.
• Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wide saucepan and add the shallots or onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then add the fresh mushrooms, rosemary and thyme, and turn up the heat slightly. Cook until the mushrooms begin to sweat, then add a generous pinch of salt. Stir for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat as the mushrooms continue to soften and sweat. Add the flour and continue to cook the mushrooms, stirring, until they have softened a little more and you can no longer see the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the wine and turn the heat to high. Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dried mushroom soaking liquid, bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding broth is thick, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in some freshly ground pepper and the parsley, taste and adjust salt.

FARRO WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.
• Place the dried mushrooms in a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl, and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes.
• Drain the mushrooms through a strainer set over a bowl and lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer, then rinse in several changes of water to remove grit. Chop coarsely if the pieces are large and set aside. Add the broth from the mushrooms to the stock. You should have 6 cups (add water if necessary). Place in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt to taste.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro and reconstituted dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock. If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.