Wild Mushroom Ragout

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Prep time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 65 minutes

Yields: 6 people

 

Ingredients: 

1 spaghetti squash (aprox. 1 pound)
1 1/2 large onions
1 celery stalk
1 small carrot
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1 bay leaf
2 pounds wild or cultivated mushrooms
3 garlic cloves
1 sprig fresh sage
1 small bunch thyme (to make 2 tsp. minced)
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. sprouted flour or 1/2 T. arrowroot
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/4 bunch fresh parsley

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Directions: 

1. To prepare the squash: In a shallow, non-reactive baking dish, roast the squash at 375F for 30-45 minutes or until squash is soft when punctured with a fork. When cool enough to handle, cut squash in half longwise. Scoop out seeds and discard. Gently scoop out “spaghetti” flesh and set aside.

2. To make the porcini mushroom broth: Roughly chop, celery, carrot, and 1⁄2 of one onion. Add these to a saucepan with 3 cups filtered water, a bay leaf, and dried porcini mushrooms. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 20 to 30 minutes; strain.

3. Clean and slice any large fresh mushrooms, leaving smaller mushrooms whole if desired. Dice the remaining onion and mince the garlic and sage.

4. In a large skillet over medium heat, add minced onion and water saute; cook for 3 minutes, season the onions with a few grinds of black pepper, and continue stirring until caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, stirring well over medium high heat and sauté the mushrooms until they brown lightly. If juices accumulate in the pan, pour them off and reserve.

5. Mince the garlic and add with thyme, sage, and pepper flakes; stir well. Reduce the heat to medium, add the caramelized onions and the tomato paste, and stir to combine. Cook for another 2 minutes, stirring.

6. Sprinkle the flour or arrowroot over the mixture and combine. Ladle in 1 cup of the hot mushroom broth, stirring well as the mixture thickens. Add another cup of hot broth and let the ragout cook for another 5 minutes. If it’s too thin, cook it a bit longer; if too thick, add a bit more broth. Adjust with sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

7. Mince parsley. Add spaghetti squash to the skillet along with 2 T. butter and about 1/4 cup parsley; combine well and heat through. Transfer a small amount of spaghetti squash to separate serving dishes (you want to err on the side of more ragout), top generously with mushroom ragout, and serve hot topped with a sprinkle of parsley with sea salt, pepper, and red chili flakes to taste.