Cook Like a Rock Star - Anne Burrell [35]
If you’ve never used them before, dried porcini are a fantastic way to add a huge bump of mushroomy goodness to almost anything. And, because you have to soak them first, you get the added benefit of the fastest, most flavorful vegetarian stock ever; one that you can then add to your sauce to give it an even richer, earthier boost of flavor—just like I do here.
MISE EN PLACE
½ cup dried porcini mushrooms
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, cut into ¼-inch dice
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Kosher salt
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
2 pounds assorted fresh mushrooms (porcini, shiitake, oyster, and cremini are all great), trimmed, cleaned, and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup dry white wine
1 to 2 cups chicken or veggie stock
1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine
1 bay leaf
1 Soak the porcini in 3 cups hot water until very soft, about 30 minutes.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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 ½ cup of the soaking liquid, and purée to a very smooth paste.
5 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.
That’s a wild funghi!
Sweet & Spicy Sausage Ragù
SERVES: 4 TO 6 • TIME: ABOUT 4 HOURS, MOSTLY UNATTENDED
Years ago, I was working at a tiny restaurant in Tuscany. This is where I first learned to make ragù—an unbelievably delicious sauce that I would let cook for hours and hours. But in the beginning, no matter how long I let it simmer, the owner would come over, taste it, and tell me the vegetables were raw! In my head I remember thinking, are you freaking kidding me? But he was right. I was skimping on an essential step—I was rushing the browning of the soffritto: the early stage in a ragù’s life cycle when the flavor begins to build and deepen. Now, of course, I’m super-sensitive to this step, and when I taste a ragù in a restaurant, I can tell instantly if the chef has taken a shortcut at the browning stage. So be patient—if you’re taking the time and effort to make this spectacular sauce, don’t rush it; brown it and enjoy!
MISE EN PLACE
2 onions, cut into 1-inch dice
1 small fennel bulb, tops and tough middle stalk removed, cut into 1-inch dice
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch dice
3 cloves garlic, smashed
Extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 cups tomato paste
2 cups hearty red wine
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
2 bay leaves
1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine
1 pound spaghetti
½ to ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano
Big fat finishing oil
1 Put the onions, fennel, celery, and garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste.
2 Coat a wide, deep pan with olive oil, add the puréed veggies, season with salt, and bring to medium-high heat. Cook the veggies until all the liquid has evaporated and they begin to stick to the pan—you want to brown the crap out of these guys until crud starts to form on the bottom of the pan. Stir occasionally to scrape up the brown bits, then let the crud form again. Be patient here and don’t rush it