Lidia Bastianich Mushroom Ragu Food

LIDIA BASTIANICH'S MUSHROOM RAG RIGATONI

Steps:

• Squeeze out the soaked porcini, and slice them into pieces about 1/4-inch wide
• Strain the soaking water and keep it in a warm spot
• Clean, trim and slice the fresh mushrooms into moderately thin slices, barely 1/4-inch wide
• Tie the sprigs of fresh herbs together with a piece of kitchen twine, or enclose the leaves in cheesecloth
• Put the oil and butter in a large skillet, and place over medium heat
• When the butter melts, dump in the onion, shallots and half the salt, and stir well
• Heat to a slow sizzle, and cook for 6 minutes or more, stirring often, until the onions are soft, wilted, and shiny, without any browning
• Pour all the mushrooms into the pan, and spread them out
• Sprinkle in the remaining salt, drop in the herb bouquet, then toss briefly and cover the pan
• Raise the heat a bit, and cook, covered, for about 3 minutes, shaking the pan now and then to sweat the mushrooms
• Uncover, and continue to cook over fairly high heat, stirring frequently, as the mushrooms shrink and the liquid evaporates, 5 minutes or more
• When the pan is dry and the mushrooms begin to brown, clear a spot, drop in the tomato paste, and toast it, stirring, for a minute or so; then stir it into the mushrooms
• When everything is browning again and just starting to stick, pour the Marsala all over
• Stir constantly as the wine thickens and evaporates
• When the mushrooms again start sticking to the bottom, pour in the warm mushroom water and 2 cups of the hot stock
• Bring to an active boil, stirring up any caramelization on the pan bottom
• Lower the heat to keep the sauce bubbling gently all over the surface and cover the pan
• Cook for about 20 minutes, occasionally stirring and adding stock to keep the mushrooms nearly covered in liquid; expect to add 1/2 cup or so at a time
• Adjust the heat to keep the simmering
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a rolling boil and add the rigatoni
• Stir periodically and cook until al dente as per box instructions
• Uncover the pan, and cook for another 20 minutes, continue to simmer the rag adding stock as needed
• When the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and the sauce has just thickened, remove and discard the herb bouquet
• Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Place 2 cups of the cooked sauce in a saut pan large enough to hold the drained pasta
• Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water
• Add the drained pasta to the bubbling sauce in the saut pan, toss well until all the pasta is coated well, adding as needed the reserved pasta cooking water
• Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of grated Grana Padano and serve

STUFFED MUSHROOMS (LIDIA BASTIANICH)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F Remove the stems from the mushrooms and chop the stems fine.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the red peppers and chopped mushroom stems and cook, stirring, until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove and cool.
• Toss the bread crumbs, grated cheese, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the sauéed vegetables until thoroughly blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity of each mushroom with the filling, pressing it in with a teaspoon until even with the sides of the mushrooms.
• Using 2 tablespoons of the butter, grease a 12 x 18-inch low-sided baking pan. Arrange the mushrooms side by side in the pan and, using the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, dot the top of each mushroom with about 1/4 teaspoon butter. Add the stock, wine, if using, and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley to the pan. If you like, drizzle the tops of the mushrooms with the oil. Bake until the mushrooms are cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Serve the mushrooms on a warmed platter or divide them among warmed plates. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan and bring to a boil on top of the stove. Boil until lightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon the juices over the mushrooms, and serve immediately.

LIDIA'S ITALY: RAGU MISTO ALLA MOLISANA

Steps:

• Pour the olive oil into the big saucepan and set it over medium heat.
• Scatter in the sliced garlic, let it sizzle and start to color for a couple of minutes, stir in the chopped onions, rosemary, and bay leaf and season with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent.
• Season the pork and veal chop all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• Push the onions to one side of the pot and lay the meat pieces in the pan bottom. Brown the meats slowly, turning frequently so all sides are evenly colored, about 10 minutes in all.
• When the meats are nicely browned, sprinkle the peperoncino in the pan bottom to toast for a minute, then stir the onions back into the center of the pot, scraping up the meat juices.
• Turn up the heat, pour in the red wine, bring to a boil, and cook until almost completely evaporated.
• Pour in the crushed tomatoes, slosh out the cans with 4 cups of cold water, and add that as well.
• Stir in the remaining teaspoon salt.
• Cover the pan and bring the sauce to a boil over high heat then adjust the flame to keep a gentle, steady bubbling.
• Cook covered for 1 hour, stirring and turning the meat pieces over occasionally, then set the cover ajar to allow the sauce to reduce gradually as it bubbles away.
• Cook another hour until the pork and veal are just tender, then drop in the sausages and continue simmering for another 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• After nearly 3 hours of total braising, the meats should be extremely tender and readily broken apart. The sauce should be thick and flavorful. Check the concentration of the sauce during the long cooking. If it seems too thin, remove the cover all together. If it's reducing too fast, cover the pan tightly and lower the heat.
• If you'll be serving the meats and dressing pasta right away, remove the meat to a warm platter, take out a couple of cups of sauce for the meat, and leave the rest in the big saucepan to dress the pasta (about 8 cups sauce for 2 lbs. rigatoni or 4 cups sauce for 1 lb.). If you'll be serving the meat and sauce later, leave them both in the saucepan to cool; refrigerate or freeze for longer keeping.
• To cook and dress rigatoni with sauce: fill the pasta pot with plenty of well-salted water (at least 6 quarts water with 1 tablespoons salt for 1 lb. of rigatoni; 8 quarts and 1 1/2 tablespoons salt for 2 lbs.) and heat to a rolling boil.
• Stir in the rigatoni, return the water to a boil, and cook until the pasta is just al dente.
• Meanwhile, if you're using the sauce right away, bring it back to a simmer in the big saucepan or a big skillet, preferably 14 inches in diameter. If the sauce has cooled and thickened, loosen it with some of the pasta cooking water.
• Lift the rigatoni out of the pot, drain briefly, and drop them into the sauce. Toss well for a minute or so over low heat until the rigatoni are nicely coated and perfectly al dente.
• Turn off the heat, sprinkle on the grated cheese, and toss again. If you like, drizzle on more olive oil and toss that in as well.
• Serve the pasta right away, transferring it to a large, warm bowl to serve family-style or heaping it in individual warm pasta bowls. Serve immediately, passing more cheese at the table.
• To serve the meast as a second or main course, slice the pork and veal. Pour the reserved sauce in a skillet, lay in the slices and sausages, and place over low heat until the meat is heated through. Serve on a warmed platter with some of the sauce, passing the rest.