Porcini Bolognese Food

MUSHROOM BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Place the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the boiling water; let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Drain and save the liquid. Rinse the porcini and chop them.
• Meanwhile, working in batches if needed, combine the cremini mushrooms, button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms.
• Heat enough oil to generously cover the bottom of a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables, thyme, rosemary, oregano, tomato paste and red pepper flakes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized, about 20 minutes.
• Add the wine, soy sauce and the porcinis and their soaking water to the pot. Cook until the wine evaporates, then add the diced tomatoes. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is deep red in color, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Keep the pasta warm if the sauce is still cooking.
• Add the pasta and pasta water to the pot with the sauce and toss to combine. Divide among plates or bowls and sprinkle with nutritional yeast if using and basil. Serve and enjoy!

GRANDMA'S BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Soak mushrooms in warm water 30 minutes; drain, reserving liquid. Chop mushrooms (you should have 1/3 cup). Melt butter in a Dutch oven or a large, heavy straight-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add pancetta; cook, stirring, until browned and crisp, about 1 minute. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons oil to Dutch oven; heat until shimmering. Add both meats, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Return vegetables to Dutch oven with marjoram, nutmeg, parsley, and basil. Add Marsala and bring to a boil; cook, scraping up browned bits, until liquid has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add 1/2 cup mushroom liquid and mushrooms, broth, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 1 hour. Stir in cream and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, 20 to 25 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook until floating and tender, about 1 minute. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain. Transfer pasta to skillet with sauce. Add 1/2 cup pasta water; toss to combine and finish cooking, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat; add cheese and remaining 1/4 cup oil. Serve with more cheese, oil, pepper, and basil leaves, if desired.

RIGATONI WITH VEGETABLE BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with 1 1/2 cups very hot water. Set aside and let the mushrooms soften.
• Place the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still chunky. Place the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the porcini mushroom liquid. Add the porcini mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, and tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste, until the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the porcini mushroom liquid and red wine. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add mascarpone cheese and stir just until the cheese is incorporated.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid and add to the vegetable mixture. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid, if necessary, to moisten the sauce. Toss with Parmesan and serve.

VEAL, PORK AND PORCINI BOLOGNESE SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook gently to sweat for about 2 minutes. Do not let the onions caramelize. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook about 1 minute, or until garlic is lightly browned.
• Add the veal and pork and cook, smashing the meat apart with a wooden spoon, to keep it from clumping together. Cook for about 2 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook about 4 minutes, evaporating any liquid and caramelizing the meat.
• Add the porcini juice to the meat and cook for 1 minute to evaporate. Add the veal stock and cook for 2 minutes. Add the marinara and the wine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the parsley.
• Toss 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan into the sauce to help it bind. Add some reserved pasta water, as necessary, if the sauce appears too dry. Top with the remaining Parmesan.
• Heat the olive oil in a large non-reactive pot over moderate heat. Add the onion and saute until translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the parsley and garlic and cook briefly to release their fragrance. Add the tomatoes, basil and salt. Simmer briskly until reduced to a sauce like consistency, stirring occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot. The timing will depend on the ripeness and meatiness of your tomatoes and the size of your pot. If the sauce thickens too much before the flavors have developed, add a little water and continue cooking.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the baking soda and cook for 5 more minutes. If it needs a touch of sweetness, add the sugar and cook for 5 more minutes. Remove the basil stem before serving.

LASAGNA BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Make the ragu: Soak the porcini mushrooms in 2 cups hot water until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain the porcini, reserving the liquid.
• Finely chop the porcini and white mushrooms in a food processor; transfer to a bowl. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley and prosciutto to the processor; pulse until finely chopped.
• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook the ground beef and pork in batches, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the meat to a bowl. Add the wine to the pot, scraping up the browned bits. Add the liquid to the bowl with the meat.
• Melt the butter in the pot; add the onion, chopped carrot mixture, the rosemary, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mushrooms and cook, stirring, about 8 minutes.
• Return the meat mixture to the pot. Add the cognac and scrape up the browned bits. Cook, stirring, until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Crush the tomatoes with your hands over the pot and add with their juices. Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 hours, 30 minutes. Cool completely.
• Meanwhile, make the bechamel: Melt the butter in a wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; cook, whisking, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, whisking, 10 more minutes.
• Assemble the lasagna: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a few inches of salted water to a boil in a wide saucepan. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Line a baking sheet with a damp kitchen towel. Working in batches, boil the pasta until partially cooked, about 4 minutes, then remove with a skimmer and transfer to the ice water to cool. Remove the pasta sheets, shake off the excess water and arrange in a single layer on the towel. Cover the pasta with another damp towel.
• Brush the bottom and sides of a deep 11-by-13-inch baking dish with the butter. Spread 1/2 cup ragu in the pan. Cover with a layer of pasta, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and 2/3 cup mozzarella. Spread 1 1/2 cups ragu over the cheese and top with 1 cup bechamel. Repeat with 3 more layers each of pasta, parmesan, mozzarella, ragu and bechamel. Top with a layer of pasta, then cover with the remaining bechamel. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and mozzarella. Tuck the edges of the pasta into the baking dish with a knife.
• Place the lasagna on a baking sheet to catch any drips; bake until bubbly and golden, about 40 minutes. Let rest 30 minutes before slicing and serving.