SHERRIED WILD MUSHROOM RAGOUT

By BobD

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 3/4 pounds mushrooms, any combination of wild and domestic varieties
• 1 1/2 cups mushroom stock (see recipe) or veal stock
• 2/3 cup sherry
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon minced savory
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley
• 1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from events.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Place a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the butter and oil. Add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Clean the mushrooms, trimming or removing tough stems depending on the variety, and cutting any that are very large into smaller pieces. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and continue to cook until the mushrooms are soft and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Add the stock, sherry, bay leaf and tomato paste and simmer gently until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the mushrooms to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the savory and parsley and transfer the mixture to a casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately with buttered pasta or rice on the side.

Mushroom Stock

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 1/2 pounds (about 8 cups) wild and domestic mushroom pieces and trimmings
1/4 ounce dried porcini or other dried mushrooms
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
1 teaspoon mushroom soy sauce or tamari

Heat the oil in a large stockpot or kettle set over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, dried porcini, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and 14 cups of water and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 2 hours.

Pour the stock through a fine-mesh strainer. Press down on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Stir in the soy sauce. Use as a base for soups and stews, or add more soy or tamari to taste and serve as a broth.

YIELD About 7 cups