Mushroom Bolognese

This is a great recipe, thought it involves a lot of chopping. I made this with thin spaghetti instead of tagliatelle and I cut some of the cooking times for the sauce because my kids were hungry!  

Mushroom Bolognese (~by Janine Ratcliffe)

Ingredients

·        dried porcini mushrooms 30g (used dried shitake mushrooms instead)

·        olive oil 2 tbsp

·        chestnut mushrooms 500g, finely diced

·        onions 2, chopped

·        garlic 4 cloves, crushed

·        carrots 2, grated

·        celery 2 stalks, finely diced

·        thyme leaves chopped to make 1 tsp

·        rosemary leaves chopped to make 1 tsp

·        celery salt 1 tsp

·        star anise 1

·        tomato purée 2 tbsp

·        chopped tomatoes 2 x 400g tins

·        basil ½ a small bunch, torn

·        tagliatelle 400g

Method

·        Step 1

Put the porcini in a bowl and pour over 200ml boiling water. Leave to soak while you start the sauce.

·        Step 2

Heat a large non-stick pan until hot and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the chestnut mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and fry, stirring, until they start to soften and give out liquid. Keep frying until all the moisture has disappeared and the mushrooms have coloured to a dark golden brown. Don’t skimp on this bit as this will ensure you get maximum flavour in the finished sauce. Scoop out the mushrooms then add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the same pan with another tbsp of olive oil and stir well. Put on a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and again, or until the veg has softened. Add the herbs, celery salt, star anise and tomato purée. Drain the porcini mushrooms, keeping the liquid. Chop the porcini well and add to the sauce, along with the strained liquid. Tip the cooked chestnut mushrooms back in.

·        Step 3

Cook, stirring, for a minute then tip in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes (cooked only for 10-15 min) until the sauce is rich and thick, and stir through the basil just before serving. Cook the tagliatelle following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the sauce before serving.