RCP: Wild Mushroom Ragout

We hosted Martha Rose Shulman the other night. I made these mushrooms and they are absolutely orgasmic! The recipe is from her book Mediterranean Harvest.

1 ounce Dried Porcini Mushrooms
2 cups Boiling Water
2 Tbsp EVOO
2 Shallots, minced
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 # Button Mushrooms, slice 1/2 " thick
1 # Wild Mushrooms (oyster, chantrelle, shitake, etc.)
Salt
1 Tbsp. All Purpose Flour
1/2 cup fruity Red Wine
2 tsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped
2 tsp. Fresh Sage, chopped
Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Place the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour the boiling water over them. Let them soak for at least 30 minutes. Place a strainer lined with cheesecloth over a bowl and drain the mushrooms. Squeeze the juices out of the mushrooms. Rinse the mushrooms, away from the bowl with the soaking liquid, until they are free of sand (you may not need to do this step, use your best judgment). Squeeze dry and chop if they are large. Reserve the soaking liquid.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat (this is bullshit; use high heat and cook like a pro) and add the onion. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add half the garlic, stir together for about 30 seconds, then add the button mushrooms, wild mushrooms, and about 1 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms begin to soften and exude their juices, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened and you can no longer see the flour, about 2 minutes. Add the reconstituted dried mushrooms and the wine and turn the heat to high (if it is not already there). Cook, stirring, until the liquid boils down and glazes the mushrooms, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, rosemary, sage, and the porcini liquid. Stir together and test for salt. Bring to a simmer (now you can lower the heat if you have been cooking like a pro all this time) and cook over medium-high heat until the mushrooms are thoroughly tender and fragrant and the surrounding liquid is thick and gravy-like, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in some black pepper and taste for salt again. Serve hot or warm.

Note: You may have noticed a few liberties take by yours truly. Enjoy!

rwj

Pretty similar to the way I do it, but I don't use rosemary and I do use parsley. A few other minor differences, but this is a classic way to do mushrooms.

It's a great topping for polenta or a filling for puff-pastry shells. Augmented by doing a mirepoix instead of just onion, it's the filling for a wild mushroom strudel that I make now and then.

Absolutely, positively, definitely agree with your comments: the secret to good home cooking is not being a pussy about heat.

Yeah, I hadn't done this in ages and it was great to do it again. I had never done it with sage before, though. I pigged out on this stuff that night.

rwj

Sage is the first herb I go to when making a wild mushroom prep- there's something synergistic about the combination, sort of like tomatoes and basil.

I use sage with shrooms in a lot of other preps but for something like this I usually load it up with thyme (I love thyme with shrooms). I'll start using sage more as it grows in these parts better than thyme, at least for me it does.

rwj

[Robin Garr]

Absolutely, positively, definitely agree with your comments: the secret to good home cooking is not being a pussy about heat.

This is true for individual cooks, and I buy it for my own cooking.

If you're going to write recipes for publication, though, macho doesn't pay the rent. It's better not to assume "pro" cooking skills on the part of your readers. Better to offer conservative instructions that the pros will know to ignore but that won't leave the less experienced cook angry and upset with all the smoke detectors going off.

You are absolutely correct, Robin. When I publish my recipes they will be geared toward the average cook. Now, the recipe above is already published and, after having made it, I firmly believe that high heat works better. A medium heat just doesn't get the mushrooms to have 'that taste'. Besides, if the Stud Brothers can't act like macho idiots how much fun would it be to read our posts?

rwj

[Robin Garr]

Now, the recipe above is already published and, after having made it, I firmly believe that high heat works better. A medium heat just doesn't get the mushrooms to have 'that taste'.

Totally agree. You'll get no argufication out of me on this.

Besides, if the Stud Brothers can't act like macho idiots how much fun would it be to read our posts?

Umm ... can I have a little time to think it over?

C'mon, you know you like it.

rwj

The Stud Brothers ? Goodness, is the world ready for that ?

But I'm with you too, need the heat to be HIGH, hence the massacre of all those poor non-stick pans over the years..

I've been frustrated by many a recipe that says something like: "sautee over medium heat for 5 minutes until golden brown" only to find that it took 10-15 minutes at that heat level to achieve the result. Yes, my stove is old, but it's not THAT heat deficient. Heck, if you mean blazing high heat, come out and SAY it.

-Paul W.

BTW, this recipe is going to the top of my must-try list, when I get back from vacation in a couple of weeks.

I don't use super high heat because I've ruined too many non-stick pans. I've found a medium heat to be just fine when doing mushrooms, but I do take the time to get them caramelized, nice and glossy and oh, so yummy! This is a great recipe and similar to a "mushroom stew" that I make using lots of different types, as well.

[Jenise]

I don't use super high heat because I've ruined too many non-stick pans. I've found a medium heat to be just fine when doing mushrooms, but I do take the time to get them caramelized, nice and glossy and oh, so yummy! This is a great recipe and similar to a "mushroom stew" that I make using lots of different types, as well.

Totally agree with everyone about the high heat thing, but I will add that Med on the Viking gas stove I used to have (and will have again) and Hi on 25 year old Jennair electrical I currently cook on are approximately equal. Personally, I hear what Robin's saying regarding recipe writing, and yet I hate to see things dumbed down for inexperienced cooks who follow conservatively written recipes to the letter and still end up missing the boat because recipes way too often (not a criticism of you, Robin, just in general) prescribe the method where they should instead describe the objective, the desired result. If the dish will taste better with browned mushrooms (and what recipe wouldn't), say so!