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AI-generated photograph: A shallow white bowl of soft golden polenta with a dark, glossy mushroom ragu spooned into its centre, a scatter of green parsley and a thread of olive oil

Home · Recipes · Mushroom ragu with soft polenta

Italian · Dinner

Mushroom ragu with soft polenta

slow mushroom ragu · soft golden polenta · rosemary and olive oil

AI-generated photograph

A deep, meaty-tasting ragu of fresh and dried mushrooms slowly cooked with tomato and rosemary, spooned over a bowl of soft, golden polenta (cornmeal porridge, the way northern Italy eats it).

Contains: none of the 14 allergens, as written. None of the 14 allergens is in this recipe as written. Vegetable stock cubes can contain celery, wheat (gluten) or soya, so check the packet; polenta is made from maize and has no gluten.

Ingredients

  • 20g dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 300ml boiling water
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil: 3 for the ragu, 3 for the polenta
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 carrot, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 750g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons tomato purée
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400g)
  • 1.1 litres hot vegetable stock: 200ml for the ragu, 900ml for the polenta
  • 1 teaspoon salt, then more to taste
  • Half a teaspoon black pepper
  • 200g quick-cook polenta
  • To serve: 15g fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

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Let's cook

  1. Put the dried porcini in a jug, pour over 300ml boiling water and leave for 15 minutes to soften. Lift them out, squeeze them over the jug and chop them finely. Keep the soaking water, but leave the last spoonful in the jug, as grit settles at the bottom.
  2. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large wide pan on a medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook for 8 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft and just starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
  3. Turn the heat up to high and add the chestnut mushrooms. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often. They will give off a lot of water at first; keep going until it has boiled away and the mushrooms start to brown. Browning gives the ragu its rich taste.
  4. Stir in the chopped porcini, the tomato purée and the rosemary and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, the porcini soaking water, 200ml of the stock, the salt and the pepper.
  5. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer gently, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick and glossy. Taste and add more salt if it needs it.
  6. About 10 minutes before the ragu is ready, make the polenta. Bring the remaining 900ml stock to the boil in a large pan. Pour in the polenta in a slow, steady stream while whisking all the time, so it does not form lumps.
  7. Turn the heat right down and cook for 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon, until thick and smooth. It will bubble and spit, so stand back a little. Stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. It should be soft enough to slowly spread on the plate; if it is too thick, stir in a splash of hot water.
  8. Spoon the polenta into warm shallow bowls, make a hollow in the middle and fill it with the ragu. Scatter over the parsley.

Tips

  • Polenta firms up as it stands, so cook it last and serve it straight away.
  • Cook the mushrooms in two batches if your pan is small. Crowded mushrooms steam instead of browning.
  • The ragu tastes even better the next day, once the flavours have settled.

Swaps

  • Not vegan: stir 30g grated vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese and a knob of butter into the polenta. This adds milk.
  • No polenta: serve the ragu with 400g pappardelle or tagliatelle. This adds gluten, and egg pasta adds eggs too.
  • Cheaper: leave out the porcini and use 1 extra tablespoon of tomato purée.

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Our own recipe. The photograph is AI-generated.

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