Italian night: mushroom ragu

Monday night was Italian night with the tastiest, richest mushroom sauce – and it’s dairy-free! (you can skip the cheese at the end)

You’ll need:

• about 3 cups chopped wild mushrooms (I used a mix of three, but mix and match as you want)
• 1 cup veal stock
• 1 T chopped fresh sage
• 1 T chopped fresh thyme (just the leaves!)
• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• salt, pepper
• 1 T olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated pecorino + more to top
• and any pasta you like (I like whole wheat spaghetti!)

1. Heat up olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium heat. Add garlic, sage, and thyme and cook until the garlic is fragrant and golden.

2. Add the mushrooms, a pinch of salt (not too much) and pepper, and cook until just browned, stirring often. Deglaze with the red wine and lower heat slightly.

3. Cook for about 3 minutes then add veal stock (here I cheated a bit and added the veal stock glace I brought from France, diluted in a cup of hot water).

4. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 10 minutes until reduced and slightly thickened. Taste for seasoning – you don’t want too much salt because you will also add cheese into the mix, but you may want to add a little more red wine for complexity and let it cook out.

5. Take off heat, let cool slightly and stir in cheese. Stir through pasta, add more cheese on top, and serve immediately. Top with a bit more sage, if you want.