Mushroom Ragout

This mix is one of my all time favourites which can be used in so many dishes from quite homely to Christmas dinner. It keeps well in the freezer so make too much for one sitting and you ve got a trouble free and splendid meal. You have here a deeply savoury mix which, whilst nothing like meat, has the kind of depth of flavour of a good meat pie. The dried mushrooms do add a depth of flavour but the ragout is still pretty good without them.

I m partial to pies so I most often use this as the filling for a raised pie made with layers of filo pastry or a simpler loaf tin (see the loaf tin pie recipe) where the filling is, would you believe, in a loaf tin covered with shortcrust pastry. Or just spoon the ragout onto a fried or roasted cauliflower, celeriac or tofu steak; and it’s delicious with noodles or brown rice.

Ingredients

Serves 6

3tbsp plain flour

500ml vegan stock,I like to use @clearspringuk umami stock. (Include the reserved soaking water from the dried mushrooms in this quantity)

50ml soya sauce

1 tbsp dijon mustard

Leaves only from 6 stalks of fresh thyme

800g mushrooms/ assorted types/torn up

50g dried porcini or shitake mushrooms

500ml hot water for soaking the porcini

3 onions, halved and finely sliced

2 cloves garlic, finally chopped

500ml red wine

Method

1. Heat the oven to 195C/175Cfan/385F.

2. Put the dried porcini/shitake into a jug to soak for 1/2 and hour or more.

3. Tear up the fresh mushrooms into good sized pieces and put them into a roasting tin with some oil and mix together by hand. Put the mushrooms into the heated oven for 15-20 minutes until they begin to shrink. Put to one side once they’re cooked.

4. Heat some oil in a generous saucepan and add the sliced onions and gently fry for about 10 minutes or until the onions are soft and floppy but not yet brown. For the last minute add the garlic taking care it doesn’t burn

5. Strain the dried mushroom liquid through a kitchen paper lined sieve. Put the liquid to one side. Take the mushrooms out of the sieve, being careful to leave any grit behind on the paper. Grit is the menace of dried mushrooms.

6. Finely chop your soaked dried mushrooms and add to the pan with the onions. Cook together for another 5 minutes

7. Add the red wine, switch up the heat and evaporate the wine until you just have a very small amount left in the bottom of the pan

8. Add the flour to this mixture, stir it well so that it is incorporated into the onions and mushrooms. 

9. To make the sauce, add the stock which includes the dried mushroom liquid if available. Keep stirring your mix to ensure it doesn’t go lumpy, until it comes to the boil. Continue to simmer the sauce for a further 2 mins.

10. Add the roast mushrooms to the saucepan with any juices left in the roasting tin. 

11. Cook until you are happy that your sauce is reduced enough and is coating the mushrooms.

12. Add the fresh thyme and salt and pepper to taste

13. Your mushrooms are ready for the next part of their journey. 

14. Remember for the pie they need to be cold before meeting their pastry covering.