Mushroom and Walnut Bolognese
Serves 8to 10
A colleague tipped me to this recipe, adapted from thekitchn.com. The original recipe called for vegan-style Parmesan or nutritional yeast, but I opted to use regular Parmesan. This version calls for a food processor, but you can easily chop the walnuts and vegetables if you don’t have one. Freeze leftover sauce for up to three months.
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 1 cup (4 ounces) walnut halves 1 medium onion, cut into eighths 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into eighths
2medium celery stalks, quartered 3cloves garlic
2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided 2tablespoons tomato paste 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning 1cup dry red wine, such as merlot or pinot noir
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce Freshly ground black pepper 1pound dry pasta, such as rigatoni or tagliatelle, cooked according to package directions
Fresh basil, chopped, for serving Parmesan cheese, for serving
DIRECTIONS:
Place 1/3 of the mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until coarsely chopped, about 5 to 7 quick bursts. Transfer to a medium bowl and repeat with the remaining mushrooms; set aside. Do not wash the food processor.
Place the walnuts in the food processor and pulse until they have the consistency of coarse sand, about 5 to 7 pulses. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside. Again, do not wash the food processor.
Place the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped, 8 to 10 pulses.
Heat the oil and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their moisture, are deeply browned, and their volume is reduced by two-thirds,
about 15 minutes.
Add the chopped vegetable mixture and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook the vegetables until softened and the onions are translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it is completely incorporated with the mushrooms and deepens in color, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Add the bay leaf and Italian seasoning, then pour in the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the wine evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and their juices (crush the tomatoes with your hands before you add them to the pot), soy sauce and ground walnuts. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally and continuing to break up the tomatoes, for 20 minutes. Add ground pepper and additional salt to taste.
Serve over cooked pasta with fresh basil, Parmesan and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.