MUSHROOM SUGO

Like a meat sauce for vegetarians, chewy mushrooms are slowly simmered in Marsala, vegetable stock and dried porcini broth. This sugo doubles as a gorgeous gravy for roast chicken, turkey or beef.

When selecting fresh mushrooms for this sauce, look for a balance of flavour (cremini), texture (king oyster) and pretty shapes (hon shimeji). This recipe is adapted from Lidia’s Favorite

Recipes by Lidia Mattichio Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali (Knopf).

½ oz (15 g) dried porcini mushrooms 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water

2 tbsp (30 mL) olive oil

2 tbsp (30 mL) unsalted butter

1 large red onion, about 12 oz (375 g), finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped thyme

2½ lbs (1.25 kg) mixed fresh mushrooms, sliced ¼ inch (5 mm) thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 3 tbsp (45 mL) tomato paste

1 cup (250 mL) dry Marsala wine

4 cups (1 L) unsalted vegetable stock, preferably homemade

1 Soak porcini in boiling water for 20 minutes. Remove porcini and squeeze dry. Place in sieve and rinse. Drain, dry, coarsely chop and set aside. Slowly pour soaking liquid into a bowl, leaving any sediment behind. Set aside.

2 In a large pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and thyme. Cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add fresh mushrooms and soaked porcini. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until some moisture weeps, about 5 minutes. Remove lid, season with salt and pepper, and raise heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring, until moisture evaporates and mushrooms start sizzling, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add Marsala. Cook, stirring often, until Marsala is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Add porcini broth and vegetable stock. When mixture comes to a boil, adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is glossy and thick, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

3 Divide between two 4-cup (1-L) containers. Cover and label with date. Refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 6 months.

Makes 7 cups (1.75 L)