Wild Mushroom Tomato Sauce
User Reviews
5
-
Servings
8 cups
Wild Mushroom Tomato Sauce
Description
This Wild Mushroom Tomato Sauce starts by steeping dried porcini mushrooms in Chianti wine, then reducing the wine to concentrate its flavor. Finely chopped porcini and cremini mushrooms are sautéed with olive oil, butter, and a classic mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery until soft. Garlic and optional red pepper flakes add aromatic depth.
Crushed canned tomatoes, tomato paste, water, and herbs including bay leaf and fresh thyme build the main tomato base, while sugar balances acidity. The previously reduced wine and soaked mushrooms are reincorporated, and the sauce simmers to meld flavors. The result is an earthy, savory sauce with both fresh and dried mushroom complexity suited for coating pasta, enriching stews, or accompanying proteins.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup Chianti wine used Da Vinci Wine Chianti
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushroom lightly rinsed if dusty
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 onion smallish, finely chopped, heaping 1 1/2 cups
- 1/2 carrot large, finely chopped, heaping 1/2 cup
- 1 celery stick, finely chopped, heaping 1/4 cup
- kosher salt
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- red pepper flakes crushed, optional
- 1 pound cremini mushroom wiped clean, stems removed and finely chopped
- 2 28- ounce crushed tomato canned
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon thyme fresh leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- black pepper freshly ground
- 2 tablespoons parsley freshly chopped
- 2 tablespoons basil freshly chopped
Instructions
- Bring Chianti and dried porcinis to a simmer in a medium pot set over medium-high heat. Cook for 5 minutes, then take the pot off the heat and cover. Let steep for 30 minutes, then scoop out the porcinis with a slotted spoon and reserve. Return the pot with the wine over medium-high heat and cook until reduced to 3 – 4 tablespoons of liquid. Chop the porcinis and set aside along with the reduced wine.
- Warm olive oil and butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Once you see the oil shimmering, add the chopped onion, carrot and celery, and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic, a pinch of red pepper flake, and the cremini mushrooms, then continue to sauté until vegetables are soft but not brown, stirring occasionally.
- Add crushed tomato, tomato paste, water, bay, thyme, sugar, reserved chopped porcini, reduced wine, a few pinches of kosher salt and several turns of freshly ground black pepper, stirring to combine. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to low then simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour.
- To finish the sauce, stir in chopped parsley and basil. Season to taste with additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Serve this sauce with your favorite pasta. I like to add two or three sizable spoonfuls of sauce to freshly drained spaghetti, tossing to coat. This will ensure that the spaghetti absorbs the flavor of the sauce. Place a mound of spaghetti on a plate then top with extra sauce (I like it saucy :)), chopped parsley and/or basil, grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
You'll Also Love
