Pasta with Veal, Sausage and Porcini Ragù

Many years ago, Tom and I had the opportunity to stay at a small vineyard and working farm in Umbria, Italy. The main house was a few hundred years old and made of stone, the rooms were large and drafty but the beds were comfortable and there were plenty of soft downy blankets to keep us warm at night. We spent our days hiking, or driving to the surrounding medieval villages and exploring the towns. At night, we dined by candlelight at long wooden tables located in the wine cellar of the vineyard/farm. We had incredible meals, young fresh greens tossed with simple vinaigrettes and pastas covered in ragù sauces of wild boar, hare, venison or just simple ground meat, the flavors so intense and wonderful that we found it hard to want to try any of the other dishes. We drank young red wines from the vineyard, wine that would never be exported out of Umbria, wine that was so delicious, so light yet bold and very flavorful, wines that were nothing like I’d ever tasted before… or since. The house operated as a bed and breakfast, often, there were several other tourists dining with us in the ancient wine cellar filled with casks that were older than my grandparents and larger than some American cars. Looking around at the other tables I noticed that other folks were also ordering the ragù night after night, it was that good. On our last night, I remember thinking there was no way I’d ever eat a ragù such as the ones I’d had in Umbria and while that sounds so sad it really isn’t, I had a wonderful experience and it’s now a pleasant food memory, something to go with the pictures we took while we were there. I’ve always thought that to try and duplicate what we had in Umbria would only lead to disappointment, but I was mistaken in thinking I had to copy that experience at all. I’ve never attempted to make ragù at home, but recently I thought I’d give it try, not because I wanted to mimic what we had in Umbria but just to see if I could at least produce a thick hearty sauce that would go well with some pasta and make some new food memories for us here at home in New York.

The recipe came from the Epicurious website and it was one of eight recipes that came up when I did a search for ragù. I chose this particular one because the idea of sausage and veal with porcini mushrooms really appealed to me, that, and I liked the picture, heh. Reading through some of the reviews from people who had made the recipe, I noticed two complaints, a) the sauce was salty, and b) the recipe was time consuming. I tend to take comments like these in stride until I’ve actually experienced the recipe for myself. I’ve come learn over the years that one man’s “yuck” is another man’s “yum”, that if I listened to all the folks that didn’t like something, I’d never try new things, so with that in mind I set out to make the recipe and form my own opinions.

The sauce took about 2 and ½ hours from start to finish and I for one am glad that it did, the final result was an intensely flavorful and wonderfully gamey tasting sauce that was exactly what I was hoping to achieve. While I was cooking I realized that a ragù is a complex sauce, a layered sort of thing, like a risotto. It’s not something you can rush and if I may be so bold to say, if you are in a rush, or looking for shortcuts then this isn’t a sauce that’s going to fit in with your schedule. The flavors become more and more concentrated as you add liquid then let it boil off, then repeat over and over until you have half the amount that you started with, something that’s far less liquid and more meaty than a regular sauce. It’s a recipe that’s worth the extra time. I was rewarded for my efforts when Tom came home from work and exclaimed, “Man… something smells excellent!" As for salty, yup, I will agree with that, however, knowing beforehand that the sauce might be too salty, I compensated by using less stock and more water. I never added the final salting at the end, but let the parmesan cheese add whatever little bit of extra saltiness it may have needed. I chose to serve it over fettuccine rather than pappardelle and it was delicious. A definite keeper.

from the Epicurious website...

PASTA WITH VEAL, SAUSAGE AND PORCINI RAGU

(Pasta con Ragù di Vitello, Salsicce e Porcini)

Ragù is a beloved part of Tuscan cooking. Every person has his or her own recipe, but the basics are constant: It is a hearty sauce made with meat (beef, pork, veal, duck, even boar) and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes and onions, all cooked in wine and broth. And ragù is most often served over pasta. This recipe includes dried porcini mushrooms, which give the sauce a real taste of the Tuscan countryside.

• 1 cup water
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms*
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 8 ounces sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
• 8 ounces veal stew meat, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 14§-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed

1 pound fresh pappardelle or purchased fettuccine

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring 1 cup water and mushrooms to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Strain soaking liquid through paper-towel-lined sieve into bowl. Coarsely chop mushrooms. Set liquid and mushrooms aside.

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, 1/4 cup parsley and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Push vegetables to side of skillet. Add sausage and cook until brown, breaking up with back of fork, about 4 minutes. Add veal and sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine. Increase heat to high and boil until wine is almost evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth; boil 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved mushroom liquid. Simmer until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to processor. Using about 4 on/off turns, process just until coarsely chopped. Return mixture to skillet. Mix in tomatoes with juices, bay leaves, sage, fennel seeds and porcini mushrooms. Reduce heat to low. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with fork, adding remaining chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time and stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper. (Ragù can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.)

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add sauce to pasta pot and rewarm over medium heat. Add pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores and many supermarkets.

Written by Deb on October 14, 2003 12:15 AM