Mighty Mushroom Bolognese

Do not be afraid! This recipe might not contain any meat but it is jam-packed with flavour and totally satisfying.

As with most meat-free recipes, the most important thing with this dish is exercising patience and giving extra care to your ingredients. The key here is cooking the mushrooms for what you might thing is *too* long, so that there is no moisture left and they are completely caramelised. I like to stir the sauce through some tagliatelle and then in a very unvegan-like manner cover it in cheese!

Mighty Mushroom Bolognese

Serves 6-8

50g dried porcini mushrooms

2 tbsp olive oil

500g chestnut mushrooms, finely chopped

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 celery stalks, finely diced

fresh thyme leaves chopped to make 1 tsp

fresh rosemary leaves chopped to make 1 tsp

1 tsp dried oregano

1 star anise

2 tbsp tomato purée

2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes 
large handful fresh basil, chopped
600g tagliatelle (recipe here if you're feeling brave!)

Put the porcini in a bowl and pour over 200ml boiling water. Leave to soak while you start the sauce.

Heat a large non-stick pan until hot and add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the chestnut mushrooms and a pinch of salt, and fry, stirring, until they start to soften and give out liquid. Keep frying until all the moisture has disappeared and the mushrooms have coloured to a dark golden brown. Don’t skimp on this bit as this will ensure you get maximum flavour in the finished sauce. It will take around 10 minutes.

Scoop out the mushrooms then add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the same pan with another tbsp of olive oil and a big pinch of salt. Stir well, put on a lid and cook for 10 minutes, stirring now and again, or until the veg has softened. Add the herbs, star anise and tomato purée.

Drain the porcini mushrooms, keeping the liquid. Chop the porcini well and add to the sauce, along with the strained liquid. Tip the cooked chestnut mushrooms back in. Cook, stirring, for a minute then tip in the chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

Cook for 30 minutes until the sauce is rich and thick then stir through the basil. Cook the tagliatelle following pack instructions, then drain and toss with the sauce before serving.