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French Ragout the Mushroom and Swiss Chard Way

Ragu or Ragout has long standing tradition in both Italian and French cuisine – though the term actually means different things in each culture.  Italians have their regional Ragus; which for the most part imply a sauce including meats.  Different yet similar varieties hail from the north and Bologna (Ragu Bolognese) and from the south and Naples (Ragu Neopolitan).  Both usually include some combination of Mirepoix or Soffritto in Italian alongside pork and beef for meats.  The regions differ in the amount of tomato used and the way they cut their meat, but that’s a story for another day.

The French also use the term ‘Ragout‘, from the verb ragoûter, meaning ‘to revive the taste‘.  Their take on ragout however does not necessarily include meat and is a much more generalized term to describe a sauce or stew.

So on Monday, I came home from work with an abundance of awesome looking mushrooms picked up at our local farmer’s market.  My girlfriend Aimee and I decided to set out to make an ‘almost vegetarian’ variety of the popular ‘Ragu’ sauce – Mushroom Ragout with Swiss Chard.  We do want to credit this recipe to the amazing Alice Waters, whose book “The Art of Simple Food” has been picked over by me of late.  This is essentially her recipe with a few changes.

This version of Ragu is hearty but with subtle flavors.  There’s no kick of heat from chilies or overwhelming garlic flavor.  Perhaps it’s greatest asset is the heavy flavor of mushrooms, whose flavor are subtle and delicate by themselves.  As I mentioned, the sauce how we prepared it is ‘almost’ vegetarian – only supplemented with some Panceta cooked alongside the Swiss Chard.  The heartiness of the different types of mushrooms and other vegetables definitely make up for any lack of meat.

We were actually thinking about adding some protein and the first thing that came to mind was some Scallops, as we thought the subtleness of their flavor would go well with the rest of the ingredients.  Add scollops or shrimp if you want – cook them seperately and them add them in the end with the swiss chard (chicken would also be good).

Here’s what we did:

Ingredients:

• 2 Carrots – Peeled and cut into small cubes
• 2-3 stalks Celery – cut into small cubes
• 1 medium Onion – Diced
• 2 cloves Garlic – Fine dice
• 2 Tomatoes – Diced (or 1 small can of diced tomatoes – drained)
• 2 total pounds Mushrooms in 3 varieties (10 or so of each variety) – I used Shitake (10 – stems removed), Trumpet (5-6 these are huge – halved) and Mitake (2 medium clusters – rough chop)
• 4-5 thin slices Pancetta – chopped
• 1 small bunch (15-20 leaves) Swiss Chard – Stems removed and roughly chopped
• Leaves from about 10 Thyme sprigs
• 1 Bay Leaf

• 1/4 cup Parsley – Diced
• 1 1/2 cups Chicken Stock (Homeade preferred!)
• 3/4 cup Light Cream
• 4 Tbsp. Butter
• 4-5 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

Method:

Please note that this should be done in two separate pans at the same time!!!

Start by starting a pot of boiling water for the pasta if wanted.  This sauce would also be delicious over a steak, but half or quarter the recipe if doing so.

PAN 1:  In a heavy bottomed pan, heat half of the butter and oil over medium heat.  Start the Mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery) and cook until the vegetables become soft but do not brown! (Adjust the heat as necessary).

About 10 minutes.  Add in the Thyme, Parsley and Bay Leaf.  Lower the heat to low and cook for another 5-10 minutes.  Add in the tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.

PAN 2:  In a “stick” pan, heat the rest of the butter and oil (add more as needed) and add a third of the mushrooms by variety (cook each variety seperately), browning each and removing them before adding in the next.  You should cook them basically whole or halfed.  Once all of the mushrooms are cooked, let them rest for 1-2 minutes and then chop them to the size of the rest of the vegetables.

Once the mushrooms are done, add just a touch more oil to the pan and immediately add the Pancetta and cook for a minute or two and then add the Swiss Chard.  Let the chard wilt for a few minutes and then remove from the heat.

Combining: Add the mushrooms, chard and pancetta back into the pan with the Mirepoix and combine.  Add in the stock and cream and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes, adding more stock and cream if the liquid gets too thick or cooks off.

Serve with whole wheat linguine or the pasta of your choice. Enjoy!

Makes a big batch – 6 or so pasta servings.  8 if using with meat.

Tags: farmers market, Mushrooms, Pasta/Noodles, ragout, ragu, sauce, swiss chard