What Is Needed

Every year, sometime around the time of my birthday, there is a snowstorm. Somewhere in the vicinity of Eastern North-America, whether in Canada or in the US, snow inevitably falls in generous amounts, wiping out any advances Spring may have made in the previous days. This year is no different: as I write, over the American East Coast, from D.C. to New England, what was once bare ground a mere day ago is now covered with a thick blanket of snow. Montreal will be spared the full brunt of this weather system, and I have to admit that I am a little relieved. As much as I missed the snow, I think I am ready for Spring. It will be a few weeks yet, so in the meantime, I just might curl up with a warm bowl of food.



Whenever I've been asked what my signature dish or my favourite meal was, my stock answer has always been "It really depends on my mood." And for the most part, that answer is as close to the honest truth as can be. Obviously, there are some recipes I go back to over and over, whether out of sheer laziness or lack of imagination, but some dishes I go back to because I truly love them. These are the recipes that I rarely deviate from, or even if I tried to, end up tasting pretty much the same, because I always reach out for the same seasonings. They are, in and of themselves, comfort foods at their best: warm and cosy, like a hug in food form, but they have just the right amount of class to be brought out to the table in good company.



Mushroom ragù is one such dish. This recipe is not dissimilar to my mushroom goulash, and yet sometimes it feels a world apart. This ragù is almost invariably served with creamy polenta, though I suppose it is just as delicious with pasta -the way my mum prefers it; with rice, or perhaps even just served with a spoon and lots of bread to mop up all the sauce. And why not a heaping helping of creamy mash? Serve it how ever you feel like, but I think I will stick to creamy polenta.



The beauty of this ragù is that you can use any mushrooms you have on hand: tiny button mushrooms, chestnuts/cremini/portobellos, oysters and shimeji, shiitakes, or if all you have is a pack of dried mushrooms, that'll do just fine. I like the ragù to be quite thick, but if you prefer to serve it with buttered noodles or rice, you may want to add a larger tin of tomatoes to make it a little more saucy. Sometimes, I make this during a cold spell in the summer - there were quite a few of them in London- the summer version is heavier on the tomatoes to make it a little lighter, with a handful of (dried) morels if  I could get my hands on some and lots of fresh herbs or a sprinkling of gremolata (a mixture of lemon zest, chopped parsley and garlic, often served on osso bucco.)



Mushroom Ragù
Serves 4

1 medium onion
6 cloves garlic
6 sprigs thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
2 sage leaves or 1 pinch dried, optional
500g/ 3cups mushrooms, or 100g/3.5oz dried mushrooms soaked in warm water
1 small tin tomatoes (400-540g/ 14-17oz)
1Tbs tomato paste
6Tbs olive oil
2Tbs butter
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh, chopped herbs for garnish

Top and tail the onion, cut in half and peel. Following the stripes on the onion, thinly slice each half lengthwise.
Remove the root end of the garlic, peel, and chop.
If using fresh herbs, strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and finely chop the sage.
Trim the foot end of the mushrooms, and chop into good-sized chunks -smaller mushrooms can be left whole. 
If using dried mushrooms, they do not need to be fully rehydrated, but enough to release any grit from the gills. Chop if necessary -the feet of shiitake mushrooms should be discarded. The soaking water can be kept for a later use.
Over a medium heat, start frying the onion in olive oil until they turn translucent.
Add the garlic and herb, and stir for a minute or two before adding the mushrooms.
Turn up the heat to medium-high, and stir constantly.
When the mushrooms show signs of browning, add the butter and the tomato paste. Cook out the tomato purée until you see pools of red oil in the pan.
Add the can of tomatoes. Lower the heat to bring everything down to a gentle simmer.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cover with a lid, and leave to cook for 15 minutes.
Remove the lid, and continue to cook until the sauce has reduced down to the desired consistency.
Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
Serve immediately with chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or basil, or with a few scrapings of lemon zest.



A recipe for creamy polenta can be found here; if a dairy-free version is needed, use plain water, stock or a dairy replacer - I am quite partial to hemp and oat milk for cooking with. Do make this recipe your own: play around with the herbs used -if you're not a fan of thyme or sage, use oregano, rosemary or basil instead; use dried herbs if that is what you have on hand, I am actually quite partial to Italian herb mixes. As for the garnish, if fresh herbs are not available (or in the budget), just grate a little lemon zest and drizzle some olive oil. Or better yet, add a little crunch by frying off a mix of breadcrumbs and dried herbs in a generous drizzle of oil; when toasted to a lovely golden brown, pour into a bowl lined with paper towel and bring out to the table so that everyones can help themselves out to pangrattato, also known as poor man's Parmesan.



Bon App'!