Mushroom bolognese

Everyone can appreciate a great bolognese sauce but sometimes you just don't have the time. To save time and just to try something different, today's lunch was gnocchi with mushroom bolognese sauce. 

Mushroom Bolognese

Recipe from Cooking Light

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 cup boiling water

1 tbsp olive oil

2 1/2 cups chopped onion

3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided

3/4 tsp black pepper, divided

1/2 lb ground pork

8 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms (about 1 1/2 lb)

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup white wine

10 oz uncooked whole-wheat spaghetti

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 1/2 oz Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Combine porcini and boiling water in a bowl; cove and let stand 20 minutes or until soft. Drain porcini in a colander lined with a paper towel over a bowl, reserving liquid. Rinse and chop porcini.
2. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, and pork; cook 10 minutes or until pork is browned, stirring to crumble pork. Add cremini mushrooms, garlic, remaining 1/4 tsp salt, and remaining 1/4 tsp pepper; cook 15 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add porcini; cook 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add reserved porcini liquid and wine; cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up tomatoes as necessary. Stir in milk; cook 2 minutes.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, adding 1 tbsp salt to cooking water. Drain. Toss pasta with sauce; top with cheese and parsley. 

Nutritional Analysis:
per serving: 344 calories, 8.6g fat (2.9g saturated, 1.1g polyunsaturated, 3.8g monounsaturated), 49.6g carbohydrates, 9.6g fiber, 22.1g protein

**Helpful tips and common mistakes

First steps first, re-hydrate your porcini mushrooms. I used what I had so I substituted the porcini for dried shiitake mushrooms but stick to porcini if possible. Dried porcini mushrooms are commonly used in Italian food. They have a strong nutty-woody flavor with a meaty taste, while dried shiitake mushrooms have a stronger umami, smoky flavor. 

For the lone vegetarian at my work, I did have to make one portion of the sauce without the pork. When comparing the sauce with pork and without, the one without tasted more like a marinara with mushrooms. It definitely lacked the the heartiness that comes with the pork.

The directions for this sauce are straightforward and the only change I made was to add more mushrooms, about double the amount. I also added add more salt and pepper. The amount recipes usually give you is just a starting point; make sure to taste and season accordingly.

Now for the verdict. I have to say, this mushroom bolognese is an honest attempt of making the classic meat sauce in less than half the time. As expected, the sauce lacks the full-flavored heartiness and meatiness that comes with bolognese sauce; however, on that note, the mushrooms do supply you with some meatiness. The flavors are still great together, but this mushroom bolognese resembles more of a tomato sauce than classic bolognese. 

Pairing this sauce with gnocchi was the right way to go. Although it would still be great on pasta, the heavy starchiness of the gnocchi balanced the somewhat light sauce. Bolognese sauce is sure classic and nothing can really outshine it, but this mushroom bolognese is a close try!