Mushroom Ragout, Why are you always in my Fridge?

Today’s recipe is a quick and simple one that seems to be appearing in my fridge more and more often: Mushroom Ragout. Ragouts for me always brought to mind heavy pasta sauces, full of meat and tomatoes but in the bistro, Ragouts are just hearty slow cooked, over low heat preparations of vegetables or meat or both that is heavily seasoned. The reason this one seems to always be in my fridge these days: it goes on everything. I have it with some grilled chicken or pork, on sandwiches, with some roast and gravy, tossed into some sautéed vegetables or added to soups and stews to increase the flavor.

This ragout is more about technique than ingredients. You could use rosemary, thyme, savory or parsley. You can use simple white or brown mushrooms like I did or you could throw in some wild mushrooms or dried mushrooms that have been reconstituted. You could use white or red wine, chicken or beef stock, the combos are endless. Think ahead to what you might use it for. Topping a burger? Use plain mushrooms, white wine and chicken stock, they’re lighter flavor combinations. With a roast chicken perhaps substitute red wine for a deeper flavor.

Mushroom Ragout

4 cups fresh brown mushrooms, cleaned and quartered if small, sliced if bigger (keep them chunky)

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, minced fine

2 garlic cloves, minced fine

1 ½ cups wine

1 ½ cups stock

Method:

• Melt the butter with the oil over high heat.
• Toss in the mushrooms, swirl around the pan and leave for a few minutes to brown (this sealing process builds flavor and prepares the porous mushrooms for the stewing process)
• When the mushrooms are browning give them a careful stir to not break them up, add in the onion and soften for a few minutes.
• Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or two and then lower the heat to medium.
• When everything is taking on a light brown color, deglaze with the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan of all the tasty bits.
• Reduce the wine until it just covers the bottom of the pan.
• Add a ½ cup of the stock and reduce again and then add the rest of the stock reducing everything down to the consistency of light cream.
• Season with salt and pepper, serve hot or at room temp however you want it. It lasts about a week in the fridge.

Served up on a sandwich or burger, its good hot or cold.

Its a easy side dish to a grilled protein and because its a stewed style recipe,
it goes well with something fresh like a sprinkling of herbs.