Last night I was looking at mushrooms in a paper bag at the back of the fridge and thinking about a meal I had in Northern Italy, in a village so small I can no longer remember its name — only the feeling of it. A quiet place tucked between hills and vineyards, where the trattoria looked more like someone's front room than a restaurant. Family-run, warm, lived-in. No menu, no choices, no performance. Just the cook deciding what was good that day and serving it. It was very good, astonishingly cheap, and wonderfully unpretentious. I was the only person who spoke English, which somehow made the whole thing even better — a meal eaten entirely on the kitchen's terms, in their rhythm, in their language, in their world.

The main course was a mushroom ragù recipe I have been thinking about ever since. I don't remember what pasta it came with. I remember the ragù.

There were dried Trompette de la Mort in the store cupboard — the same black dried wild mushrooms from France that go into my Nearly McCormick's Homemade Umami Seasoning. The mushrooms in the fridge needed using. The penne rigate was there. That was enough.

What Makes This Mushroom Ragù Recipe Work

Two types of mushroom, doing different jobs. The fresh mushrooms — whatever is in the fridge — provide bulk and texture. The Trompette de la Mort provide depth. Rehydrated in just-boiled water, they bring a dark, almost smoky intensity to the sauce that fresh mushrooms alone cannot produce. The soaking liquor goes into the ragù too — it is too good to waste.

The other key is patience with the browning. Fresh mushrooms release a significant amount of water before they begin to colour. Keep the heat high and resist the urge to stir too often. The browning is where the ragù gets its restaurant flavour — pale, steamed mushrooms produce a pale, steamed sauce.

Trattoria Mushroom Ragù — The Recipe

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 150–180g fresh mushrooms, finely chopped
• 5–7g dried Trompette de la Mort
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 80ml soaking liquor from the Trompettes
• 120ml vegetable stock
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika
• ¼ tsp dried oregano
• Squeeze of lemon juice
• Salt and black pepper
• Small knob of butter
• Splash of single cream
• Small handful fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Penne rigate, to serve
• Small block of Parmesan (approx. 30g)

Method

Cover the Trompette de la Mort with just-boiled water and leave to rehydrate for 15 minutes. Lift out, squeeze dry, and chop finely. Reserve 80ml of the dark soaking liquor.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for five minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and chopped Trompettes and cook for 30–40 seconds until fragrant.

Increase the heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and leave them for a minute before stirring — you want colour, not steam. Cook until the mushrooms have released their liquid and then continued to cook until they are deep brown. This is the most important step. Don't rush it.

Add the smoked paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper. Add the tomato purée and fry for one minute, letting it caramelise slightly against the base of the pan.

Pour in the Trompette soaking liquor, scraping up anything stuck to the pan. Let it reduce by half. Add the vegetable stock and simmer for 10–12 minutes until the ragù is glossy, thick, and coats the back of a spoon.

Finish with a squeeze of lemon. Swirl in the butter and cream and stir through until the sauce is glossy and silky. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Cook 80–100g penne rigate in well-salted boiling water according to the packet — 80g is enough for one generous bowl; cook 100g if you want leftovers, which will keep in the fridge and taste better the next day. Reserve a small cup of the pasta water before draining. Add the pasta to the ragù, toss well, loosening with a splash of pasta water if needed.

Serve in a bowl. Blitz a small block of Parmesan with a handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley in a blender until you have a fine green-flecked crumb. Scatter generously over the pasta.

Notes

Trompette de la Mort — the Trumpet of Death — are black dried wild mushrooms from France. They are in the Casa Adora store cupboard partly because they go into Nearly McCormick's Homemade Umami Seasoning and partly because they are extraordinary. Available online and in good delicatessens.

The soaking liquor is dark, intensely flavoured, and occasionally gritty — pour it carefully, leaving any sediment behind.

This works with any fresh mushrooms. Whatever is in the fridge is fine.

This mushroom ragù recipe is best eaten immediately — the pasta absorbs the sauce quickly, so serve straight from the pan.

FOOTNOTE

This mushroom ragù recipe is part of my Pasta Recipes collection — a complete guide to pasta from Casa Adora and the road.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef