Rigatoni With Meaty Mushroom Bolognese Recipe 455

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Keep warm. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef; cook 2 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Remove beef from pan; set beef aside. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add carrot, onion, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or just until tender. Stir in zucchini, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and garlic; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in beef; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream; cook 1 minute. Remove pan from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese. Divide pasta among 4 bowls. Top each serving with 1 1/4 cups sauce; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve 3/4 cup cooking water, then drain.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the ground beef, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, breaking up the meat, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook until evenly combined, 1 minute. Add the wine and simmer until almost completely dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water, the tomatoes and half the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the mixture is saucy, 4 to 7 minutes.
• Add the cheese to the sauce, then add the rigatoni; season with salt and pepper and toss, adding more cooking water as needed to loosen. Divide among bowls and top with the remaining basil and more parmesan.

Steps:

• Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with the hot water. Set aside and let the mushrooms soften.
• Place the carrots, onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse the vegetables until finely chopped but still chunky. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the chopped vegetables, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.
• Strain the porcini mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid. Add the porcini mushrooms, fresh mushrooms, and tomato paste and continue cooking, stirring to dissolve the tomato paste, until the mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the mushroom soaking liquid and the red wine. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone cheese and stir just until the cheese is incorporated.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, and add to the vegetable mixture. Add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid, if necessary, to moisten the sauce. Toss with the Parmesan and serve.

Steps:

• Add enough oil to a large, deep sauté pan to coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.
• Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in 1 1/2 cups beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, reserving the liquid.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add mushroom liquid to the sauce to cover the meat halfway (about 1 cup) along with the porcini and continue simmering until the sauce is loose but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; it should be highly seasoned. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.
• When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top and fold in with a wooden spoon. The pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water or mushroom liquid to loosen it. (It will continue to soak up sauce on the way to the table.) Serve in one large bowl or in individual bowls, passing the cheese at the table.