Italian Sausage & Mushroom Ragu with Pappardelle

I love Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street television show and cookbooks. I recently joined their mailing list too. I have received a million emails from them since about offers and products, etc., but getting recipes like this one makes it worth the spam. 😉

This was our Election Day comfort food meal. It was quick and absolutely delicious. Perfect. The recipe was inspired by chef Vitaly Paley of Portland, Oregon, via 177milkstreet.com, contributed by Julia Rackow. I used cremini instead of portobello mushrooms and modified the proportions. I loved how the mushrooms lightened up the meaty sauce.

Yield: 6 servings

• 2 T salted butter
• 7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, trimmed and finely chopped or portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, caps finely chopped
• 2 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced
• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, preferably bulk (I used sausage links and removed the casings)
• 1 cup full-bodied, dry red wine (I used a Cabernet Sauvignon)
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 14 1/2 to 16 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 16 oz dried pappardelle or tagliatelle
• minced fresh parsley, for garnish, optional
• grated Parmesan, for serving, optional

1. Finely chop the garlic and mushrooms in a food processor.
2. In a 12-inch skillet over medium, heat the butter and garlic until the butter has melted and the mixture has begun to sizzle. (I used a wide enameled cast iron pan.)
3. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the shallots have softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any accumulated fat, if necessary.
5. Increase to medium-high and add the wine. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the broth, cinnamon, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Continue to simmer until the broth has reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the tomatoes and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside, covered.
9. While the sauce simmers, in a large pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil.
10. Add the pasta and 2 tablespoons of salt and cook until the pasta is al dente.
11. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking (pasta) water, drain the pasta and return it to the pot or a serving dish.
12. Add the sauce to the pasta (I layered it) and toss to coat. If needed, add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to adjust the consistency of the sauce. (I did not add pasta water but kept it to add when reheating the leftovers.)
13. Serve garnished with parsley. Pass grated Parmesan at the table, as desired.

Pressure Cooker Pork Ragu with Pappardelle

I made this dish to celebrate Valentine’s Day with my meat-loving husband. ❤ One of his absolute favorite dishes is a pork ragu served over pappardelle; this dish is a wonderful weeknight version.

This recipe was adapted from the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. We ate it with roasted asparagus and cauliflower with a custardy French Apple Cake for dessert. My Valentine was pleased! 🙂

Yield: 8 servings

• 3 links (about 8 ounces) sweet Italian sausage, casing removed
• 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 1/2 lb. boneless pork shoulder, trimmed (I used country rib meat)
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for garnish, if desired
• 1 lb. pappardelle pasta
• freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

1. In pressure-cooker pot on medium-high, cook sausage in oil 5 minutes or until fat has rendered, breaking up meat as it cooks.
2. With slotted spoon, transfer to large bowl.
3. Season pork all over with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.
4. In batches, add pork to pot; cook 4 minutes or until browned on two sides, turning once halfway through. Transfer pork to bowl with sausage.
5. To pot, add carrots, onion and garlic; cook 8 minutes, stirring often.
6. Add wine; cook 3 minutes.
7. Return meat to pot and add tomatoes, milk, bay leaves and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
8. Cover and bring up to pressure on high. Reduce heat to medium-low, maintaining pressure. Cook 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let pressure release naturally.
9. Meanwhile, cook the pappardelle according to the package directions.
10. Uncover cooker and discard bay leaves. Fork shred the pork. Stir in basil.
11. Serve tossed with pasta, garnished with Parmesan.

One Year Ago:

• Easy Enchilada Pie

Three Years Ago:

• Steakhouse Creamed Spinach versus “Lighter” Creamed Kale
• Rutabaga Oven Fries

Four Years Ago:

• Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork
• Swiss Chard Stuffed Shells
• Vodka Sauce