Regina Schrambling's Mushroom Ragout

For the past week, I've been elbow-deep in flour and boiling potatoes and yeast (dried, instant, fresh, you name it), trying like mad to get this potato focaccia recipe figured out for you all. And you know what? I'm totally enjoying it. It's slow-going, yes, but it's fun, too. Plus, Ben seems to enjoy all the doughy, not-salty-enough, sunken-in-the-middle test specimens. Who knows. More on this later.

In the meantime, while we all wait for my oven to finally produce The Right Version of La Focaccia, I need to quickly tell you about this mushroom ragout I made last weekend that, literally, is good enough to eat from the pan with a spoon when no one's looking. (If you want to be a little more dignified, I'd suggest you boil some rice and spoon the ragout over it. While we're at it, you could also eat this over pasta, or pan-fried chicken paillards, over steak, or straight out of the pan.)

It's so simple that I almost feel silly writing about it, but it's so darn delicious that I just have to urge you to make it. You basically saute a bunch of wild mushrooms with a few aromatics, deglaze them with stock and wine, and give the whole dish some body with a nice dollop of creme fraiche. Yeah, yeah - see what I mean? Easy-peasy and deja-vu. Except is it? Have you made this lately? Get to it.

Russ (because of course it's his recipe) Regina (sorry!) calls for wild mushrooms, but after getting slightly worked up about the state of even the standard Portobello caps at my local grocer (seriously, I'm thinking of lodging a formal complaint with the manager there about the piles of rotting vegetables I see on a regular basis - I mean, I don't want to be shrill, but come on. I should take pictures of the place and show them to you - it's appalling.), I marched off to the organic grocer and ended up with plain old champignons de Paris, little cremini (yes, I know they're the same thing), and shiitake mushrooms.

I also used less butter and less creme fraiche than the original recipe because it's January and I'm just not in the mood for gilding lilies. The dish turns out fabulously nevertheless - the mushrooms are each napped in a lovely little cloak of winey, brothy, herb-scented cream without being bogged down with fat, and their woodsy flavor shines right through.

And for those of you who can't get your hands on creme fraiche in the grocery store? Make your own instead of substituting sour cream or whatever else - creme fraiche has its own lovely flavor profile and reacts uniquely with heat, which is why cooking with it is such a pleasure. Plus, making your own is beyond easy. Here's what you do:

Pour 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and 2 cups heavy cream (do not use the ultra-pasteurized, additive-filled kind or this won't work) into a clean glass jar. Screw the lid shut and let stand at room temperature (between 65 and 75 degrees) for 8 to 24 hours, or until thickened. Stir and refrigerate at least 24 hours before using (this helps to continue thickening the cream). It will keep for about 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Mushroom Ragout
Serves 4

1 1/2 pounds mixed mushrooms (I used white button, little cremini, and shiitake mushrooms)
2 tablespoons butter
2 leeks, white part only, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt, plus more to taste
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1/4 cup creme fraiche (plus a little more if desired)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Clean the mushrooms and cut them into chunks of roughly even size.

2. Melt the butter in a large shallow saucepan over medium heat. Add the leeks, sprinkle with salt and cook, stirring often, until softened, 5 to 8 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms and stir to mix well. Add the thyme, bay leaf and cayenne pepper and mix well. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the liquid is reduced to a glaze.

4. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, about 15 minutes (cooking time will depend on variety and age of mushrooms).

5. Stir in the creme fraiche and heat through. (Add more if you want more liquid.) Taste and add more salt if needed. Season well with pepper and serve.

Comments

[HF]

Right on! I actually made something almost exactly like this for a New Year's Eve dinner party (shallots instead of leeks, cognac instead of white wine, and the liquid from soaking dried porcini instead of stock) and served it over chive/parsley potato gnocchi. I just have to echo how low effort/high impact this is. Tastes like a million bucks (there was actually spontaneous applause when I served it) but clearly destined to become a weeknight staple, served over whatever happens to be around. Listen to Luisa... just make it.

[Julia]

Sounds amazing. Who doesn't love a mushroom ragout? There's nothing better over pasta, or...just out of the pan.

[ann]

mmmmm... Food always tastes best straight out of the pan. I also find it rather tasty when putting away leftovers. Or when I'm picking at a salad out of the bowl. Funny, it always tastes better when it's not on my plate ;-)

[EB]

Oooh over some fluffy egg noodles... mmmmm

[Lydia]

I make a different version of this, with a lovely red wine and tomato base, and serve it over polenta. Never fails to wow.

[Julie]

It sounds pretty perfect. I love mushrooms and it's a well-known fact that everything is better with creme fraiche.

[Mercedes]

Hmmm, I don't think I've cooked mushrooms in forever, and this is totally the best way to do it.

[Emiline]

The ragout sounds delicious.

Our grocery store is appalling, as well. I don't live in a big city, so it's hard to find ingredients a lot of the time. I hate looking at their garlic. It has green sprouts growing from it.

[one food guy]

This does look delicious. I'm always looking for new things to top pasta, rice, chicken, or steak so I'm going to have to try this out. Mushrooms just taste so great when you saute them.

[mary]

Oh how I adore mushrooms. We also made something like this for Christmas eve dinner - served it over polenta as a first course. This version looks perfect.

[Alizah]

So funny that you made the rice and cabbage soup Luisa...Fran and I have been eating it for the last week! I have always made it with red cabbage, and it looks beautiful and purple-y and wholesome. I don't know whether it tastes much different, but to spice it up in the looks dept try it with red cabbage, or one could even mix two kinds of cabbage. Oh, and we use risotto rather than rice. Which gives it a nice thick consistency...

[Sara]

This looks great! I'm right there with you with sorry produce sections. I have actually returned things to Whole Foods before. There's nothing like removing the top layer of raspberries to find a moldy mess waiting below.

And who doesn't love a little dairy chemistry at home?

[Christine]

Oh so good to know on the creme fraiche since I almost never find it in my stores and am usually too lazy to seek it out.

And god, mushrooms, how I love them. And how beautifully these would go along with just about everything. Meat? Check. Pasta? Rice? Polenta? Mashed Potatoes? Check. etc.

[Jessica]

The ragout sounds perfect for January: woodsy, simple, and satisfying. I'd serve this on crostini, which is just the sanctioned Italian version of licking delicious food off your fingers in public.

[hungrygirl]

Wow = the DIY creme fraiche recipe is the best part of this post. I can NEVER find creme fraiche in a store in my 'hood!

[Lindy]

Mmmm. That sounds lovely.

I adore mushrooms, but must agree that they are among the most neglected items in the average supermarket produce bin. My most-frequented Giant Eagle (Pittsburgh's biggest supermarket chain, a/k/a "Giniggle") has a wide range of exotic wild mushrooms, at quite high prices, and they are generally all rotten.

Maybe they should have a little seminar for their produce managers on what mushrooms are supposed to look like before they die?

[KatyBelle]

Really? I've never had a problem with the mushrooms at my supermarket (IGA in Edmonton, Alberta). The buttons and creminis are always fresh and nice, and there's usually a pretty good selection of wild/exotic mushrooms.

[Caroline]

This is the simplest and best explanation for making your own creme fraiche that I have seen yet. I am doing it! I have this thought in my head that all the food I ate in France was better because of their easy access and regular use of creme fraiche.

I haven't visited your site in awhile and I am excited to be back! Glad to see you are still cooking up a storm!

[Luisa]

Hooray - I'm so glad the creme fraiche instructions were useful! It's so much fun making dairy products at home :)

And Lindy - that "Giniggle" thing just made me laugh out loud.

[TaratheFoodie]

This is right up my alley. I'm a huge mushroom lover and you're right, this would be great spooned over all types of things. Another idea would be spooning it over some made-from-scratch polenta. Mmmmmm... I'll have to bookmark this one to make later. Thanks for sharing!

[sue]

Re: rotting vegetables offered at markets.

You may want to see if your local agricultural department or public health department has any jurisdiction. There should be some minimal standards for freshness.

Barring that, I think you should post the photos and name and address of the grocer. During the 60's, this type of grocery retailing was prevalent at (America's largest grocery chain) markets in the poorer parts of Los Angeles. Whatever looked bad and could not be sold at their more upscale neighborhood stores was shipped to Watts.

[Christiane]

I never realized that creme fraiche was so easy to make. I will definitely be making this!
And the mushroom ragout looks like it is to die for!

[Organic Chemistry]

So which type of white wine goes best with this? A good chardenay? [sp?]