“30-MINUTE” VEAL AND MUSHROOM RAGÙ

THIS RAGÙ BRINGS A TRUE TASTE OF TUSCANY TO YOUR TABLE IN NO TIME.

A Ragù is a hearty meat sauce–in this case, the meat is veal– and carrots, tomatoes, and onions all cooked together in wine and stock. Every Tuscan cook has his own recipe for this beloved dish. This is ours. To make it even more Tuscan, our recipe also includes dried porcini mushrooms. Once cooked, it’s served over pasta. We used pappardelle, a pasta broad enough to take on our rustic ragù. Linguine is a good alternative. And through the miracle of the Instant Pot, you can make this dish in 30 minutes of cooking time.

REVISITING STANLEY TUCCI’S “10 MINUTE” BOLOGNESE

On his CNN series “In Search of Italy”, Actor and Food Maven Stanley Tucci wowed us all by visiting a woman who claimed to be able to make ragù in 10 minutes flat.  When we published the recipe, readers flocked to the site*. But one Italian Cooking Authority took us to task for even suggesting such 10 minutes was all it took to cook. Letitia Mattiacci commented: “This is surely delicious but not in 10 minutes. This recipe is nowadays named “Ragù Bianco” (White Ragù) in Italy and it must be cooked for at least one hour otherwise it tastes like fried meat….The term ragù refers to slow cooking so if it’s made in 10 minutes it’s not a ragu. (Go to https://madonnadelpiatto.com/ for more words of wisdom from Letitia)  #(See https://chewingthefat.us.com/2021/04/10-minute-bolognese-from-stanley-tuccis-searching-for-italy.html)  

THE SECRET TO OUR 30-MINUTE RAGÙ IS THE INSTANT POT

The Instant Pot quickly gained our respect because it functions as a slow cooker, a rice cooker, and a steamer.  But its primary function and the one we particularly love is an electric pressure cooker.  It uses steam and high pressure to cook food quickly and efficiently. You simply put the ingredients inside the Instant Pot’s inner cooking pot. The Instant Pot’s sealing ring and steam release valve create a sealed environment inside the pot. When you select the pressure-cooking mode and set the cooking time and pressure level, the Instant Pot heats up and builds pressure by converting water into steam. The trapped steam increases internal pressure, raises the boiling point of water, and allows food to cook faster.

YOU CAN COOK TODAY’S VEAL AND MUSHROOM RAGU IN JUST THIS ONE POT.

Another invaluable tool the Instant Pot offers is that it sautés food. So you can saute your vegetables, brown the veal, and reduce the wine, the stock, and the porcini liquid. Then you add everything else, set the Instant Pot for 20 minutes, and voila! Release the steam and serve. Here’s the recipe and some other Instant Pot entrees for you to consider.

30-MINUTE VEAL AND MUSHROOM RAGÙ

September 21, 2023

Servings: 6 TO 8

Cook: 30 min

Total: 55 min

Difficulty: Easy

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A hearty Tuscan veal meat sauce, a melange of carrots, tomatoes onions and fennel all cooked together in wine and stock. To make it even more Tuscan, our recipe also includes dried porcini mushrooms.

By: Monte Mathews

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms*
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled, finely chopped
• 1 Fennel Bulb, diced (Optional) or 1 tsp Fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 16 ounces ground Veal
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 28-ounces low-salt chicken broth
• 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
• 1 Fennel Bulb, diced
• 1 pound fresh pappardelle or purchased fettuccine
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Step 1 Bring 1 cup water and mushrooms to boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Strain soaking liquid through a paper towel-lined sieve into a bowl. Coarsely chop mushrooms. Set liquid and mushrooms aside.
• Step 2 In the bowl of a food processor, combine cut-up onions, carrots, fennel, ¼ cup parsley, and the garlic and pulse until finely chopped.
• Step 3 Turn on the “Sauté” function in the Instant Pot. Add the contents of the food processor. Sauté until vegetables are tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add veal and sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Add wine and boil until wine is almost evaporated about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken broth
• Step 4 boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add reserved mushroom liquid. Saute until liquid is almost absorbed, about 5 minutes. Turn off the Sauté function. Mix in tomatoes with juices, bay leaves, sage, and porcini mushrooms. Set Instant Pot to Pressure Cook for 20 minutes. Release steam. Remove the cover and turn on Sauté. Simmer uncovered until sauce thickens, breaking up tomatoes with a fork, adding remaining chicken broth 1/2 cup at a time, and stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Turn on the Keep Warm function on the Instant Pot until pasta is cooked. Season with salt and pepper. (Ragù can be made 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.)
• Step 5 Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Add sauce to pasta pot and rewarm over medium heat. Add pasta and toss to combine. Transfer to bowl. Sprinkle with cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons parsley.
• Step 6 *Dried porcini mushrooms are available at Italian markets, specialty foods stores, and many supermarkets.

HERE ARE SOME OTHER INSTANT POT RECIPES TO TRY THIS FALL

Instant Pot Chicken Soup Two Ways…with and without Noodles

Chicken Tikka Masala: 60 Minutes Start to Finish

Spaghetti and Meatballs in the Instant Pot