Meat and Mushroom Ragu
This ragu is packed with flavor. The turkey will be barely missed if you choose to omit it due to the large amount of umami packed mushrooms. Beef, ground pork and/or veal can easily be substituted for the turkey if you prefer a richer ragu. Yield: 4 quarts
Ingredients
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 2 large stalks celery, finely diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 pounds ground turkey
- 1½ pounds chopped white mushrooms
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 2 dried or fresh bay leaves
- 2 cups tomato puree plus 2 cups water
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Heat a large 5 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and then the onion, carrot and celery. Stir well and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until vegetables are soft and caramelized. Reduce heat if the vegetables brown too quickly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Increase the heat to medium high and add turkey to the pan. Let the meat cook a little and then break into small chunks, season with salt and pepper.
3. Add the mushrooms to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes until juice exudes and starts to reduce. Stir in well to the meat and vegetables and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Add the wine and bay leaves to the pan. Bring to a boil, turn down heat to a slow boil and cook for 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by half.
5. Add the tomato puree and water to the sauté pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the ragu has reduced to sauce like consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm in the pan over very low heat for up to 30 minutes until ready to prepare the lasagna.