Mushroom Ragù #SundayFunday

This week Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures is hosting the Sunday Funday and asked us to share vegan main dishes. One of my favorite ways to make vegan - or vegetarian - dishes feel 'meaty' is to add mushrooms!

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. As I mentioned, Amy is hosting this week. Here's the vegan #SundayFunday line-up...

• Crispy Tofu Noodles by Palatable Pastime

• Mushroom Eggplant Stir Fry by Cook with Renu

• Mushroom Ragù by Culinary Cam (you're here)

• Quinoa Stuffed Zucchini by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking

• Vegan Moonga Gathi by Sneha's Recipe

• Vegan Three-Bean Soup by Amy's Cooking Adventures

• Vegan Tofu Steak by Mayuri's Jikoni

• Vegetable Biryani by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Mushroom Ragù

Years ago a friend sent me this recipe. I have been making it for years; it is a great all-purpose Mushroom Ragù. I used it on top of smashed potatoes; I filled empanadas with it. And, yes, I did just eat it with a spoon. It's that good. I'll definitely be making it again soon. And I just use whatever mushrooms I can find at the store. Recently that same friend told me that she was going to use this as the base of a vegetarian shepherd's pie, but she wanted to stretch it a bit. I suggested she add chestnuts to it. And it was a hit at her holiday table. Sweet!

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil

• 5 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

• 1 pound mushrooms, brushed clean of debris and chopped

• 2 Tablespoons tomato sauce or paste

• 1/2 cup red wine

• 1 Tablespoon fresh oregano

• 2 Tablespoons olive tapenade

• freshly ground salt

• freshly ground pepper

Procedure

Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a pan, over medium heat, until it shimmers. Stir in the garlic, 1 more Tablespoon of olive oil, then quickly add the mushrooms. Stir so that none of the mushrooms stick to the bottom of the pan. Cook until the mushrooms release liquid and begin to lose their shape.

Stir in the tomato sauce and pour in the red wine. Fold in the oregano and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid is reduced and thick sauce has formed. Stir in the tapenade and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Use immediately as a pasta sauce or let cool and keep in a clean jar in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Here's my Mushroom Ragù over a smashed potato. It's more of an appetizer, I guess. To make it a main dish, spoon the ragù over a large baked potato.

That's a wrap for my vegan offering for the Sunday Funday group. We will be back next week sharing recipes for savory pancakes. Oh, yeah. That is going to be fun. Stay tuned!