Serves 4
Cooking time: low 6-7 hours, high 4½-5½ hours
Ingredients
30g dried porcini mushrooms
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
380g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped
150ml red wine or extra hot stock
About 300ml hot vegetable stock
160g brown lentils, rinsed
400g passata
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp yeast extract or brown barley miso
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Cooked tagliatelle or pappardelle pasta
Grated vegetarian Parmesan (optional)
Freshly chopped basil
Method
1. Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough just-boiled water to cover. Leave to rehydrate for 30 minutes. Strain the mushrooms over a bowl with a slotted spoon and squeeze out any excess liquid. Finely chop the porcini and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the onion, celery and carrot for 5 minutes, until starting to soften. Add the garlic, rehydrated porcini and chestnut mushrooms and cook, stirring often, for another 5 minutes, until softened.
3. Pour the red wine into the pan, if using, and allow to boil until reduced and there is no aroma of alcohol – alternatively leave this step out and increase the quantity of hot stock.
4. Pour enough hot stock into the jug containing the porcini soaking liquor to make 500ml. Add to the slow cooker pot with the lentils, passata and thyme and stir until combined. Add the mushroom mixture and bay leaves. Cover and cook for 6-7 hours on low or 4½-5½ hours on high. Just before the ragu is ready, stir in the yeast extract or miso and season with salt and pepper to taste, then leave to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Serve spooned over pasta, adding a ladleful of the pasta cooking water to the ragu, topped with grated vegetarian Parmesan and chopped basil, if you like.
Recipe extracted from Healthy Vegetarian & Vegan Slow Cooker by Nicola Graimes, published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £16.99, with photography by Kate Whitaker © Ryland Peters & Small.
