Wild Mushroom and Pumpkin Ragù

A cozy fall recipe.

Mushrooms

Mary Oliver

Rain, and then

the cool pursed

lips of the wind

draw them

out of the ground -

red and yellow skulls

pummeling upward

through leaves, 

through grasses, 

through sand; astonishing

in their suddenness, 

their quietude, 

their wetness, they appear

on fall mornings, some

balancing in the earth

on one hoof

packed with poison, 

others billowing

chunkily, and delicious -

those who know

walk out to gather, choosing

the benign from flocks

of glitterers, sorcerers, 

russulas, 

panther caps, 

shark-white death angels

in their town veils

looking innocent as sugar

but full of paralysis: 

to eat

is to stagger down 

fast as mushrooms themselves

when they are done being perfect

and overnight

slide back under the shining

fields of rain.

We’ve been known to curse the rain here in the Pacific Northwest but with the help of a good rain jacket, an appreciation of the color green in all her various shades and hues, and an ever growing passion for mushrooms, I’ve come to not only tolerate the rain but truly appreciate her. Feel free to come at me in April and ask, “Ashley, how are you feeling about the rain now?!” 

Both the lovely poem from Mary Oliver and this recipe from myself show off the beauty of mushrooms. A beauty I only came to appreciate quite recently but I assure you I’m making up for lost time. 

Feel free to use any mushroom available to you. I say wild here but cultivated varieties like crimini and shiitake are great too. I happened to find a lovely basket-load of chanterelles and lobster mushrooms so I used those here. The resulting flavor is both deeply savory with the help of the mushrooms, of course, and the umami boost from tomato paste and if you so choose, a final flurry of Parmesan. But there’s sweetness too, a tender balance I spend much of the year looking forward to. Again, feel free to ask me in January if I’d like to eat another pumpkin or squash, but for now I’m so thrilled to welcome back both the rain and the pumpkins. 

Wild Mushroom and Pumpkin Ragù

4 tablespoons butter (substitute vegan butter or add more olive oil) 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 celery stalks, diced

4 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

Salt & pepper 

1 lb. wild mushrooms, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 fresh bay leaves

1/4 teaspoon chili flake

1/2 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth

1/2 cup whole milk (or dairy alternative) 

1/4 cup tomato paste 

4 cups (1 1/2 lbs.) cubed (1 inch) pumpkin or squash

Freshly grated parmesan and pasta or polenta for serving

In a large sauté pan set over medium high heat, melt together the butter and olive oil. Stir in the onions, carrots, and celery. Add a pinch of salt then stir until tender and the onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. 

Stir in the garlic and sauté for a minute or so before adding the mushrooms. Season the mushrooms with salt, pepper then add the thyme, nutmeg, bay leaves, and chili flake. Sauté the mushrooms until deeply caramelized. Depending on the size of your pan this could take around 10 to 15 minutes. 

Once caramelized, deglaze the pan with white wine or vermouth (alternately you can use vegetable stock) and be sure to scrape up the flavorful bits that may be sticking to the bottom of the pan. To the trained cook, those bits are gold. Continue to sauté until most of the wine has cooked off then stir in the milk and tomato paste.  Finally add the pumpkin, a hefty couple of pinches of salt and stir everything to combine. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, cover with a lid then cook until the pumpkin is tender, about 20 minutes. However, don’t abandon the pan entirely. Come back and give the ragu a stir every 5 minutes or so and if the pan looks dry add a bit of water. I added between 1/2 - 1 cup of water total.

Once the pumpkin is tender and everything is well combined give it a taste and add more salt as needed. 

Serve over creamy polenta or stir in just cooked pasta with a bit of the pasta water. Finish with a generous amount of Parmesan, if you’d like.