Mushroom & Red Wine Ragoût (v)

Serves: 4 

Prep time: 20 minutes 

Cooking time: 40 minutes 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil 900g portobello or chestnut mushrooms, or a mix, chopped into 1/2 inch chunks 1 small carrot, finely chopped 1 stick celery, finely chopped 1 small red onion, finely chopped 200g baby shallots 2 large cloves of garlic, crushed 1 cup of red wine  500ml vegetable stock (1 dried stock cube) 2 tbsp. tomato paste 1 tsp. fresh thyme / 1/2 tsp. dried thyme 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

250g pearl barley 

Sour cream to serve (optional)

Method:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large heavy based frying pan, add the chopped mushrooms to the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on a high heat, until slightly browned. 

• Transfer mushrooms and any juice released into a large bowl and reserve for later use.

• Now, add another tbsp of oil to the pan and add the chopped red onion, baby shallots, thyme, carrot & celery. Season generously with black pepper & salt, and fry for a further 10 minutes at a medium-high heat. 

• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan add 800ml of cold water to the pearl barley and cook on a medium heat for 30-35 minutes, until fluffy and tender. 

• After 10 minutes, add the crushed garlic to the pan and fry for a further minute. 

• Now, turn the heat up to high, add the red wine and heat until it bubbles throughout. Allow to simmer for a minute or so. 

• Then reduce the heat to medium, add the tomato paste & mushrooms and stir to mix evenly. Then add the stock, and stir throughout again. 

• Simmer the ragoût for a further 20 minutes on a medium heat. Stirring regularly. Approx. 5 minutes before serving add another 300ml of boiling water to the pan, to get a thinner sauce if desired. 

• Once cooked, drain the pearl barley and rinse with boiling water to wash any excess starch away. Then serve into shallow bowls and top with the mushroom ragout. Garnish with chopped parsley, sour cream & a twist of black pepper (if desired) and enjoy!