Rigatoni with White Bolognese from Amanda Hesser

Found below is a delightful recipe for “Rigatoni for White Bolognese,” by Amanda Hesser featuring Gourmet Living’s premium cut dried porcini mushrooms.  Ms. Hesser’s recipe dates back several years but was recently published again in the New York Times.

I have long been a great fan of Ms. Hesser after tasting her delicious Shar-Pei Almond Cake that was first published in Cooking for Mr. Latte.  An excerpt of my old blog post (with the recipe) is reprinted below:

“Hands-down, my favorite almond cake is from Amanda Hesser’s Cooking for Mr. Latte.  Actually, Ms. Hesser lifted the recipe from Elizabeth, the mother of “Mr. Latte,” (who must be all right) for shortly after marrying him she left writing a food column for the New York Times.  In any event, the following recipe for Almond Cake is “adapted from Elizabeth” and was published many moons ago in the New York Times magazine.   A word of warning:  This cake caves in on itself while cooking and often resembles the face of the delightful Shar-Pei dog.”

While I would like to tell you that I am cutting back on the carbs, the fact that I am eating rigatoni with “heavy cream” suggests otherwise.  In any event, this is a delicious recipe where a call for second helping is almost a certainty.

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5 from 2 votes

Rigatoni for White Bolognese

A delicious recipe for "white" bolognese featuring Gourmet Living's wonderful porcini mushrooms. 

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time45 mins

Course: Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Amanda Hesser

Ingredients

• Extra virgin olive oil from Gourmet Living, of course!
• ½ sweet onion peeled and finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots peeled and finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery finely chopped
• Sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound mild Italian pork sausage meat removed from casings
• 1 pound ground beef not lean
• 1 ½ cups dry Italian white wine
• 1 cube beef bouillon dissolved in 2 cups simmering water
• 1 ½ ounces porcini mushrooms rehydrated in 3 cups of water
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 1 pound rigatoni
• ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Instructions

• PREPARATION
• Add enough oil to a large, deep sauté pan to coat the base and place over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the onion, carrots and celery and sauté until glassy and just tender, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add the sausage and beef to the pan, breaking it into walnut-size pieces, and brown well.
• Pour in the wine and keep at a rapid simmer until the pan is almost dry. Then pour in 1 1/2 cups beef bouillon and lower the heat to medium. Simmer gently, uncovered, until the bouillon is nearly gone, stirring now and then. Meanwhile, chop the rehydrated porcini into small pieces, reserving the liquid.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add mushroom liquid to the sauce to cover the meat halfway (about 1 cup) along with the porcini and continue simmering until the sauce is loose but not soupy, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper; it should be highly seasoned. When the consistency is right, fold the cream in. Remove from the heat and cover.
• When the pasta water is at a full boil, add the rigatoni and cook until still firm, but not hard, in the center. When the pasta is almost done, scoop out 1 cup of pasta water and reserve. Drain the pasta and then return it to the pot. Pour the pasta sauce on top and fold in with a wooden spoon. The pasta should not be dry. Add a little pasta water or mushroom liquid to loosen it. (It will continue to soak up sauce on the way to the table.) Serve in one large bowl or in individual bowls, passing the cheese at the table.

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I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.  This recipe is delicious, particularly for those who need a “carb fix!”

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