Fusilli with Chopped Mushroom Sauce
A Tripoli classic is fusilli with chopped meat gravy. The long curly strands of pasta are perfect with a tomato sauce thick with chopped beef. This is our vegetarian version, replacing the meat with mushrooms. The sauce is healthier, yet still rich with flavor. Originally served as part of: Brian, Kristen, Fusilli and Tiramisu.
- Fusilli with Meat Sauce (April 19, 2002)
- Fusilli with Chopped Meat Gravy (October 21, 2001)
Ingredients
- 1 pound fusilli pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion (peeled)
- 20 ounces mix of white button and cremini mushrooms (wiped clean)
- salt & pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 28 ounce cans whole peeled, organic tomatoes (Muir Glen)
- to taste hot pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil (cleaned and torn)
- Pecorino romano cheese (Locatelli)
Instructions
We start by heating the olive oil in our dutch oven. We add the onion piece and cook on medium-low heat, turning often. This takes 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, we pulse the cleaned mushrooms in our food processor, a third at a time, until they are just chopped. We do not want them to get too wet. We add the chopped mushrooms to the onion pan and continue with the rest of the mushrooms. We cook, stirring often, over medium heat, with a little salt and pepper. When the mushrooms have released their liquid, we boil this water down. The minced garlic cloves are then added and cooked for 30 seconds.
We pour the tomato liquid from one can into the dutch oven, and put the whole tomatoes from the one can into the rinsed-out food processor. We puree the tomatoes until smooth. When 1 can of tomatoes is completed, we pour it into our dutch oven. We then pour the tomato liquid from the second can into the dutch oven and puree these tomatoes. Once these have been pureed and added to the stove, we add the red pepper flakes, some more salt and pepper, and the bay leaf. We then simmer the sauce for about 20 minutes, partially covered, over medium low heat.
We bring enough water to a boil for a pound of pasta and add a little salt. We cook the fusilli until al dente and drain it in a colander. We add the torn basil to the sauce at this time and turn off the heat. In a large serving bowl, we mix the pasta with some sauce.
We serve this pasta meal with additional tomato-mushroom sauce and some Locatelli.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ large onion (peeled, in one piece)
- 20 oz white button and cremini mushrooms (wiped clean)
- salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 28-oz cans organic whole peeled tomatoes (Muir Glen)
- hot pepper flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb fusilli
- 2 tbsp fresh basil (torn)
- Pecorino Romano (Locatelli)
Instructions
Heat the oil in a dutch oven and cook the onion piece over medium-low, turning often, 5 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, pulse the mushrooms a third at a time in a food processor until just chopped and add them. Cook over medium with salt and pepper until the liquid is released and boiled off. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
Pour the juice from one can into the pot and purée its tomatoes in the rinsed processor. Add, then repeat with the second can. Add pepper flakes, salt, pepper and the bay leaf and simmer partly covered over medium-low about 20 minutes.
Cook the fusilli in salted boiling water until al dente and drain.
Tear the basil into the sauce and turn off the heat. Toss the pasta with some sauce in a serving bowl and serve with more sauce and Romano.