Mushroom, lentil and barley ragu
Ingredients:
- 250g carrots (2 or 3)
- 300g onions (3 or 4)
- 300g oyster mushrooms
- 350g tomatoes (3 or 4)
- 4 big garlic cloves
- 100g olive oil
- 70g miso paste
- 40g rose harissa
- 100g tomato paste
- 90g soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
- 60g dried porcini mushrooms
- 100g red wine
- 160g coconut cream
- 180g green lentils
- 100g pearl barley
- black pepper
- polenta
Methods:
- Preheat the oven to 190C.
- Very finely chop carrots, onions, oyster mushrooms and tomatoes. Put them all into a 3L ceramic lasagna tray.
- Use a garlic press to add garlic cloves directly into the vegetables.
- Mix the next 6 ingredients (oil, miso paste, harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce and cumin seeds).
- Add the oil mixture to the tray and mix everything.
- Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Meanwhile, soak the dried mushrooms in 1 litre of boiling water (we will use this water). Mix red wine and coconut cream.
- Once the 40 minutes are almost up, pick out the now soaked mushrooms and chop them.
- Remove the tray from the oven to add lentils, barley and soaked mushrooms. Pour over the red wine and coconut cream mixture. Add a very generous grind of black pepper. Mix everything.
- Add dried mushroom soaking liquid. Add more water if there is space left in the tray.
- Cover the tray tightly with aluminum foil, and return it to the oven.
- Decrease the oven temperature to 180C. Bake for another 40 minutes. Check halfway through and add more water if needed.
- Remove the foil and bake for a final 5 minutes.
- Set aside to rest for at least 15 minutes or overnight.
- Meanwhile make polenta - boil 4 cups of water, whisk 1 cup of polenta into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute.
- Serve the ragu with polenta.
Inspired by Flavour cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi