Mushroom and Tomato Ragout

Recipe: Mushroom and Tomato Ragout
Page: 32
Date Cooked: May 27, 2012

I wasn't sure what to expect in this recipe. I've always thought of a ragout as a main entree and that it involved meat. But according to Jonathan Waxman's cookbook - this ragout is labelled a starter and is vegetarian.

Cremini mushrooms, shallots, beefsteak tomatoes, country bread, garlic, olive oil, poblano chile, asparagus, unsalted butter, Madeira wine, rosemary, chives, parsley, salt and pepper

I cleaned the mushrooms and quartered them; minced the shallots, and cut the tomatoes into chunks.

(1) Cremini mushrooms (2) Shallots (3) Tomatoes

I toasted the bread until golden brown, rubbed a garlic clove half on the slices, and drizzled each piece with olive oil. I also roasted the poblano chile in the broiler until blackened and blistered all over. The chile steamed in a bowl covered in plastic wrap for a few minutes. Finally, I peeled the chile by hand, stemmed, seeded, and diced it.

Left: Blacked and blistered poblano
Right: Diced poblano

In the meantime, I brought a pot of water to a boil, trimmed the asparagus, and cooked the asparagus for a few minutes. I drained the asparagus, let it cool, and then diced it.

Left: Trimming asparagus
Right: Diced asparagus

I melted butter in a large pot, added the mushrooms, and cooked the mushrooms til tender. I then added the shallots and chile, cooking until softened. I added the Madeira, scrapping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and brought the mixture to a simmer. Finally, in went the asparagus, tomatoes, rosemary, chives, parsley, and some more butter. The ragout cooked until the butter melted and the vegetables heated through. 

Cooking the ragout

Finally, I topped each toast with the mushroom and tomato ragout...

Mushroom and Tomato Ragout

This dish felt like a play on a bruschetta. It definitely looks like bruschetta. But it didn't taste quite like bruschetta. The mushroom and tomato ragout had a lot more flavors and textures going on. I enjoyed the dish. The flavors were simple and delicious. Also, the recipe didn't involve much. I would keep this in my back pocket as a future vegetarian appetizer. 

Enjoy!