Rachel Roddy’s recipe for hazelnut and mushroom ragu with pasta

“Antica e desueta [archaic and forgotten] is a beguiling introduction to a recipe,” I said to my friend, the cook and writer Stefano Arturi, when we talked on the phone the other week. He laughed, noting that those words in relation to recipes made him both curious and, because of their foggy closeness to mythologising, suspicious.

It was his recipe for hazelnut ragu that started it all, sending us down more or less the same paths in books and online, where we met more of the same thing: fabulously contradictory stories in which ragu made from hazelnuts was an ancient Piedmontese dish of great beauty born out of economy and hardship, and also “forgotten”, which justifies the lack of any evidence as to where it actually came from. Yet also, a breezy, contemporary dish that, like so many modern dishes, was scorned by those faithful to more traditional (ancient, authentic) versions. There were other claims, too, such as “This is the authentic recipe” and “This is an improvisational dish: do as you wish”. In short, a big tangle, which makes for entertaining reading. Although maybe not for those of the opinion that recipe writers should stop the self-indulgent introductions and get straight to the recipe – which is what we did.

Armed with half a dozen sets of advice and opinions, we mixed together hazelnuts, mushrooms, diced vegetables, herbs, wine, tomato, heat and time with the aim of creating – in Stefano’s words – a deeply flavoured sauce and sumptuous condiment that is as satisfying as a conventional meat ragu. Not that this is in any way attempting to be a substitute for anything: it is a dish in its own right, and one that reminds us what delicious, useful, oily, satisfying things hazelnuts (and cobnuts) are, especially when they are paired with mushrooms. The secrets of success are softening the finely diced vegetables and herbs slowly, so as to bring out their depth of flavour; chopping the nuts roughly for a mixed texture (the rubbly bits give body, while the more floury bits help to thicken the sauce); and simmering the ragu slowly for about an hour, so everything comes together and steams up the kitchen windows.

One option is to serve this with mashed potato, or polenta, or gnocchi made from potatoes or pumpkin, or long pasta – in which case boil 400-500g fresh egg tagliatelle or linguine in well-salted water. While the pasta is boiling, pour the ragu into a warm bowl, then, once the pasta is ready, either drain or use a spider to lift it directly into the sauce. Add a handful of grated cheese, too, if you like, then toss gently and serve this timeless dish immediately with lots of red wine.

Hazelnut and mushroom ragu with pasta

Serves 4

150g shelled hazelnuts or cobnuts, lightly toasted in a pan
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and very finely diced
1 carrot, trimmed and very finely diced
1 celery stalk, trimmed and very finely diced
Salt
1 bushy sprig fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves, crushed but whole
250ml glass red wine
1 small dried or fresh red chilli
½ tin (200g) whole or chopped tomatoes
A knob of butter
400g mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
400-500g egg tagliatelle, or linguine
Grated parmesan, to serve (optional)

Using a knife or food processor, cut or pulse the nuts until they have a rough, sandy texture. Working in a heavy-based pan or casserole, warm the olive oil and soften the diced vegetables with a pinch of salt, plus the rosemary and bay leaves for about five minutes. Add the nuts and cook, stirring, for five minutes more.

Raise the heat slightly, add the wine and leave everything to bubble for a while, then add the chilli, tip in the tomatoes, season with salt if necessary, and simmer over a low heat for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a frying pan and, once it’s foaming, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until they collapse and are just starting to take on some colour. Pull the pan off the heat, add the minced garlic, then tip the lot, along with any pan juices, into the simmering ragu. Cook for another 15 minutes, until the ragu is dense and tasty, then adjust for salt, if need be.

Boil the pasta in well-salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain and lift directly into the ragu pan. Add grated parmesan, if you like, then toss well and serve immediately.