what-to-cook
Recipes to power (and refuel you after) your weekend adventures.
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Good morning. Lent began on Wednesday, the start of a commemoration of the 40 days Jesus spent in the Judean Desert, fasting and avoiding the temptations of Satan. It’s a period of prayer, abstention and almsgiving for many Christians, solemn preparation for the miracle of Easter. And, for many, it means avoiding meat on Fridays.
For them, then, though really for anyone with a taste for the delicious (it wouldn’t be a bad call for an iftar meal if you’re observing Ramadan, or for Shabbat dinner): this lovely porcini ragù that Ligaya Mishan adapted from a recipe the cookbook writer Ixta Belfrage ate as a child growing up in Tuscany.
It comes together far more quickly than a ragù you’d make with ground pork or beef, with dried porcinis plumped in hot water, which are then chopped and fried with tomato paste, garlic, crushed red pepper and parsley. Hit that with a lot of freshly ground black pepper, some of the water you used for the mushrooms, a little cream and a shower of Parmesan. Toss with tagliatelle and finish with olive oil and a little more cheese. Then give thanks, for this is a fantastic meal.
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Porcini Ragù
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So, too, is a breakfast of Saturday pancakes, and in particular these light, fluffy and rich pancakes that Mark Bittman brought to The Times years ago, with whipped egg whites in the batter and ricotta to boot. Those under maple syrup, with a scattering of coined bananas, are a weekend joy, just the breakfast to consume before an adventure outside the house, experiencing the world.
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