Into a proper one Bolognese belongs to meat. I’ll leave it like that for now, even if this is about one vegetarian version this beloved sauce. At least I was always of the opinion that this is how it is and remains so, because my first encounter with a Bolognese with only lentils didn’t particularly convince me. But why? The small black lentils have almost the same amount of glutamic acid as minced meat.
So this wanted to be examined in more detail: In the case of minced meat, the umami (the savory and meaty taste) is tied to the cooking time. Only when a ragù is braised long enough are these amino acids released.
This is where the fungus comes into play. Especially the shiitake mushroom. Together, he and the beluga lentil manage to even surpass the classic bolognese with meat in terms of umami. So from a scientific point of view. If you want to take the trouble to determine the proportions of natural (free) glutamate. But you can also leave that alone and rely on the fact that with the mixture of lentils and mushrooms (although this works even better with dried mushrooms) you have created a combination that offers full umami power.
It should not go unmentioned that roasted vegetables, tomatoes and finally the hard cheese also contribute to the full taste. It’s just quicker until you can enjoy pouring the sauce over the pasta.
Long live science!
Ragù with beluga lentils and mushrooms
For four
90 g beluga lentils
3 tbsp olive oil
300 g mixed mushrooms and shiitake (or other mushrooms such as herb mushrooms), chopped
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, diced
1 parsley root, peeled and diced
Sea salt
5 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp chipotle chili powder (or smoked paprika powder)
½ tsp mild chili flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste
200 ml dry red wine
350 ml vegetable broth
1 level tablespoon dried oregano
1 can of chopped tomatoes (400 ml)
100 ml cream
1 tbsp soy sauce
60g grated Parmesan
fresh parsley for sprinkling
Serve with pasta or polenta.
Cook the lentils in a pot of unsalted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a cast iron pot and fry the onions, carrots and parsley roots for 8 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and season with a pinch of sea salt.
Add tomato paste and fry for another 2 minutes until the mixture is browned.
Deglaze with the wine, stir well and loosen the drippings.
After about 2 minutes, add the vegetable stock, chopped tomatoes, oregano and lentils. Simmer for 10 minutes with the lid closed, then another 10 minutes with the lid open.
Stir in soy sauce, cream and half of the Parmesan. From here you can put the lid on again and let it steep without direct heat.
In the meantime, prepare the pasta or polenta.
Before serving, heat the ragù again, season to taste if necessary and serve with chopped parsley and the remaining Parmesan.
