Hot simmer nights

Mushroom ragù with spaghetti

SERVES 4 PREPARATION 20 MINUTES COOK ABOUT 2 ½ HOURS

Mushrooms can be partnered with pretty much the same ingredients as beef: tomatoes, red wine and strong-flavoured herbs spring to mind. I would probably avoid more delicate mushroom varieties like oyster and enoki, as they won’t benefit from slow cooking as much as the more robust button mushrooms and Swiss browns. For a gluten-free meal, simply serve with some mashed potato or polenta instead of the pasta.

1 tbsp1 brown onion, finely chopped400g can crushed tomatoes2 tsp vegetable stock powder2 tsp dark soy sauceLarge handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped2 cups (180g) Swiss brown mushrooms, quartered½ cup (125g) light sour cream½ cup (50g) finely grated parmesan, to serve