Author: chefalice

When you hear the word ragu, it usually signifies a long cooking process and a dish made with meat. But since the star of this ragu is mushrooms, the cook time is significantly shorter. The umami taste profile from the tomato sauce and the Parmesan cheese plus the nucleotides (organic molecules that enhance umami flavor) in the mushrooms provide a mouthwatering meaty flavor without meat!

This rich dish will have you coming back for more with its savory, salty, and slightly sweet flavor. Serve it with a simple green salad to balance its richness. When divided among four people, it makes a very good starter, too.

My husband and I are both German, and this recipe is very close to our hearts. We had our first taste of it in Fussen, Germany, high in the mountains. It is a tasty dish often served in the fall.

Using ground meat is an easy way to introduce young children to Asian flavors—just leave out the chiles.

Rubbing the steak with this spicy mix and allowing it to rest lets the flavors really permeate the meat.