Mushroom-Artichoke Ragout

Name: Mushroom-Artichoke Ragout
Yield: serves 4 as a first course
Ingredients: 8 baby artichokes or large artichoke hearts; 1 pound asparagus, trimmed and peeled; 1 pound fresh meaty mushrooms, such as porcini; 4 cloves garlic, sliced; Strips of lemon zest; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; Olive oil, for drizzling; 2 long sprigs thyme; 1 bay leaf; 1 1/2 cups dry white wine; Juice of 1/2 lemon

January 24, 2012

This delicious stew of roasted baby artichokes, trumpet mushrooms, and asparagus is a nod to spring. Deborah Madison and I developed this recipe at her Santa Fe home using ingredients from the local farmers’ market and topped it with a lovely goat cheese from northern New Mexico. Upon returning home to Northern California, I roasted the ragout in a clay baker in my wood-fired oven, which further highlighted the earthy flavors. It’s easy to prepare, and the rich broth and meaty mushrooms are so satisfying. All you need is a few hunks of crusty bread and some beautiful cheese and you have a robust supper.

Recipe notes

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