Porcini Rigatoni Pie

Directions

1. Roughly chop the mushrooms, then add them to a food processor and lightly pulse until chopped. Combine the mushrooms with 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and a few twists of black pepper, and toss to combine. Spread the mushroom mixture out onto a parchment-lined baking tray, and bake for 30 minutes- giving it a stir halfway through
2. Reduce the oven temperature to 200*C
3. In the meantime, combine the dried porcini mushrooms with hot vegetable stock, and cover to soak for 30 minutes. Once softened, strain & reserve the liquid, and roughly chop up the porcini mushrooms
4. Chop the onion, carrot & celery into 2-3 cm chunks. Add these and the garlic cloves to a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to the Shallow Casserole Dutch Oven on medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions, garlic, carrot and celery, and cook for 8 minutes until softened. Pour over with the tomato passata, 1 tsp salt & a few cracks of black pepper, and simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Add in the softened porcini mushrooms & roasted mushrooms, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
6. Pour in the reserved porcini soaked stock & 750ml hot water and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened. Pour in 100ml of cream, add half the cheese & parsley, and mix until everything is combined. Remove from heat. Spoon out about 2/3 of the ragu into another bowl and set aside.
7. Cook the pasta according to packet instructions shy of 2 minutes, then add the cooked pasta to the casserole. Fold into the ragu until everything is well coated, then carefully stack the rigatoni one by one (I’ve used chopsticks to help get everything balanced!).
8. Pour the remaining ragu into a piping bag, then fill each rigatoni tube until the pasta is densely filled. Add any remaining sauce to the edges or any cracks and crevices, then sprinkle over with the remaining cheese & parsley. Drizzle over with the rest of the cream, cover with foil & bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 10-15 minutes, until the tops are crispy and golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.