Lentils are a highly nutritious and make for an excellent alternative to meat for this hearty mushroom ragù.
How to prepare mushrooms
No waste and no fuss make mushrooms one of the easiest ingredients to prepare. There is no need to peel mushrooms, apart from being time consuming a lot of goodness and flavour is in the skin. Wipe mushrooms gently with a damp cloth. If necessary, simply use a soft brush to remove any dirt from the skin surface and trim the stem end. If there is some residual compost still on the mushroom when you buy them, just brush it off. Do not soak mushrooms in water, as the mushrooms will absorb water.
1.Place half of each variety of mushroom in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer to a bowl.
2.Heat half the oil in a large deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook chopped mushrooms, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until softened and browned. Transfer to a 6-litre (24-cup) slow cooker.
3.Heat remaining oil in same frying pan over high heat. Cook remaining whole mushrooms for 4 minutes, stirring, until browned; transfer to cooker.
4.Add onion, carrot and celery to same frying pan; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add red wine and porcini; cook for 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in harissa; cook, stirring, 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the stock, bay leaves, canned tomatoes and lentils; season. Transfer mixture to cooker; stir to combine. Cook, covered, on low for 4 hours.
5.Serve ragù with [creamy polenta](https://www.womensweeklyfood.com.au/recipes/soft-polenta-1-5639|target=”_blank”|rel=”nofollow”).
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