Hearty one-pot pasta with mushrooms, minced beef and chicory in whiskey miso sauce

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 150 g pasta (maccheroncini) or other pasta with a short cooking time
• 250 g mushrooms, brown
• 200 g minced beef
• 125 g chicory
• 1 m.-sized onion(s)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 200 ml beef broth
• 200 ml apple juice, naturally cloudy
• 200 ml water
• 30 g miso paste, dark (Aka)
• 1 tbsp, heaped tomato paste
• 2 tsp, heaped flour
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 4 cl bourbon whiskey
• 2 tbsp parsley, dried
• 15 g fat (beef fat/beef tallow), refined
• n. B. Pepper, black
• n. B. Pul Biber

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

Clean and slice the mushrooms. Wash the chicory and remove the bottom stalk. Halve the chicory lengthwise, cut out the inner stalk in a wedge shape, and then cut the rest crosswise into strips. Peel the onion and garlic and finely dice both. Heat the beef fat in a large pan and fry the mushrooms over high heat for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add the ground beef and fry for another 2 minutes. Towards the end, reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and garlic to the pan, and sauté for about 4 minutes. Then add the tomato paste and miso paste, stir, and let it cook briefly. Dust with the flour and stir in. Deglaze everything with half of the whiskey and the apple juice. Loosen any sticks from the bottom, stir, and let it reduce for about 1-2 minutes. Then pour in the beef stock and water. Add the vinegar and bring everything to a boil. Now add the chicory and raw pasta and simmer with the lid on over medium heat for about 6 minutes. Then remove the lid and simmer uncovered for another 2-3 minutes, until the sauce has a slightly thickened consistency. Increase the heat again if necessary. Towards the end, add the remaining whiskey for flavor and the parsley. Finally, season with black pepper. When serving, sprinkle with pul biber to taste or for desired spiciness. Notes: You can of course use clarified butter instead of beef fat, but beef fat gives the dish an additional, well-rounded flavor. Pul biber is a paprika flake preparation with oil and salt, which you sprinkle over the finished dish to give it a spicy, full-bodied finish. It is available inexpensively in Turkish supermarkets. Alternatively, you can also use chili flakes, but be careful with the amount, as pure chili flakes are hotter. Tip: The miso paste is used here only as an umami flavor carrier. If you want to retain its healthy properties, you should not cook the paste. Instead, dissolve it in a little liquid and add it to the dish towards the end.