Pasta with vegetable Bolognese sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 package (560g) of tortellini with cheese
• 3/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (about 220 g)
• 3 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 red onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 90 g unsalted butter
• 0.5 cups dry white wine
• 1 can (800g) San Marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 cup fresh basil, torn

Preparation:

1. Soak the mushrooms for 5 minutes in 1 cup of hot water. Strain through a sieve lined with a paper towel. Set aside the liquid and rinse the mushrooms.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook according to package directions. Set aside 1 cup of water and discard the rest.
3. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion, and thyme and puree. Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large Dutch oven or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the vegetables, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, until they begin to brown, about 4 minutes.
4. Add the wine and mushroom liquid; bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the liquid has reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the basil, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the tortellini. Stir to coat the tortellini with the sauce, adding some of the cooking water if necessary to thin the sauce.