Soy-Braised Mushroom Ragu Pappardelle

Finely dice 120g shiitake mushrooms, 120g button mushrooms, 100g onion, 50g carrot, and 3 garlic cloves into similarly small pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a deep pan and cook the onion and carrot over low heat for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and mushrooms, raise the heat to high, and continue until the released mushroom liquid has evaporated completely and the edges begin to brown. Avoid moving the mushrooms constantly so they spend enough time in contact with the pan to take on color. Add 1.5 tablespoons tomato paste and cook it for 1 minute. Pour in 80ml dry white wine and scrape the browned material from the bottom of the pan into the liquid. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, lower the heat, and simmer for 12 minutes. The ragu should be concentrated with very little loose liquid remaining. Add 0.5 teaspoon black pepper only after the sauce has reduced, then check the seasoning. Cook 180g pappardelle in salted water until al dente and transfer it to the ragu. Add pasta water in small amounts only until the sauce spreads evenly over the wide ribbons. Fully reducing the mushroom moisture before the wine goes in, then concentrating the wine mixture over low heat, prevents a watery finished sauce.