VEGETARIAN BOLOGNESE
Unlike a traditional Bolognese sauce, this riff on the classic has no meat and isn't simmered for hours, but the results are still rich, buttery and sweet. Mild cauliflower and soffrito - the carrot, celery and onion mix that is the traditional base of the the sauce - become the bulk. Tomato paste and soy sauce are toasted to build umami. Then, everything is braised with whole milk, which softens the vegetables and adds silkiness. Swap the cauliflower for broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage, eggplant, or even green lentils, chickpeas or crumbled tempeh. To make it vegan, swap 2 tablespoons oil for butter in Step 1, use nondairy milk, and swap 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast for Parmesan.
Provided by Ali Slagle
Categories dinner, weekday, pastas, vegetables, main course
Time 45m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter with the olive oil over medium-high. When foaming, add the onion, carrots and cauliflower, season with 1 teaspoon salt and a few pepper grinds. Cook, stirring just once or twice, until browned and juicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato paste, soy sauce and garlic and cook, stirring and smashing the vegetables, until the tomato paste is a shade darker and sticks to the bottom of the pot, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the milk and bay leaf, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to low, and stir to combine, scraping up browned bits from the pot. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the milk has thickened slightly and the vegetables are very soft, 15 to 20 minutes. (At first the pan will look dry, then the vegetable liquid will thin the sauce and it will thicken slightly).
- Halfway through cooking the sauce, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain. If the sauce is ready before the pasta, remove sauce from heat and keep covered.
- Remove the bay leaf from the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Increase heat to medium-high. Add the pasta, 1/2 cup pasta water, the Parmesan and the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir vigorously until the pasta is well coated, adding more pasta water as needed until the sauce is glossy. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with more grated Parmesan on top.
CHICKPEA PASTA WITH CAULIFLOWER BOLOGNESE
If you don't have a food processor you can coarsely grate the cauliflower instead. Chickpea pasta is one of the best and most delicious gluten-free alternatives to regular pasta, but if you wanted you could use whole wheat pasta instead.
Provided by Donal Skehan
Categories main-dish
Time 35m
Yield 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
Steps:
- In a food processor, blitz the cauliflower until it is riced and tip into a bowl. Add the mushrooms to the food processor and pulse these too until they are chopped small.
- Heat the oil in a large saute pan and fry the onion for 5 minutes over a medium heat until soft, then add the garlic, chile flakes and rosemary and fry for 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower and mushrooms, season well with salt and pepper and fry over a high heat for 6 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato puree and cook for a few more minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a saucepan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 250ml (1 cup) of the water. Add the pasta to the cauliflower pan and toss together with half the Parmesan for 2 to 3 minutes, loosen with the reserved pasta cooking water as needed. Serve with the rest of the Parmesan scattered over the top.
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