from Just Another Perfect Day
This dish is a family favourite, and even our meat-loving dads go crazy over it. The sauce is rich, hearty and so satisfying and basically everything one could hope for in a pasta sauce. We chop the veggies very fine so that they almost disappear into the sauce. You can skip chopping by hand, and like us, use a food processor instead. This works really well!
Simply fire them in the food processor whole! It not only makes for a better texture, but unsuspecting kids will have zero clue how healthy it is—mom win! The sauce freezes nicely. We always kick ourselves for not making a double batch.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons (60 mL) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups (500 mL) finely chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
1 cup (250 mL) very finely chopped peeled carrots
1 cup (250 mL) very finely chopped celery (3 stalks)
2 tablespoons (30 mL) vegan butter 1¼ pounds (565 g) brown and/or portobello mushrooms, very finely chopped (6 cups/1.5 L)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup (125 mL) red wine (we use cabernet merlot)
1 can (5½ ounces/156 mL) tomato paste
4 teaspoons (20 mL) beef-flavoured vegetarian stock concentrate
2 cups (500 mL) water
1 can (28 ounces/796 mL) diced tomatoes
½ cup (125 mL) nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon (15 mL) dried oregano
1 tablespoon (15 mL) dried basil
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon (20 mL) fennel seeds, finely ground
1½ teaspoons (7 mL) red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
¼ cup (60 mL) cashew cream or soy creamer
18 ounces (500 g) bucatini or spaghetti
Vegan Parm
Cashew Sauce
3 cups (750 mL) raw cashews
3 cups (500 mL) water
Vegan Parm
1 cup (250 mL) raw cashews
¼ cup (60 mL) nutritional yeast
¾ teaspoon (4 mL) sea salt
¼ teaspoon (1 mL) garlic powder
Directions
Heat 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent, 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In another large frying pan over medium heat, melt the vegan butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 mL) olive oil. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and begin to brown, 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the red wine and continue to cook until the wine is reduced by half, stirring with a wooden spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the tomato paste, stock concentrate, and water and stir.
Add the cooked onion mixture, tomatoes with their juice, nutritional yeast, oregano, basil, and fennel. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thick, 20 to 30 minutes. If it is too thick, add more stock and water; if it is too thin, continue to reduce.
Add the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the Cashew Cream.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain.
Divide the pasta among pasta dishes. Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve immediately with Vegan Parm on the side.
Cashew Cream
Soak the cashews in water for at least 4 hours or overnight (up to 12 hours) in the fridge. Drain and rinse before using.
In a high-speed blender, blend the drained cashews and the water on high speed until it is very smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Store in a resealable container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Note
Cashew cream is an absolute staple in any plant-based cooking. It is so creamy, it’s easy to make, and it requires zero straining (unlike most other nut milks). If you find this too thick, simply blend in a bit more water. Be sure to use raw cashews, not roasted ones. If you are short on time, you can use a quick-soak method instead of soaking the nuts overnight: pour boiling water over the cashews, cover, let sit for 30 minutes, drain, rinse, and you are ready to go! Just don’t soak them longer than 12 hours or they will be bitter.
Vegan Parm
In a mini food processor, pulse the cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder until finely ground, 20 to 40 seconds. Store in a resealable container at room temperature for up to 3 months.
We love how simple it is to make your own vegan parmesan! Although this will not melt like traditional Parmesan cheese, it does add a similar flavour.
Serves 4 to 6
VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE/GLUTEN-FREE OPTION/NUT-FREE OPTION GLUTEN-FREE: Use gluten-free pasta and stock concentrate.
NUT-FREE: Use soy creamer instead of Cashew Cream.
Nada’s Tips & Tricks: For those not interested in the vegan options or don’t have ingredients readily available (esp true in remote areas of Canada), substitute what is available: regular pasta, table cream. Add any parm (chicken, eggplant) that you like or is available to you. You can combine traditional with healthy…use recipes as a launch pad and put your own twist on them.
Excerpted from Fraiche food, full hearts: a collection of recipes for every day and casual celebrations by Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Copyright © 2019 Jillian Harris and Tori Wesszer. Photography by Janis Nicolay. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/556296/fraiche-food-full-hearts-by-jillian-harris-and-tori-wesszer/9780735234307