AUTHENTIC VEGAN BOLOGNESE

There’s something special about a real, slow cooked Bolognese sauce and I’ve really missed that as a vegetarian. So I came up with a recipe that will fill that void and hopefully not offend too many Italians.
This recipe is so rich, complex, fulfilling and well worth the time it takes to make.

📷INSTAGRAM:   / flavoursims  

RECIPE:

SERVES: 8-10 (generous servings)
COOKING TIME: 4-5 hours (could be less or more, depending how much time, patience and sanity you have)

INGREDIENTS:
• 1 Red onion, chopped
• 3 Large celery stalks, chopped
• 3 Large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 Garlic cloves, finely diced
• 1 Glass of red wine
• 6 Linda McCartney ¼ pound Vegetarian Burger Patties or 680g-1KG of meat replacement of choice
• 150g Tomato paste
• 400g (1 tin) Whole peeled tomatoes
• 750ml Italian tomato passata
• 2 Litre of vegetable stock
• 1 Cup of non-dairy milk of choice
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 200g (per person) of a wide, flat pasta like pappardelle, tagliatelle or fettuccine
• Vegan parmesan for garnish

METHOD:
In a large, deep pot heat up a generous amount of olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering add your chopped onions and add some salt and pepper. Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. You can add a couple tablespoons of water to prevent the garlic from burning. Add the celery and carrots and some more salt and pepper. Let that all cook down for about 4-5 minutes or until the celery and carrots start to soften. Then add half a glass of red wine and simmer for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate.
Cut your frozen veggie patties into cubes and add to the pot. Break them up using a wooden spoon until they start to look like mince. Fry the meat replacement for a few minutes and then add the second half of your glass of wine. Let that cook for a few minutes for the alcohol to evaporate.
Mix in the tomato paste, let it cook for a couple of minutes to cook off the acidic taste. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and crush the tomatoes with the back of your spoon before adding the passata. Rinse the passata bottle out with water as not to waste any of that tomato-y goodness. Mix everything together and allow to simmer on low heat for 1.5 hours.
After 1.5 hours add 1 litre of vegetable stock and let it simmer for another hour. Keep an eye on the sauce and make sure it doesn’t cook down too much or dry out. The trick is cook it on a very low heat. You want gentle bubbles on the surface, not spitting.
After about an hour add another 500ml to 1 litre of stock and allow to cook for another hour or more. The longer the better!
Once you’re happy with your sauce, take it off the heat and add a cup of your non-dairy milk of choice.
Bring a large pot of water to a rigorous boil and add a generous amount of salt. Pasta water should be salty like the ocean. Add your pasta and cook for 1-2 minutes less than the pack instructions, because we are going to finish the pasta in the sauce.
While the pasta is cooking, add a few ladles of sauce to a large non-stick pan. Drain your pasta but remember to reserve a cup of starchy pasta water. Add your drained pasta to the pan of sauce and start mixing. The sauce should coat the pasta. Add more sauce if necessary. Add some pasta water to loosen the sauce up. The pasta water also adds a beautiful glossiness to the sauce.
Plate it up, garnish with your favourite vegan parmesan and enjoy!