Vegan Recipes: Italy
[This page is in the earliest
stages of development:12
February 2005 ]
spaghetti Bolognese
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Spaghetti: 500g
Capsicum (bell) peppers (any colour): 3x
Carrot: 500g
Onion: 1x
Chopped tomatoes: 2x cans
Ratatouille: 1x can
Black olives (stoned): 150g
TVP (soya) mince: 100g (dried) or 200g (Realeat)
Garlic: 3x teaspoons (powder) or 6x cloves of garlic
Basil: 2x teaspoons (dried) or 2x table spoons (fresh, chopped)
Oregano: 2x teaspoons (dried)
Bay leaves: 5x
Black pepper (grated): to taste
Vegetable stock (dried): 2x teaspoons
Salt: 1x teaspoon [for cooking the pasta]
- Deseed and cut into strips the capsicum peppers. Fry in a little oil until golden brown and soft but not mushy.
- Peel and finely dice the onion. Fry in a little oil until golden brown and soft.
- Peel and grate the carrots in a food processor; or else peel and finely slice them. Put them in a covered microwave-proof dish with a table spoon of water and microwave on full power for ten minutes.
- Into a large pan empty the cans of tomatoes and ratatouille, and add the capsicum peppers, onion and carrot. On the hob, bring the contents of the pan to the boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to allow the contents of the pan to simmer.
- After draining any brine or oil from the olives, stir the TVP, olives, garlic, basil, oregano, bay leaves, black pepper and vegetable stock into the contents of the pan. Simmer the Bolgnese sauce, stirring occasionally.
- Into a large saucepan pour 2 litres of boiling water. To the water add a teaspoon of salt and a splash of vegetable oil (this latter to some extent reduces frothing). On the hob, bring the water back to the boil.
- Divide
the spaghetti into five (100g) bunches, and add each in turn to the
boiling water, allowing the water to return to the boil before adding the
next. As the spaghetti softens it risks sticking
together. Stir the spaghetti to prevent clumping. If the water froths
up too vigorously, reduce the heat a little so that the water is still
visibly boiling but is no longer frothing up. Stir the spaghetti from time
to time. Follow the instructions on the packet to determine when the
spaghetti is cooked, although this will be
between 15 and 20 minutes.
