Vegan Ragù
A plant-based take on a Bolognese classic
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I have a few self-imposed rules when it comes to ‘veganising’ dishes. Firstly, I need to believe the end result will be objectively delicious - there really is no point recreating something for the sake of it unless I have faith that the final dish will be good, not a good imitation of the original but actually good in and of itself. Secondly, there shouldn’t be so many substitutions that you end up with an entirely different dish. The flavour will invariably be different, and I don’t even necessarily encourage chasing a ‘meaty’ taste, but I think the spirit of the original should be retained when attempting to ‘veganise’. And thirdly, I always ask myself ‘would starting from scratch be better than trying to recreate an existing dish?’. Often times I feel that vegan food can get really caught up in imitation rather than focusing on developing a new lexicon of its own. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the occasional vegan sausage, patty, cheeze etc. but I don’t think we should get stuck chasing imitations and ignoring the incredible plethora of existing plant-based foods.
All this to say I personally ‘veganise’ very little but there are some dishes like a hearty bowl of ragù alla bolognese I genuinely feel work well within my highly subjective guidelines. I grew up in the UK so naturally I had plenty of what Brits call ‘spaghetti bolognese’. As a child it was one of my favourites although of course, with age and multiple trips to Italy I have since learnt that this British invention (read bastardisation by Italians) has actually very little to do with authentic ragù alla bolognese. Broadly speaking traditional recipes usually include a sauce made with minced meat, carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf, wine, a little milk and served with wide pastas like tagliatelle or fettuccine (not spaghetti).
Ragù alla bolognese is less acidic, richer and more comforting (I find) than the tomato-heavy British version I grew up with. And it’s the ragù I’ve styled by veganised version after. I figured if i’m going to imitate a dish then I should at least start at the source in order to retain as much of its essence as I can. With the help of some plants-based tweaks I think my version really holds its ground and pays genuine homage to the classic. Many will disagree and I apologise to whomever I will inevitably offend but I love this plant-based ragù and I truly believe it can win over even the staunchest of purists - I hope so anyway.
Daniela x
Recipe
Serves 4-6. Approx 45mins.
1 medium sized carrot (diced)
1 celery stalk (finely sliced)
1 small onion (diced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
160g chestnut mushrooms (finely diced)
2 bay leaves
150ml vegan red wine
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegan bouillon powder
1½ tbsp nutritional yeast
150ml soy milk (or other vegan milk)
50g soy protein mince (dry)
Olive oil
500g tagliatelle (or fettuccine if you prefer)
Salt & Pepper
5tbsp vegan parmesan (plus more for serving)
Method
In a heavy-based sauce pan, over a medium heat add a generous drizzle of olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, bay leaf, garlic and onion and cook until softened. Then add the mushrooms and sauté for a couple of minutes.
Add the wine and allow simmer for a couple of minutes until the alcohol has cooked off. Then stir in the tomato puree.
Add the bouillon powder, nutritional yeast, soy sauce, a splash of the milk and 150ml of water and bring back to a simmer.
Season with salt and pepper and cook uncovered over low-medium for 20-30 mins until the veg are tender. Add the rest of the milk little by little as it cooks, giving everything an occasional stir.
While the sauce cooks, rehydrate your mince by adding it to a bowl and covering with boiling water. Follow the packet instructions and make sure to squeeze out the excess water well. Once the pasta sauce is nice and thick add the soy mince and stir until evenly coated. Cook for a further 10 minutes with the lid on.
Cook your pasta in salted water as per the packet instructions. Once ready strain, reserving some of the pasta water, and add the pasta to the sauce pan. Turn the heat off, add the vegan parmesan and a little pasta water and stir well until the pasta is well coated. Add a little more pasta water if it’s too dry but don’t add too much as the sauce shouldn’t be too wet.
Dish out onto plates and top with more parmesan. Enjoy!
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