Smokey Ragu
This Valentine's Day, skip the crowded restaurants and cozy up at home with our Smokey Ragu. Packed full of flavour we've paired the smokiness of smoked tofu with tender aubergines, for a heart-warming dish that's sure to impress any meat lover in your life! Packed with smoked tofu and tender aubergines - nothing says romance like a big bowl of pasta and a glass of wine!
Serves
Ingredients
For the Aubergine
<item-todo-done>2 aubergines<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp olive oil<item-todo-done>
For the ‘mince’
<item-todo-done>200g block of smoked tofu<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>½ tbsp olive oil<item-todo-done>
For the Ragu
<item-todo-done>1 onion<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>4 cloves of garlic<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 large carrot<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 red chilli<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>6 sundried tomatoes<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 tbsp tomato purée<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tsp smoked paprika<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>600g Passata<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>5 sprigs of fresh thyme<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>2 sprigs of fresh rosemary<item-todo-done><item-todo-done>1 tbsp balsamic vinegar<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> salt and pepper to taste<item-todo-done>
For the Pasta
<item-todo-done>500g pasta<item-todo-done>
To Serve
<item-todo-done> plant-based parmesan<item-todo-done><item-todo-done> big green salad<item-todo-done>
Before you start
Box grater | Oven preheated to 200*C fan setting | 2 baking trays | Food processor
| Large frying pan with a lid
For the aubergine
- Prick the aubergine skins with a fork and transfer to a baking tray. Rub with olive oil. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes until the skin is blistered and the inside is tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool until handable
- Peel and discard the skins. Using two forks, pull the flesh into bite size pieces
For the ‘mince’
- Add the tofu to the food processor and pulse until a mince is formed. Transfer onto a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 15 minutes until the tofu is turning golden
- If you don’t have a food processor, you can break the tofu by hand
Prepare the ragu ingredients
- Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic
- Peel and grate the carrot with the large holes of a box grater. Alternatively, you can chop by hand
- De-seed and finely chop the red chilli
- Roughly chop the sun dried tomatoes
Start the ragu and cook the pasta
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and a pinch of salt and saute for 8-10 minutes until starting to soften. Once soft, stir through the chopped garlic, red chilli, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato puree and smoked paprika and sauté for another minute. Next, add the passata, thyme and rosemary sprigs. Pour in 100ml water and bring to a simmer. Cover with the lid and cook on low to medium heat for 30 minutes
- Cook the pasta as per instructions on the packet
- Add the tofu to the tomato mixture, followed by prepared aubergine and balsamic vinegar
- Taste and season to perfection
Serve up
- Toss the cooked pasta into the ragu
- Serve with lashings of plant-based parmesan and a big green salad