Foraged bolognese
Good for when you have a heap of tomatoes and eggplant.
Ingredients
- onions
- peanut oil or coconut oil (really any oil with high smoke point)
- eggplant
- tomatoes
- woody herbs (e.g. rosemary and/or thyme)
- textured soy protein (usually sold as TVP)
- legumes (e.g. lentils, chickpeas, beans, etc.)
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion and cook with oil in large pot - medium heat. Add salt, this breaks down the cell walls of the plant via osmosis, accelerating the softening time.
- Cube the eggplant, roll it in oil and salt. Roast it in a very hot oven. Cook for 30-40 min or until slightly charred, soft and dehydrated. Cooking the eggplant separately to the rest of the bolognaise will stop it becoming gluey and fucked.
- Meanwhile, dice capsicum and garlic, add to the softened onion. Fry all that up till soft. Add woody herbs like rosemary and thyme.
- Dice fresh tomato, as much as possible, and chuck it in the pot. Crank up the heat to full and cover the pot so you don't lose water and the cooking time is accelerated. Stir regularly so you don't burn the fuck out of the sauces' ass. Add salt at this stage too for the exact same reason you did with the onion.
- Once it's looking saucey (i.e. the tomato has structurally collapsed) add any canned tomatoes if you need to. Add any dried vegan protein (that soy based textured stuff). If it starts looking stiff, add water from the tomato cans.
- Take off the heat. Add any pre-soaked/canned legumes, leafy herbs (oregano, basil), and the cooked eggplant. Season with salt/pepper until maximum yum has been achieved.
- Serve over pasta.
Eat against the machine. Community is delicious.