VEG SPAGHETTI BOLOGNASE

Spaghetti Bolognase is from the Italian Cuisine. The Bolognase or Bolognese sauce is usually meat based with a generous use of tomatoes and red wine. Now since most of my cooking (not all) is vegetarian, thought of creating a veg version of the Bolognese. Now this recipe cannot be termed as a traditional Bolognese since there are a lot of ingredients used which are not used in a traditional sauce. And some ingredients that are used traditionally are not used here, but nevertheless this recipe tastes fantastic.

Here instead of the regular meat (beef or pork) mince I have used soya granules which give almost a similar texture as meat and gets cooked faster too. In some of the vegetarian version that are found on the internet, mushrooms or red lentils are also used. So you can give a try with any of these other two options too. So lets begin ... 

VEG SPAGHETTI BOLOGNASE

INGREDIENTS

Spaghetti	A handful
Garlic minced	2 – 3 cloves
Onion chopped	1 no
Celery chopped	2 tbsp
Olive oil	2 – 3 tbsp
Tomatoes blanched peeled and chopped	4 – 5 nos
Tomato puree	¼ cup
Soya granules	1 cup
Basil leaves	4 – 5 nos
Salt	T.T.
Pepper pdr	T.T.
Parsley chopped	1 tsp
Garlic pdr (optional)	¼ tsp
Parmesan grated	For garnish

METHOD:

1.       Heat 3 – 4 cups water till almost boiling.

2.       Switch off the flame and add in the soya granules.

3.       Allow them to soak into the water for around 10 – 15 min.

4.       Strain out the water, refresh the granules 2 – 3 times in fresh water. Squeeze out the excess water.

5.       They are now ready to use. Reserve till further use.

6.       In a separate pot heat 2 – 3 litres of water.

7.       When it comes to a rolling boil, add in 1 tsp of oil and season with salt.

8.       Add in the spaghetti. Do not break it. As it cooks, it will slide into the pot.

9.       Cook the spaghetti till just cooked to the bite.

10.   Drain out the water, refresh the spaghetti in cold water to stop the cooking process.

11.   Keep in a colander to drain off all the excess water.

12.   Drizzle some olive oil over it and toss to prevent the spaghetti from sticking to each other.

13.   Reserve till further use.

14.   Heat olive oil, add in the garlic and onion. Saute till transparent. (usually ¼ cup finely chopped or grated carrots are also added at this stage)

15.   Add in the celery, toss it around and then add in the soya granules.

16.   Stir it around well.

17.   Now add in the basil, chopped tomatoes, and the tomato puree ( I also added in 1 tbsp tomato ketchup)

18.   Boil down for around 5 min, allow to reduce till the sauce is cooked well. (thyme and red wine is also added at this stage)

19.   Season with salt and pepper and add in a little stock or the water used to cook the spaghetti (or ¼ cup milk) if the sauce is too thick and dry. (I also added in garlic pdr, chopped parsley  and mix herb)

20.   Now add in the prepared spaghetti and toss it lightly into the sauce.

21.   There are a few ingredients that I have cheated on (which are mentioned in the above points in brackets) which are not used in a Bolognase sauce but taste wonderful nevertheless like tomato ketchup, mix herb.

22.   Besides this I have also added in garlic pdr as I like it extra garlicky.

23.   There are also a few ingredients that are not used here, but are usually added into a Bolognase like carrots, red wine, milk, thyme.

24.   Plate the spaghetti on to a serving plate.

25.   Spoon some sauce over.

26.   Drizzle over with a little olive oil, grated parmesan cheese and garnish with a sprig of basil or parsley.

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