Frank Sinatra ~ The Lady is a Tramp
Nelly & Jaheim ~ My Place
Thunder ~ Love Walked In
Melissa Etheridge ~ Yes I Am
The Beach Boys ~ Do It Again
Wynonna Judd ~ Girls & Guitars
Slash ft Myles Kennedy ~ Back From Cali
Sometimes nothing but an old classic will do. Today was one of those days....and it was enjoyed by all that had some of it. Penne is one of my favourite pasta shapes and I have no idea why..lol. It's second to spaghetti or linguine which are my most favourite as I have many happy memories of eating it as a child and my Mum laughing at my attempts to tame the extra long strands of white pasta. lol.
Anyway these days I rarely eat white pasta as I find I don't like the texture or flavour anymore. I always go for the wholewheat or mixed wheat variety. I like the wholesome flavour and the texture of the wholewheat pastas. And it was a very happy day when I found a wholewheat macaroni twirl online..lol. I know..small things..lol.
I had intended to make a lasagne today but my body was objecting to this so with the much needed help from my lovely sister and my niece N...we somehow managed to make this lovely classic bolognese sauce which I served with wholewheat penne pasta for my sister's lunch and then as an evening meal for my pal F. I even enjoy this sauce served on it's own with some bread to dip in. I haven't always liked TVP because I have nightmarish memories of my Grandad serving me the horribly chewy lumps when he went through a vegetarian experiment back in the 80's. Not good. But then a couple of years ago a pal R made a tomato sauce and added TVP granules...I reluctantly tried the sauce and to my surprise I loved it. The key word here is granules...not lumps. So now I eat it quite happily.
Once again this fantastic recipe is from the kitchen of Linda Majzlik and in particular her A Vegan Taste of Italy
This sauce is full of savoury flavour and you get a hit of every ingredient in each mouthful. The textures are great as you have the grated carrot, chopped carrot and mushrooms combined with the tomatoes and onion. And of course the TVP. lol. But the thing I like most about this sauce is the lack of garlic. I find jarred sauces can be a garlic fest and this coming from a woman who loves garlic! I have a Marinara sauce I make that is basically tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, oregano and thyme...so when I want a garlicky sauce I make that one. This sauce is wholesome, flavoursome and comforting. It coats the pasta well too! A classic meal.
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| Wholewheat Penne with Bolognese Sauce |
(Sauce Recipe from A Vegan Taste of Italy/Majzlik)
14oz/400g tin crushed tomatoes
6oz/175g carrot, grated
4oz/100g TVP granules
2oz/50g button mushrooms, sliced
2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely sliced
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 fl oz/125ml white white or extra veggie stock
10 fl oz/ 300ml veggie stock
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
black pepper
2 tbsp soya milk or cream (optional) I never use! ~R~
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion and celery until soft. Grate half the carrots and finely chop the rest. Add to the pan together with the remaining ingredients except the soya milk or cream. Stir well and bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes until the mixture the mixture thickens. Stir in the soya milk or cream if using, just before serving if required.
Serve with pasta, bread or as a jacket potato topping.
Enjoy!
~R~
