Name: Vegan mushroom ragu
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: Serves 6-8
Ingredients: 100g walnuts; 500g chestnut mushrooms; 4 tbsp olive oil plus a drizzle; 1 large onion finely chopped; 2 carrots finely chopped; 2 stalks celery finely chopped; 2 cloves garlic crushed; 3 tbsp tomato purée; 200ml vegan red wine; 1 sprig rosemary; ½ a small bunch basil leaves picked, finely chopped; 400g tin chopped tomatoes; 600ml vegetable stock; 250g red lentils rinsed; 2 bay leaves; 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 600g wide pasta (such as mafalde, pappardelle or paccheri); ½ a small bunch sage leaves picked; 1 tbsp capers drained; shaved vegan hard cheese to serve (optional)

100g walnuts
500g chestnut mushrooms
4 tbsp olive oil
plus a drizzle
1 large onion
finely chopped
2 carrots
finely chopped
2 stalks celery
finely chopped
2 cloves garlic
crushed
3 tbsp tomato purée
200ml vegan red wine
1 sprig rosemary
½ a small bunch basil
leaves picked, finely chopped
400g tin chopped tomatoes
600ml vegetable stock
250g red lentils
rinsed
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
600g wide pasta (such as mafalde, pappardelle or paccheri)
½ a small bunch sage
leaves picked
1 tbsp capers
drained
shaved vegan hard cheese
to serve (optional)

Method

step 1
Tip the walnuts into a food processor and pulse to finely chop. Transfer to a bowl, then do the same with the mushrooms.
step 2
Heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium heat and fry the onion, carrots and celery with a pinch of salt for 15-20 minutes or until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic and fry for another minute. Add the mushrooms and most of the walnuts, and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mushrooms have softened, all the water has evaporated and they have reduced by half. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another 5 minutes.
step 3
Add the wine and bubble for a minute, then add the rosemary, basil, tomatoes and stock. Bring to a simmer. Add the lentils and bay. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally, then simmer with the lid off for 10 minutes until thickened. Stir in the balsamic, and season. Top up with a little water during cooking if the ragu seems too thick. Taste, then remove the herbs and add more balsamic, to taste, if you like.
step 4
Cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 100ml of the water. Heat a drizzle of oil in a small frying pan and fry the sage and capers for 1 minute until crisp. Toss the pasta in the ragu, adding a splash of the cooking water, depending on how saucy you like it. Scatter with the crispy sage, capers and reserved walnuts, and vegan cheese, if you like.