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THE ULTIMATE TRAYBAKE RAGÙ


This is an easy recipe to make, it has a lot of ingredients but the method is very easy. However give yourself extra time just in case. Oven temperatures vary and I needed more time to achieve the consistency needed for the ragù. We loved it, but next time I am going to put less harissa or just omit it altogether. It was a bit too hot for our liking. It was great with the fettucine and we had a nice rocket and onion salad on the side. I had a lot of leftover sauce and froze it into portions. I have since used it to make Moussaka, Arròs a la Cubana, Cauliflower gratin with ragu and also Baked macaroni with bechamel sauce. Super delicious!

Moussaka

Arròs a la Cubana

Cauliflower gratin

Baked macaroni with bechamel sauce

Ingredients



3 carrots, peeled and chopped into large chunks (250g)
2 onions, peeled and chopped into large chunks (300g)
300g oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped
60g dried porcini, roughly blitzed
4 garlic cloves, crushed
3–4 plum tomatoes, chopped into large chunks (350g)


120ml olive oil
70g white miso paste
40g rose harissa (adjust according to the brand you are using) *I halved it and still thought it was too hot. Next time I will probably omit it!
4 tbsp tomato paste
90ml soy sauce
2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

180g dried brown or green lentils
100g pearl barley
1 litre vegetable stock
160g coconut cream
100ml red wine
salt and black pepper


Method

Preheat the oven to 190°C fan.

Rinse the dried porcini well and blitz in the food processor. *I used a variety of porcini, chanterelle and mixed forest and chopped in the Thermomix for 3 sec / speed 5.

 

Prepare all the vegies. 


Working in batches, put the first six ingredients into a food processor and pulse until everything is very finely chopped (or very finely chop everything by hand if you don’t have a food processor). 

* I put half of the ingredients in the Thermomix bowl and chopped for about 7 sec / speed 5. Transferred to a the tray and repeated with the rest of the ingredients.


Put the chopped vegetables into a large, 36cm x 28cm non-stick high-sided baking tray with the oil, miso, harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce and cumin seeds and mix very well. 


Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until browned around the edges and bubbling.


Reduce the heat to 180°C fan.

Add all the remaining ingredients to the tray, along with 150ml of water, ⅓ teaspoon of salt and a very generous grind of black pepper. Stir very well, scraping the crispy sides and bottom with a spatula. 


Cover tightly with foil and bake for another 40 minutes.  * I had to put it back in the oven for another 20 minutes. The lentils and the barley were not cooked and the sauce was still very liquid.
Remove the foil and bake for a final 5 minutes.


Set aside to rest for 15 minutes for the sauce to be absorbed a little before serving.



Serves 6 - 8


Notes from the author:

Enough versions were made to sink a large ship in our mission to create the best meatless ragù (Ixta nearly lost her will to live, but that has happened once or twice before). There’s no denying the list of ingredients is long, but these are all there to give the ragù its fantastic umaminess. The method, however, could not be simpler. If you have a food processor, the first six ingredients can all be pulsed in it until finely chopped, saving you lots of time and effort.

The ragù will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for a month, ready to be spooned over anything from pasta to polenta (try it with the Charred peppers and fresh corn polenta, minus the peppers and egg), or used as the base for lasagne or shepherd’s pie. For the latter two, cook the ragù a bit less, as it will carry on cooking in the oven. Thank you to Emily Moore and Josh Renaut, who tirelessly took home every single version of this ragù to give their thoughtful feedback as recent converts to veganism.
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Comments

  1. Anonymous6 March 2024 at 01:54

    I recommend precooking the lentils otherwise they will be hard

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous6 March 2024 at 09:14

      There’s no need to do that. They cook well in the oven. Otherwise they will turn up ‘mushy’. Tried and tested many times….

      Delete

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