Quick info

  • Servings: 4
  • Prep: 10 minutes
  • Cooking: about 30 minutes
  • Tools: large frying pan, cutting board, knife, wooden spoon, food processor or grater

Ingredients

  • 360g (12.7 oz) pasta (tagliatelle, rigatoni or whatever shape you like)
  • 150g (5.3 oz) tempeh
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 1 celery stalk
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 50ml (1.7 fl oz) dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour (only if you need to bind the sauce)
  • 3–4 tablespoons of hot water
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil for the base, plus 1 teaspoon per plate to drizzle over at the end
  • ½ level teaspoon fine salt (plus 1 extra pinch after tasting, if needed)
  • 12 turns of the pepper mill (4 in the base, 2 for each of the 4 plates)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (about 1 small bunch), to serve

Method

  1. Build the aromatic base. Finely chop the onion, garlic, celery and rosemary. Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and cook everything over medium heat until the onion turns translucent. Add ½ level teaspoon of salt and 4 turns of the pepper mill.
  2. Prep the tempeh. Chop the 150g (5.3 oz) of tempeh until it has a ground-meat-like texture.
  3. Toast the tempeh. Add it to the aromatic base and let it brown for 5–6 minutes, stirring often.
  4. Deglaze. Pour in the white wine and let the alcohol cook off over high heat for 1–2 minutes.
  5. Adjust the consistency. If the ragù is dry, add a few tablespoons of hot water. If you need to thicken it, dissolve 1 teaspoon of flour in a splash of water and stir it in.
  6. Finish. Turn off the heat, add the chopped parsley and mix well.
  7. Serve. Cook the pasta, drain it al dente and toss with the ragù. Finish each plate with 1 teaspoon of raw olive oil and 2 turns of the pepper mill.

Variation

You can turn it into a red ragù by adding 200ml (6.8 fl oz) of passata after deglazing with the wine: it stretches further and gives you a few extra portions.