I love the idea of a ragu. There’s something about the word that’s appealing, and whenever I make it I feel like some sort of Italian nonna. This one has northern Italian vibes and takes a bit of time, but it’s so worth it. Because I’m not using meat sausages that naturally have lots of fat and flavour, I’ve added a few extra bits to bring depth and general yumminess to the ragu. Flavour injection number one: frying the sausages with a few teaspoons of balsamic vinegar. Flavour injection number two: chestnut mushrooms.
I served mine with a big old dollop of creamy polenta that involved a criminal amount of Parmesan cheese, but you can have it with pasta, potatoes, or just scooped on to bread and butter straight from the pan. Cook it for friends, meal prep it, or stock up your freezer.
Veggie sausage ragu
Serves 6
3 tbsp olive oil
12 vegetarian sausages (I recommend Quorn or Cauldron ones, and they need to be defrosted if they’re frozen)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 onion
1 carrot
2 sticks of celery
4 cloves of garlic
250g chestnut mushrooms
2 x 400g cans of plum tomatoes
200ml red wine
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
Preheat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large saucepan or deep-sided frying pan on a medium heat. Chop your sausages into rough 1 inch pieces on a diagonal and add to the pan. Fry for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sausage chunks are golden brown and crispy. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir.
Tip the sausages into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Put the pan back on the heat and add another tbsp of the oil and turn down the heat to low. Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot (or grate them) and add to the pan with a pinch of salt and a little splash of water. Put the lid on and let the veg sweat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finely chop the garlic and add to the pan to fry for a few minutes.
Once the veg is soft and translucent, tip into the bowl with the sausages. Return the pan to the heat and add the final tbsp of oil. Turn the heat back up to medium and then roughly chop the mushrooms into chunky pieces. Add to the pan and fry for 10 minutes until all the water has gone and the mushrooms are golden brown and a little crispy. Once done, add to the bowl.
Return the pan to the heat and add the cans of chopped tomatoes, swilling out the cans with a splash of water. Use a potato masher to crush the tomatoes, then add the wine and season. Add the sausages, veg and mushrooms and stir to combine. Add the sprigs of rosemary whole and turn down the heat to low. Put a lid on the pan and simmer for 30 minutes.
Serve with creamy polenta or pasta and loads of parmesan.
This week, I thought I’d spend some time thinking about cookbooks. Making up recipes for this newsletter or for Instagram is all very well and good, but I do miss cooking from my favourite books, and it’s about time I took a deep dive back into my bookshelves to rediscover them. These are five of my faves.
East by Meera Sodha: if you need one vegetarian cookbook on your shelves, it’s this one. The book itself is beautiful and the recipes inside are easy but interesting enough to keep a keen cook’s attention. The quick coconut dal is on constant rotation in my household.
Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, Shelf Love: it’s a new one, but boy is it a goodie. I’d say these recipes are for the more seasoned cooks (geddit) but the time spent is more than worth the effort. I’ve made the za’atar mac n cheese more times than I can count.
The Green Roasting Tin by Rukmini Iyer: if you’ve not been cooking from one of Rukmini’s one-pan recipe books, where have you been? Some of the recipes in this book have become absolute classics for me and most of my friends, and one of the best is the roasted gnocchi, red pepper and tomatoes with ricotta.
DOUGH by Richard Bertinet: this book taught me everything I know about making bread. It contains my favourite ever recipe for focaccia, and his kneading technique always gives me brilliant results.
River Cottage Veg Every Day by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall: if you’re after a veggie basic book, this one’s the bomb. It’s got loads of simple recipes covering all bases, including how to make a proper stock. The 10 minute pea soup is one of my favourites for a speedy lunch.