Pasta alla Scolaresca (Rcp# 0005)

One vegan version of my college spaghetti adventure. Perfect to discover the true value of ‘scraps’.

Ingredients for ‘Pasta (alla) Scolaresca’

• Spelt grains (pre-cooked)
• Beet mix (carrots, parsnips, red beets – small dices)
• 1 ripe avocado, scraped and mashed
• 1 half ripe avocado, cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons chopped celeriac or fennel (small cubes/chunks)
• 8 tablespoons apple pulp
• 3 tablespoons tomato pulp
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 5 fresh chives or 1 teaspoon bear’s garlic in oil
• Basil, dried and fresh
• Oregano, dried and fresh
• Thyme, dried and fresh
• Sage, dried and fresh
• Pepper, freshly ground
• Salt (mild)
• Canola oil for frying
• 600 ml homemade broth (made from vegetable scraps, see recipe [Vegetable Broth])
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (virgin, mild)
• 2 tablespoons agave syrup

Cooking Instructions for ‘Pasta (alla) Scolaresca’

1. Chop all the fresh and dried herbs and put them in a bowl with two tablespoons of warm water and olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Let sit for 15 minutes.
2. In a saucepan, lightly brown the beets and celeriac/fennel.
3. Add broth and precooked spelt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
4. Combine mashed ripe avocado, apple pulp, tomato pulp, lime juice, and agave syrup into a smooth paste. Gently stir paste into vegetable broth.
5. Turn off heat and simmer with lid half open for 10 minutes.

Serve with whole grain spelt spaghetti or gluten-free fusilli for a more rustic take on the dish – we usually mix buckwheat and rice-corn fusilli. Top with grated (vegan) cheese. Our favorite is made from almonds.

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Side Notes:

• The version I am writing here is just one way to do it. Be brave and reconstruct everything around the one truly iconic ‘Pasta alla Bolognese’. I tried another version where I left out the tomatoes completely. Just to see if it would work. I’ll say this much: I approached the right color and flavor separately.
• You may have noticed that in the recipe above, I made celery and fennel interchangeable. This is because you can replace some of the flavor of celery or celeriac with fennel. The same goes for onions. Which is good if you have problems with either celery or onions (like some of my family and friends).
• You can read the story behind how I made the original version for my family when I was a student (una scolaresca) here [‘Unfamiliarities‘].

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