COOK'S CLASS

PASTA WITH BUTTERNUT, SPINACH AND TOFU

This recipe makes a well-balanced, hearty main course that is ideal for vegetarians. 

Batons of orange-gold butternut contrast with green spinach, white mushrooms and tofu coated with sesame seeds to make a colourful, visually appealing meal. Tofu, also known as soya bean curd, is made from ground, cooked soya beans. It is a very healthy food, being high in protein and cholesterol free. The firm variety is best suited to cooking – soft or silken tofu is too fragile. For confirmed soy-phobics, omit the tofu in this recipe or replace it with chicken. The dish will be equally delicious.

INGREDIENTS:
½ medium butternut
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons sugar
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon chilli flakes
zest of 1 lemon or lime
Olive oil for frying
1 packet baby spinach, roughly chopped
200 – 250 g button mushrooms, halved
1 teaspoon mustard powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
200 g firm tofu
Sesame seeds for coating
2 teaspoons soy sauce
400 g egg fettuccine
Serves 4

You will need: chopping board, cook’s knife, medium heavy-based pan, sauté pan, large pot for pasta

STAGE 1:
To prepare the butternut, wash it and slice thickly into rounds. Peel with potato peeler or knife. Cut into batons by slicing rounds crossways into fingers about 1 cm wide.

It is surprising that vegetable shapes actually have some bearing on the texture of a vegetable. Thickly sliced they become more unctuous. Butternut can be served raw when cut julienne-style (into very thin strips). It looks particularly colourful scattered over a beetroot salad.

 

Slice butternut into batons. Add to a pan with a little boiling water, cover and steam 5 minutes or until just softened. Drain off any remaining water and add oil, sugar, garlic, chilli and zest. Sauté briefly then tip into a bowl and set aside somewhere warm.

STAGE 2:
Tofu is readily available from supermarkets and health food shops. It is sold surrounded with water, usually in vacuum packs, and labelled according to firmness.

Tofu has a bland, slightly nutty taste and a tendency to take on the flavour of the food with which it is cooked. In this recipe the sesame seeds add crunch and flavour together with the soy sauce. 

Store any remaining uncooked tofu in the fridge. Cover it with fresh water and change the water daily. Keep no longer than a week.

STAGE 3:
If preferred, the baby spinach can be briefly steamed rather than stir-fried before adding it to the butternut. 

Add a little olive oil to pan and stir-fry spinach until wilted. Add to bowl with butternut.

Add the mushrooms, mustard and seasoning to pan and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add to other vegetables.

Slice tofu into batons, roll in sesame seeds and sauté in a clean pan in a little vegetable oil until seeds have crisped. Season with salt and toss with soy sauce. 

STAGE 4:
Cook pasta to packet instructions. Drain. To serve, layer pasta, vegetables and tofu in heated bowls. Serve immediately.