Stroganoff – just the mere mention of it makes you feel warm and cozy. I had been using the same vegan stroganoff recipe for about 20 years and felt it was time for an update! This version is full of creamy and heavenly mushroom flavour, with hints of white wine and thyme. Lightly sautéed strips of tofu make it even more filling and delicious. I love how fusilli catches the sauce in its curves, but wide noodles such as fettuccine or rombi are good choices, too.
Serves 4
225g fusilli
¾ cup cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours
1½ cups vegetable or mushroom broth
For the tofu
396g extra–firm tofu, sliced into thin strips
1 tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
For the sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
½ tsp salt, plus a pinch
4 cloves garlic, minced
225g cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
½ cup dry white wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
Chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, for garnish (optional)
To get the strips of tofu for this recipe, slice tofu in half through the equator, like a clam. Then slice each half into 0.5cm-thick strips. You should end up with slices that are about 8cm long by 2.5cm wide.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. When it’s boiling, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside.
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Drain the cashews and add them to a blender along with the vegetable broth. Blend until very smooth, with only a slight graininess. This could take anywhere from 1-5 minutes depending on the strength of your machine. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula now and again to make sure you get everything.
For the tofu, preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat and add the oil. Sauté the tofu along with the salt for 5 minutes or so, until it’s just slightly browned. Set the tofu on a plate covered with aluminum foil as you prepare the sauce.
Now on to the sauce. In the same pan in which you cooked the tofu, still on a medium heat, add the oil and sauté the onion in the oil along with a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or so.
Now add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned, about 5 more minutes. Add the wine, tomato paste, remaining ½ tsp salt, and pepper, stir, and turn the heat up to high. Let the wine reduce by about half. This should take 5 minutes or so. Turn the heat back down to medium.
Pour in the cashew mixture. Stir until well combined and let it thicken for about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Add the tofu and carefully toss to coat, so as not to break the tofu. Serve over the pasta, and garnish with fresh parsley, if you like.
• This recipe is taken from Isa Does It: Amazingly Easy, Wildly Delicious Vegan Recipes for Every Day of the Week by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, published by Sphere, price £20.
