What veg*ns eat
"This is a lighter version of the traditional dish. Try adding other appropriate ingredients from your storecupboard." (1)
Macaroni Cheese with Mushrooms
- 200g/8ox macaroni (2)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 leeks, sliced (3)
- 6 mushrooms, quartered
- 4 tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 100g/4oz garlic and herb soft cheese (4)
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a wok or deep frying pan and cook the leeks and mushrooms for 4-6 minutes or until the leeks are tender. Toss in the tomatoes, season well (5) and cook for another minute.
Drain the macaroni, tip into the seek mixture and toss well to mix. Crumble the cheese on top (6) and serve as soon as it starts to melt.
Cook's notes
1. This is the note the recipe book puts above the recipe, which indicates it's another semi-DIY one. For "other appropriate ingredients" see at (5)!
2. I didn't have macaroni and used wheat-free rigatoni. I found 800g too little. While it was cooking I thought I'd need double the amount, but actually, having put it all together I think half again would be fine -- 300g.
3. I found this too much -- even after I'd nommed a good quantity of the leeks while they were cooking (deliberately because there were so many) they were still by far the greatest part of the dish. I would just use one another time (and not nom whilst cooking).
4. I used Tofutti garlic and herb dairy-free cream "cheese." I knew it wouldn't crumble but had hoped I would be able to chop it into tiny cubes to mix through. I've had it before so I should have remembered it's too soft even for that. More at (6).
5. I used a splash of red wine and of red wine vinegar (don't think these had much effect, I think I'd skip them next time and if anything use a very generous splash of white wine, if I had it to hand); some mushroom ketchup (that definitely seemed to work); salt and freshly ground pepper; and Turkish red pepper flakes.
6. So, I was dealing with a very effective cream cheese substitute. I spooned out the appropriate amount and mixed it through the hot pasta dish until it melted and mixed with the liquid to create a creamy sauce. Not what the original recipe envisaged at all, but it worked quite well!
Another time I will use more pasta and less leeks as indicated and a bit more seasoning -- once in the bowl I found it quite bland and had to pep it up with salt and tabasco. Maybe some nutritional yeast to boost the "cheesy" flavour, and maybe I'll put some garlic in at the beginning with the leeks and mushrooms, and use some more herbs, to boost the "garlic and herbs" flavour. Once I've done that, and searched through my vegan recipe books to see if any of them have a recipe for fakey macaroni cheese which would be any better, I'll decide if I want to keep this.
Right, back to prepping for my five-day final hearing next week! Stop procrastinating, miss!