Meatless Monday with Jamie Oliver’s Tagliatelle with The Greatest Ever Tomato Sauce for Food Revolution Day

Welcome (back) to the Miratel blog for our latest Meatless Monday vegetarian/vegan recipe share. We took the Meatless Monday pledge to support reducing meat consumption 15% by eliminating it one day per week for planetary health. We consider our support of this great movement part of our CSR business strategies as it stresses the importance that our food choices have on our environment.

Our recipe today is for celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s Tagliatelle With The Greatest Ever Tomato Sauce from the Food Revolution Day website. Food Revolution Day takes place on May 17th, 2013 and is a “global day of action for people to make a stand for good food and essential cooking skills.” The aim of Food Revolution Day is “to raise awareness about the importance of good food and better food education for everyone by focusing on three simple actions – cook it, share it, live it.” Today’s pasta recipe will be a perfect choice for Food Revolution Day to share with both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Tagliatelle With The Greatest Ever Tomato Sauce Ingredients (serves 6):

For the sauce

Image © David Loftus from foodrevolutionday.com

• 2 small onions
• 1 small leek
• 2 sticks of celery
• 2 red peppers
• 2 courgettes
• 2 carrots
• olive oil
• dried oregano
• 2 fresh bay leaves
• 1 small butternut squash
• 4 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the pasta

• 500g fresh tagliatelle
• optional: 225g of asparagus stalks
• optional: small bunch fresh basil
• fresh Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan or sub with vegan alternative)

Directions:

1. Start by prepping your veg: peel the onions, trim your leeks and celery, halve then deseed the peppers, then roughly chop everything. Use the coarse side of a box grater to grate the courgette and carrots.
2. Put a large saucepan (big enough to hold all the ingredients) over a medium heat and let it heat up. Add a good lug of olive oil to the pan, followed by all your chopped and grated veg. Add a large pinch of dried oregano and 2 fresh bay leaves then cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes with the lid on, or until the vegetables are nice and soft but not starting to brown or colour.
3. Meanwhile, peel the butternut squash. Carefully cut it in half lengthways then scoop out all of the seeds and coarsely grate the flesh into the pan of vegetables.
4. Add the tins of plum tomatoes, 2 cups of water and a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Bring to the boil then turn the heat down and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft.
5. Take the pan off the heat and spoon out the bay leaves. Let the sauce cool slightly before blitzing with a hand-held blender, until nice and smooth (you can also do this in a blender or food processor, just make sure the lid is on properly before you start blitzing, and whizz up in batches if need be). Have a taste then either use right away, or leave to cool then portion up for storage.

Image taken from foodrevolutionday.com

To turn that delicious sauce into a lovely asparagus tagliatelle for 6:

1. Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, heat a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Pour 1 litre of your amazing homemade tomato sauce into the pan and let it heat up for a few minutes while you snap the woody ends off your asparagus stalks and throw them away. Slice the asparagus stalks finely with a knife (or use a food processor), leaving the tips whole.
3. Add the sliced asparagus and the tips to the sauce, let it simmer for 1 minute or so, then take it off the heat. Stir through a few fresh basil leaves, if you like.
4. By now your pasta should be cooked. Save a cupful or so of that starchy cooking water before draining the pasta in a colander in the sink.
5. Quickly add the tagliatelle to your sauce and gently toss together, adding a splash or two of that pasta water to loosen the sauce if needed. Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a fresh grating of Parmesan cheese.

Look who’s supporting Jamie on Food Revolution Day 2013 – join in too!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2djuEM2JZw[/youtube]

If you haven’t already, we encourage you to visit the Meatless Monday website and join us in taking the pledge today. Spread the word at home and at work and promote CSR business initiatives to make your green call centre, office, factory, shop, restaurant or salon even greener.

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Miratel Solutions is a Toronto call centre, eBusiness, and letter shop mail house specializing in professional fundraising services including telephone fundraising, online fundraising, lottery services, donation caging, donation processing and other donor management services. We are committed to our CSR business values in all contact centre services and mail house operations and advancing the missions of the nonprofits we proudly serve.