Hearty vegan umami mushroom pasta with smoked tofu cubes

Ingredients for 2 servings:

• 240 g pasta, e.g. B. Tagliatelle
• 500 g mushrooms, brown
• 2 small onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 pepper, medium hot
• 25 g dried tomatoes
• 100 ml boiling water to soak the tomatoes
• 250 ml soy cream (Soy Cream Cuisine)
• 100 ml cooking water from the pasta
• 1 tbsp miso paste, dark
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp fresh chives for garnishing
• 1 tbsp oil for frying
• n. B. Pfeffer
• 100 g smoked tofu
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp agave syrup
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ½ tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 pinch(s) cumin powder
• 1 tbsp oil for frying
• n. B. Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 50 minutes

First, soak the sun-dried tomatoes. Chop them finely and place them in a small bowl with the specified amount of boiling water, ensuring the tomatoes are well covered. Let them soak for about 20-30 minutes. In the meantime, clean the mushrooms and cut them into quarters or eighths, depending on their size. Peel the onions and garlic and finely chop both. Cut off the stems of the washed peppers, then cut the peppers lengthwise and open them. Remove the seeds and white inner membranes and then slice the peppers into rings. Prepare a seasoning sauce for the smoked tofu cubes. Mix the soy sauce with the apple cider vinegar, agave syrup, and olive oil. Sprinkle in the paprika and cumin powder and stir until smooth. Season the marinade with salt, if desired, according to taste and the salt content of the soy sauce. Pat the smoked tofu dry slightly and then cut into fine cubes. Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to the package instructions, but cook for about 1 minute less than indicated. Add the mushrooms to a large pan without adding any fat and sauté for about 8 minutes over medium heat. When the liquid has evaporated, push the mushrooms to the edge of the pan and add the oil to the center of the pan. Sauté the onions and garlic over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes. Add the miso paste and stir. Then add the soaked tomatoes and the remaining soaking water to the pan, along with the paprika and chili peppers. Pour in the soy cream, bring to a boil briefly, and then simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add enough of the pasta cooking water to reach the desired consistency and sauce volume. Season to taste with pepper and lemon juice. While the mushrooms are simmering, fry the smoked tofu cubes in oil in a small pan over high heat for about 5-7 minutes until they have browned. Then reduce the heat, pour in the prepared seasoning sauce and glaze the cubes while tossing or stirring until the liquid has almost evaporated. When the pasta is done, drain the remaining cooking water, add the pasta to the pan with the mushrooms, stir well and let it cook for about another 3 minutes until it is cooked to completion. When serving, pour the fried tofu cubes over the pasta and garnish with freshly chopped chives. Notes: The sun-dried tomatoes are quite salty; this salt will migrate into the soaking water during the soaking, so this can then be used for seasoning. Together with the salty miso paste and the salted cooking water, there is enough salt in the dish, so there is no need to add more salt. Dried tomatoes, miso paste, garlic, onions, and mushrooms provide plenty of natural glutamic acid, ensuring a savory, full-bodied umami flavor. The smoked tofu cubes, thanks to the barbecue marinade and the pan-glazed, caramelized flavor, are very similar to savory bacon. If the cubes are cooked too early during preparation or have become hard and chewy, add them to the mushrooms beforehand instead of sprinkling them over the dish. Finishing the pasta in the pan with the sauce is much more flavorful than serving it dry and basted with sauce at the end.