Vegetarian Bolognese with zucchini noodles

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 10 zucchini
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 150 ml red wine
• 1 kg tomato(s) or pureed tomatoes
• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 300 g celery
• 2 carrots
• 2 cloves garlic
• 500 g mushrooms, fresh
• 100 g butter
• 1 bay leaf
• salt and pepper
• Sugar
• marjoram
• some thyme
• some paprika powder, hot
• some butter for frying the mushrooms
• some oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

without tofu

First, peel the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces. Place them in a saucepan along with the vegetable stock, red wine, milk, and bay leaf. Simmer uncovered on low heat until the liquid has reduced by about half. Then season to taste with salt, pepper, marjoram, thyme, and sugar (I usually use 3 teaspoons for 1 kg of tomatoes; it depends on the ripeness of the tomatoes). It’s important to season and taste the sauce only after it has reduced, otherwise it could be completely overseasoned. While the tomato sauce is simmering on the stove, chop the onions, carrots, and celery into the smallest possible pieces. Add them to a pan with the butter and sauté everything on low heat until everything is nice and soft (I used about 20-30 minutes). Important: Do not fry or let it brown! Then add the steamed vegetables to the tomato sauce. While the vegetables are sautéing in the pan, clean the mushrooms and dice them as small as possible. Sauté the mushrooms in a little butter and add them to the pot with the sauce. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the zucchini into very thin strips (I personally always leave the core and then make a zucchini cream soup the next day with some extra fresh zucchini and the leftovers). Place the zucchini strips in a bowl and marinate them briefly with a little paprika, salt, pepper, marjoram, and thyme. Then, fry the zucchini strips in batches in a pan until hot (let them brown a little in some places). Serve the zucchini strips with the Bolognese sauce. If zucchini isn’t your thing as a “pasta substitute,” you can of course use regular pasta, but it’s definitely worth a try; it’s different from just pasta, and not as much work.