Carbonara

Ingredients:

• 75g raw unsalted cashews
• 1 white onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Rapeseed/ vegetable oil for frying
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• ½ tsp black salt
• 250ml soya milk
• 300g tofu
• 1 ½ tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 150 chestnut mushrooms
• 1 tbsp soya sauce
• 320g whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and pepper to season to personal preference
• 50g toasted pine nuts (optional)
• Truffle oil (optional)
• Fresh parsley (optional)

Method:

1. Soak your cashews for at least 2 hours or alternatively boil for 10 mins.
2. Fry the onion and garlic with 1tbsp of oil and a small pinch of salt until completely soft and golden. I add the garlic a little after the onion to prevent it burning.
3. Drain the cashews and blend with the cooked onion and garlic, nutritional yeast, black salt and soya milk, until smooth. Leave aside.
4. Slice and fry the onion with the soya sauce until fully cooked.
5. Slice ¾ of your tofu into lardon shaped slices. With the remainder of the tofu, crumble into small pieces and add to the carbonara sauce- these add thicker lumps that would resemble egg in a real carbonara. Place the sliced tofu into a bowl and coat with the smoked paprika, corn flour, and a pinch of salt. Give them a shake so that they are all covered. Fry in a hot pan with 2 tbsp of oil until crispy. (Its important to cook the mushrooms and tofu separately so that the flavours remain separate in the meal)
6. Cook the spaghetti in salted water, take off the heat once al dente and save a mug full of pasta water.
7. Add the carbonara sauce, spaghetti water, spaghetti and mushrooms to a pan. Stir together and cook on a medium heat for 5-10mins. Season with black pepper and salt if you feel it needs more.
8. Serve the carbonara with the tofu on the top and with a sprinkle of toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of truffle oil and a pinch of fresh parsley.