Ingredients

• 200g pecans

• 1 red onion

• Vegetable oil for frying

• 3 cloves of garlic

• 150g mushrooms

• 1 stick celery

• 1 tbsp Mixed herbs

• 2 tbsp Soya sauce

• Stock cube

• 1 Tin of tomatoes

• 1 tbsp Tomato puree

• 1 english breakfast tea bag, made up to a strong mug of black tea (about 250ml boiling water)

• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

• 100g black olives

• 4 portions of Spaghetti/ pasta of choice (~300g but I prefer portions to be led by appetite)

• Capers, extra virgin olive oil and nutritional yeast to garnish (all optional)

Method

1. Boil pecans in salted water for 15 mins

2. Fry onion in a non stick pan with a small amount of oil, until soft, then add the crushed garlic, sliced mushrooms and finely chopped celery, mixed herbs and soya sauce. Keeping stirring.

3. Drain and blend pecans using a stick blender- don’t blend them too much, leave some small chunks as this gives a better texture.

4. Add the blended pecan mixture to the pan and then add the tinned tomatoes, crumbled stock cube and tomato puree.

5. Add the mug of strong black tea and balsamic vinegar, simmer for 5 more minutes. Stir in the black olives, roughly chopped.

6. Boil your pasta in salted water following pack instructions. Once cooked- using the empty tomato tin add a splash (not too much) of the pasta water to the Bolognese, the starch in the pasta slightly thickens the sauce and saves the remaining dregs of tomato in the tin- this is a classic move in Italian cooking. *be careful as the tin can get hot with hot water in it*

   Best served with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, a generous serving of nutritionalyeast and a pinch of capers