Penne al Pomodoro with Vegan ‘Tuna’

By: David Frenkiel, Luise Vindahl Andersen
From: Green Kitchen At Home
Serves: 4
Photographer: David Frenkiel

By pulsing soaked sunflower seeds with salty capers, onion, oil, apple cider vinegar, lemon and nori sheets in a food processor, you actually get something that looks surprisingly similar to tinned tuna, with a crumbly, moist texture and a flavour that reminds us of salty seas and umami.

You can use the ‘tuna’ as a spread or in a salad (with the addition of celery and fresh herbs) but we like to add it to a tomato sauce and serve it with penne, creating a classic Italian peasant dish. The vegan ‘tuna’ adds a nice texture to the sauce and it improves the flavour, too. The kids love it! It is a simple recipe if you are on a budget and it is a tad more special than your basic pasta al pomodoro. So, go put your sunflower seeds in water and pretend they are a fish!

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient

For the Vegan ‘Tuna’

Quantity	Ingredient
1	small red onion, peeled
150g	sunflower seeds, soaked in filtered, water for 6 hours, then strained and rinsed
1	raw nori sheet, crushed
3 tablespoons	capers, plus brine
1 tablespoon	extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon	lemon juice
1 teaspoon	unfiltered apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon	sea salt

For the Sugo al Pomodoro

Quantity	Ingredient
120ml	white wine or vegetable stock
1/2 quantity	Big-batch Tomato Sauce

To Serve

Quantity	Ingredient
	cooked wholegrain or gluten-free pasta of choice
	caper berries, drained and rinsed
	roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves
	sea salt
	freshly ground black pepper
	extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Roughly chop the onion, transfer to a food processor, add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the texture resembles that of tuna.
Place a large frying pan on a medium-low heat, add the wine and the tomato sauce, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and add the ‘tuna’ (reserving a little bit for serving). Let it simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the sauce doesn’t burn. Stir the sauce through the pasta. Serve topped with some caper berries, a sprinkling of parsley and some seasoning. Finish with a drizzle of oil.

Tips

The ‘tuna’ can also be prepared in a medium-sized bowl with an immersion (hand) blender or by using a pestle and mortar.

It’s important to soak the sunflower seeds to achieve the right texture, so don’t skip that step.

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Penne al Pomodoro with Vegan ‘Tuna’

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