Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and a little more when ready to serve)
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
1 small carrot, cleaned and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, cleaned and finely chopped
13-15 Piccadilly tomatoes (or other baby tomatoes), cleaned and diced
half a large yellow pepper, cleaned and diced
1 teaspoon powdered vegetable stock
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
350 g plain seitan, finely chopped (you can use a food processor)
100 ml filtered water
400 g tomato purée (with no other added ingredients)
1 teaspoon rice malt syrup
2 handfuls olives (I used Taggiasche), seeded and halved
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
half a teaspoon ground celery seeds
chili powder, to taste
freshly ground green pepper, to taste

Makes at least 6 servings (you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it and save it for later).

Directions

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, tomatoes, pepper, vegetable stock and salt and sweat until the vegetables are slightly soft. Add the seitan and sauté for a few minutes. Pour the water and tomato purée, add the rice malt syrup, olives, herbs and spice and stir well. Cover with a lid and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, add 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir again. Serve with your favorite pasta. Alternatively, it’s excellent on polenta but also to make risotto.

Ingredients

For the seitan ragù

3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (and 2 more when ready to serve)
half an onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 small carrot, cleaned and finely chopped
1 celery stalk, cleaned and finely chopped
1 teaspoon powdered vegetable stock
whole sea salt, just enough to taste
150 ml white wine
350 g seitan, finely chopped (you can use a food processor)
100 ml filtered water
500 g tomato puree
1 teaspoon rice malt syrup
1-2 teaspoons dried thyme
1-2 teaspoons dried oregano
a small handful of fresh parsley, cleaned and finely chopped
chili powder, to taste
freshly ground white pepper, to taste
paprika, to taste

Makes about 6 servings (you can refrigerate it for up to 2 days or freeze it and save it for later).

For the polenta

500 ml filtered water
500 ml vegetable stock
a few pinches of whole sea salt
150 g fine cornmeal

Makes 2-3 servings.

To complete

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions

To make the seitan ragù, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the onion, carrot, celery, vegetable stock and salt and sweat until the vegetables are slightly soft and translucent. Add the wine and the seitan and cook for a few minutes, stirring continuously, until the wine has evaporated. Pour the water and tomato puree, add the rice malt syrup, the herbs and spice and stir well. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and stir.
To make the polenta, heat the water and vegetable stock in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the salt and whisk in the cornmeal until fully incorporated, stirring constantly (use a wooden spoon).
Lower the heat and cook, stirring almost continuously, for about 15 minutes or until you reach a velvety texture. Remove from the heat and divide the polenta between individual serving bowls, spoon the warm seitan ragù on top, sprinkle with black pepper and serve.

Suitable to almost any season, this very easy salad is Inspired by the famous Waldorf salad. It’s ideal to add a light, fresh, crisp touch to a meal, but also filling enough to be enjoyed as a main course for lunch or dinner. Nuts and dried fruits are always a delicious and nutricious combination which work in any sweet and savoury dish. In this case, dried cranberries provide the salad with the sweetness needed to balance the acidic flavours of the apple and dressing.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Ingredients:

For the salad

4 medium celery stalks

2 green apples (Granny Smith)

50 g dried cranberries

80 g Brazilian nuts (finely ground)

the juice of 1 lemon

1-2 teaspoons dried, ground mint leaves

For the dressing

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

5 tablespoons vegetable cream (gmo free)

2 tablespoons apple vinegar

½ teaspoon yellow mustard powder

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 pinch whole sea salt

Method:

Salad

Clean the celery properly, removing any tough filaments, and cut it into bite-sized pieces. Core and peel the apples and cut them into cubes. Transfer the celery and the apples into a salad bowl, add the ground Brazilian nuts and the ground mint leaves. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and stir.

Dressing

Pour the olive oil, cream, apple vinegar, salt and pepper into a jar and shake well untill combined.

Dress the salad, toss and serve.