Vegetarian mains
Tofu Puttanesca with Squash Mash & Crispy Capers
Piquant puttanesca has a true Italian vibe; garlic, olives, tomato and capers, all tossed with a little chilli to your liking. This version uses a squash mash as the base, for a lighter change to pasta, with tofu for plant-based protein and extra nutrients, nutritional yeast to give a savoury finish, and some zesty lemon.
Cook's notes
To help achieve crispy capers, dry the capers well (gently pat them with a little more kitchen towel if needed) before you fry, and add them to the pan only when the oil is hot. Gently tip the pan onto a very slight angle so the capers are submerged in oil to help them fry.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp capers
- 600g of Butternut squash, chopped into 2cm pieces
- olive oil
- 200g firm tofu, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 200g passata
- 30g black olives, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- dried chilli flakes - add to taste
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 lemon
- 100g baby spinach
- 10g parsley, finely chopped
- salt & pepper
Method
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Step 1
Pop the capers on a plate lined with kitchen paper and leave them to drain and dry out a little.
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Step 2
Boil a kettle of water. Use it to fill a saucepan and add a good pinch of salt.
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Step 3
Boil the squash (you can steam it if you prefer) for approx. 10-12 minutes, until tender, while you continue.
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Step 4
Heat a little oil in a large frying pan. Fry the capers until crispy and golden, then scoop them onto a plate. Reserve as much oil as you can in the pan for frying the tofu.
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Step 5
In the same frying pan, fry the tofu on all sides, turning now and then, until crispy and golden - approx. 3 mins.
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Step 6
Add the garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the passata, olives, oregano and a pinch of chilli to your taste. Add a dash of water to loosen it all, season with salt and pepper and bring to a gentle simmer. Leave to cook for 5 mins while you prepare your mash.
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Step 7
Drain the cooked squash, leave it in the colander for a minute, then mash it in the pan. Stir in the nutritional yeast, a little squeeze of lemon juice, and some salt and pepper to season, all to your taste.
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Step 8
Gently stir the spinach into the tofu until just wilted Taste and tweak the seasoning; watch the salt, as the olives and capers are already quite salty. Add a little more chilli if you like.
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Step 9
Serve the squash mash topped with tofu and sauce, scattered with parsley and crispy capers.