Ottolenghi’s ultimate tray bake ragu

Serve this impressive vegetarian ragu – featuring carrots, mushrooms, lentils, barley and more – with your favourite pasta.

Put the first six ingredients into a food processor and pulse until everything is very finely chopped.

Serve this impressive vegetarian ragu with your favourite pasta. Extracted from Flavour by Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage (Ebury Press, $55).

---

Ottolenghi’s ultimate tray bake ragu

Ingredients

3 (250g) carrots, peeled, chopped into large chunks

2 (300g) onions, peeled, chopped into large chunks

300g oyster mushrooms, roughly chopped

60g dried porcini mushrooms, roughly blitzed

4 garlic cloves, crushed

3-4 (350g) plum tomatoes, chopped into large chunks

120ml olive oil

70g white miso paste

40g rose harissa (from specialty food shops – substitute regular harissa)

4 tbs tomato paste

90ml soy sauce

2 tsp cumin seeds, crushed

180g dried brown or green lentils

100g pearl barley

4 cups (1L) vegetable or chicken stock

160g coconut cream

100ml red wine

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C fan. Working in batches, put the first six ingredients into a food processor and pulse until everything is very finely chopped (or very finely chop everything by hand).
2. Put the chopped vegetables into a large, 36cm x 28cm non-stick high-sided baking tray with the oil, miso, harissa, tomato paste, soy sauce and cumin seeds and mix very well. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring halfway through, until browned around the edges and bubbling.
3. Reduce the heat to 180°C fan. Add all the remaining ingredients to the tray, along with 150ml of water, 1/3 tsp salt and a very generous grind of black pepper. Stir very well, scraping the crispy sides and bottom with a spatula. Cover tightly with foil and bake for another 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a final 5 minutes. Set aside to rest for 15 minutes for the sauce to be absorbed a little before serving.