Summer Series: Linguine Senza Vongole
This dish is based on one of my all time favorites from my mom’s culinary arsenal - Clam Sauce (aka Linguine Con Vongole). For the past few years I have been racking my brain to find a suitable vegan substitute for clams, and I finally landed on squash and zucchini with a little bit of seaweed for a “fishy” flavor. I am so excited about this dish and couldn’t wait any longer to share it with you. Since I used to always request this as my birthday meal as a kid, I thought it would be appropriate to publish this recipe close to my birthday (Aug 10) for old times’ sake.
Ingredients:
2/3 cup whole dried shiitake mushrooms
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium white onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed/minced
5 cups chopped zucchini and yellow squash (whatever ratio you like - just mixed together)
1/2 cup vermouth
1 cup parsley, chopped
1 cup vegan Parmesan cheese (I love Follow Your Heart brand)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp nori furikake seasoning
1 box linguini or spaghetti
Instructions:
Soak mushrooms in 4 cups hot water until rehydrated. Save 2 cups of the liquid (from the top, so you don’t get the dregs from the bottom) and set aside.
When mushrooms are rehydrated, rinse thoroughly, remove stems and chop.
In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil.
Add onions. garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini/squash mix and stir well. Cover pot and let cook until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Add vermouth, reserved mushroom water, parsley, salt, pepper, and nori seasoning. Boil over medium heat for about 15 min, until liquid reduces by 1/2.
Add in your vegan Parmesan cheese and stir well. Cook over low heat for a few more minutes until sauce looks milky.
Cook pasta to package instructions, drain, and add to sauce pot. Using tongs, toss pasta in sauce to coat. Garnish with extra fresh parsley and Parmesan and serve.
Enjoy!
