Vegan Pasta Primavera in San Marzano Marinara Sauce

I am being quite the bad Jew this Pesach. Instead of posting a recipe geared toward the holiday, I'm posting one about pasta. What can I say? I'm a noodle whore. I do have a bangin' kugel recipe, but I'm saving it for my fantabulous book. My publishers have me on spoiler-shut-mouth.

Ironically, after I turned 18 and moved 3000 miles away from home, I abandoned the daily ritual of formally sitting down to dinner. The closest thing would be my dinner/recipe tasting gatherings. Most nights, I find myself eating at my computer desk. I have writing deadline after writing deadline, and quite honestly, I love the blissful silence. It's not mindful eating, but there's no fighting, no awkward conversational pauses, and no calling out who's holding their fork incorrectly. 

Nothing like a family dinner at all. I await the day I have a niece or nephew who sees me as the "Cool, Gay Aunt Jenn". Once they're old enough, one of them is bound to find a similar passion for cooking. They're all likely to inherit our generic love of eating. I eagerly await the day one of them cooks me dinner, then we can sit around the kitchen table and gossip about the rest of the family. 

This brings me to the topic of my rant: Baby Fever. What is Baby Fever, you ask? Well, it's a concept that's new to me. A close friend introduced me to the condition. "I have such bad Baby Fever today...", she said. "Baby Fever?!", I asked, wondering if perhaps she's knocked-up and stricken with a rare, pregnancy-related ailment. "Yeah, you know, when you just crave having a little one in your life to care for? Baby Fever." I'd never heard this terminology before.

I sat alone with myself later that day, musing over having no unquenchable longings for motherhood. Of course, I'm not at a point in my life where I can even imagine having a child. I'm semi-unemployed, dating around, enjoy smoking pot and have lots of living it up planned. It'll be quite some time before I can even check back in with myself. I'm pretty sure my sister will have children one day, and it takes a village!

After I came out of the closet in the early 2000s, I didn't give much of a thought to having children. The L Word taught me a few of the ways to go about it. What I gathered is that it takes great efforts that often lack intimacy in any way, and would cost a pretty million+ pennies. I know my OBGYN says I'm more fertile than most women, but I have yet to come down with Baby Fever. 

At least I never have to worry about birth control, which is great because I'm allergic to latex. Ironically, my ONLY allergy is to latex. I should've taken it as a sign from Mother Nature, waving her arms at me while screaming, "You're actually allergic to men! You're gayer than gay!!!"

Anyway, I've went on a complete tangent. Yes...the recipe. This simpler than usual dish is one I make myself for dinner about once a week. I'm a perfectionist when it comes to pasta dishes. The noodles must be perfectly al Dente. The sauce must be flavored correctly, and must be served hot and fresh. This is a great meal you can easily throw together for a dinner party, for your family, or anyone stricken with Baby Fever.

Pasta Primavera in a San Marzano Marinara Sauce

For The Sauce...

• 3 TBSP Olive Oil
• 6 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 large cans San Marzano Tomatoes in Juice
• 2 15 oz cans Muir Glen Tomato Sauce
• Pinch of Unbleached Sugar
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1/4 cup Fresh Oregano Leaves, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley Leaves, finely chopped
• Red Pepper Flakes, to taste
• Salt and Freshly Cracked Black Pepper, to taste

In a deep saucepan that has a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. 

Once hot, add the onions. Sauté until the onions are soft and translucent, then add in the garlic and saute an additional 45 seconds. 

Add the San Marzanos with their juice, the two cans of Tomato Sauce, sugar, bay leaves, parsley and oregano, then stir to combine. Reduce the heat to Medium.

Add a touch of the red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, then let the sauce come to a simmer. Place a lid partially on the pot, leaving room for steam to vent.

Stirring occasionally, let the sauce simmer on low for about an hour. Taste again for salt and pepper.

Remove the pot from heat, discard the bay leaves, then use an immersion blender to puree until smooth. If you don't have an immersion blender, you can either mash up the San Marzanos with a potato masher or optionally puree in a blender or food processor. 

Set aside until ready to use with the pasta. 

For The Pasta....

• 1 lb Spaghetti Noodles
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil, plus more for the noodles
• 4 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Onion, finely chopped
• 8 oz White Button Mushrooms, sliced
• 3 Portobello Mushrooms, diced
• 1 Zucchini, cut into 1 inch long matchstick slices
• 4 cups diced Kale, tough stems discarded
• White Wine, for de-glazing pan (about 1/4 cup)
• Salt and Pepper, to taste
• Dr Cows Tree Nut Cheese, finely grated (or Vegan Parmesan)

In a pasta pot, add enough water per package directions, then dump in some olive oil and salt.

Cook the pasta noodles in a large pot of boiling water until just al Dente. 

Drain well, toss with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking, then set aside. 

In a very large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onions to the pan, and sauté for a few moments until the onions have softened. Add the garlic, mushrooms and zucchini, season with salt & pepper, then sauté until the veggies are just tender, about 5-10 minutes. 

De-glaze the pan with the white wine, then add the kale to braise until softened completely, about 5 more minutes. Add the pasta directly into the pan with the veggies along with the marinara sauce (add as much as you prefer), and serve garnished with Dr. Cow's Cheese.