Vegan Pasta Puttanesca?

Cafe Society
1

I made Pasta Puttanesca last night and I wondered why I don’t have it on the rotation as much as I used to-- it’s one of the best ratios of weekday simplicity to classy deliciousness there is. I’m enjoying an early lunch of Puttanesca leftovers right now.

I’ve sometimes cooked for vegan friends in the past, and Indian-style cuisine is my usual go-to then, because I think it’s the most delicious cuisine to do vegan. But Puttanesca is almost vegan…except for those few little anchovies that are invisible in the sauce, but add so much to the flavor.

So I started wondering what I could do to theoretically make Puttanesca that is entirely vegan but has that same funky, umami kick that anchovies give to it. I checked a few vegan Puttanesca recipes online-- many of them just omit the anchovies with no substitution. Boooring.

But one recipe suggested a combo of powdered nori (seaweed) and tamari (a sauce made of fermented soybeans, similar to soy sauce but thicker and less salty). That was interesting, and I had already had a thought that a spoonful of miso paste (fermented soybeans and seaweed) might work really well.

Anybody else have any good ideas for getting that funky, umami, oceany kick into Pasta Puttanesca without anchovies?

Or really, I’m open to talking about any pasta dishes that are delicious, classy and simple- vegan or not. Been wanting to try some version of a pasta with sardines recipe:

2

How about adding a touch of Vegemite?

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Interesting. I don’t think I’ve actually ever tried Vegemite, though I understand it is very high in umami.

4

Very good idea!

5

Vegemite is almost always a very good idea. Though its use on ice cream should be discouraged, based on my past experiments in that area.

6

You can try making 5-ingredient vegan fish sauce. And here is a list of vegan substitutes for fish sauce. Although the list says it has seven, there are only six entries.

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<< deleted by user (I forgot both of my suggestions are already in the recipe) >>

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You can try miso paste or maybe even a little tamari.

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Thanks Monty! Having vegan fish sauce options available means I could do vegan Thai if I wanted to as well. It looks like I was on the right track in my OP with my mentions of tamari, seaweed and miso. I had never heard of coconut aminos though, so that’s a new one on me!

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Do Chinese fermented black beans have any non-vegan ingredients? They have a ton of intense umami, all salty and funky-tasting. I haven’t bought them in years so I’m not remembering their ingredients, if they in fact have any ingredients other than beans and salt.

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Another very interesting possibility, thanks! Looks vegan:

Ingredients: BLACK SOYBEANS, SALT, ginger, orange peel, spices & soy sauce (water, soybeans, salt, wheat flour).

https://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Douchi-Fermented-Black-Beans/dp/B003K3KOM8

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If you go too far from the original recipe, I don’t think the prostitutes will like it anymore.

13

Heheh, good one.

So that’s why they called it ‘Pasta Yo Mama’ when I’d make it for my friends :smile:

14

Well, what about powdered mushroom or mushroom catsup? [one gets the powdered shrooms from making the catsup]

15

Weird. My recipe for “Pasta P” (suitable for the young 'uns the time but we just keep calling it that now) doesn’t have any anchovies. But it does have canned tuna, black olives and capers. Forget the capers one time and that delicious ocean taste goes away.

Recipe from Umberto’s restaurant cookbook circa 80s and kinda local Vancouver famous so don’t judge on the canned tuna.

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They’re… strange. Kind of like soy sauce, but a bit sweet and with a vague coconut flavor. Not actually bad, just unusual.