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Mac & Shews

(recipe, Carrie Stewart)


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Ingredients

  1. 1 lb. small pasta like shells, macaroni or chiocciole
  2. 1½ cups cashews, soaked (see recipe note)
  3. 4 cups broth, divided
  4. 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
  5. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  6. 1 small onion, diced
  7. 2 cups sauerkraut
  8. ⅓ cup all purpose flour
  9. ½ tsp. tumeric
  10. Several dashes fresh black pepper
  11. 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast (optional)
  12. ½ tsp. salt
  13. 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Steps

  1. First boil salted water for the pasta. Cook pasta and drain. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the recipe.
  2. Place the soaked cashews and 2 cups of the vegetable broth in a food processor and blend until smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula occasionally to make sure you get everything. This could take 5 minutes.
  3. In the meantime, preheat a large pan (preferably cast iron) over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic and a pinch of salt in a tablespoon of the oil, until onions are softened.
  4. Drain the sauerkraut in a sieve, pushing it into the sieve to remove as much moisture as possible. Add to the pan just to heat through, a minute or two.
  5. Transfer sauerkraut mixture to the food processor with the cashew mixture. Once again, puree until relatively smooth. There will be some texture, just make sure it’s not chunky.
  6. Wipe out the pan that you sauteed the onions in and preheat it over medium heat once again. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, along with the flour. It should become a gooey clump. You’re now making a roux! Add a little bit more olive oil if necessary. Toast the roux for about 15 minutes, until it smells toasty and turns a medium brown. Stir practically the whole time so that it cooks evenly.
  7. Now stream in remaining 2 cups of broth, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t clump. Whisk until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes.
  8. Stream in the cashew sauerkraut mixture, and whisk until well incorporated. Add the tumeric, black pepper, nutritional yeast if using, salt and fresh lemon juice. Heat through and stir occasionally, allowing the mixture to thicken.
  9. Preheat oven to 350 F and lightly grease an 11 x 13 casserole with olive oil.
  10. Add the cooked pasta back to the pasta pot and pour in the sauce. Taste for salt and pepper. Mix to coat, then transfer to the casserole dish. Cover casserole with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot!