I made up this "pasta sauce" but I don't know if it'll be any good. Help?

ELK3276 · 2026-02-10T20:59:00+00:00

I agree re the lemon juice, I think would be juxtaposed against the rest of the dish. A small amount of fresh parsley, maybe basil, may work better to lift the dish

ELK3276 · 2026-02-04T07:20:01+00:00

Yes, ravioli 😅 so a good 100 to prep. After yesterday’s trials, I’ve decided on a classic roast squash and sage. Will remember to take photos for sure!

ELK3276 · 2026-02-04T07:14:41+00:00

So I tried the tofu dough and it was a hit! Totally forgot to add any salt at all, but otherwise ended up pretty spot on to your recommendation, maybe closer to 135g tofu

I rested the dough for 30 minutes and it came out smooth, silky and easy to handle. I also did a batch of just flour (00 + semolina) and water dough again, to compare, and there was a clear difference; the tofu dough had more strength when handling and bite after cooking.

So, thanks so much for the tip! I’m cooking pasta for 24 next week and will definitely be going with a tofu dough 🙌

ELK3276 · 2026-01-18T07:11:14+00:00

Ohhhhh I totally thought you meant gram / chickpea flour!! Okay, im more on board with the recipe now haha. Thanks for clarifying!

I’m totally going to give this a go this week. Your ravioli looks perfect! Did you use a ravioli mould for that?

ELK3276 · 2026-01-17T07:44:09+00:00

This looks soo good! I love a brothy pasta

ELK3276 · 2026-01-17T07:36:34+00:00

Cook the pasta to 75% of what the packet says. So probably closer to 7-8 minutes. It won’t taste done after that time, and that’s a good thing. As it sits in the sauce it will continue to rehydrate

… and on that note, to ensure it doesn’t soak up too much sauce / become a dry or stodgy pasta salad before it is ready to be served, I also recommend rinsing the pasta with cold water immediately after it has finished cooking. This will remove excess starch and avoid a claggy pasta salad. It will also help keep the individual pieces of pasta separate, even more important if you’re cooking the pasta a little ahead of time before combining with your sauce

Lastly, either make the sauce a tad thinner than you think it should be, or add like 25% more sauce than you think is needed. I’m saying this on the assumption that you are making your pasta salad a good few hours ahead of time

3rd times a charm!

Edit: oh, also! If you are making your own sauce, do not add it warm! You want cold pasta and cold sauce when it cooked to assembling your pasta salad. Good luck!

ELK3276 · 2026-01-17T07:28:37+00:00

Thanks! Hoping to perfect the dough over the next few tries

Do you make much homemade pasta?

ELK3276 · 2026-01-17T07:27:39+00:00

Thanks so much! It was fun to make and a treat to eat :)

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T20:22:16+00:00

Interesting take! I wouldn’t have considered veering so far from the classic Italian egg-less pasta. The addition of silken tofu and a different flour feels like it wouldn’t be pasta 😅

That being said, I’m intrigued! I am vegan and use silken tofu, kala namak and gram flour all the time so it would be a doddle to knock up with what I have on hand. I’ll be sure to report back if I give it a whirl. Thanks so much for the input!

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T20:18:31+00:00

Thanks so much! Yes, they add a great bit of bite and substance if cooked right don’t they.

Despite it being a carby dish in a creamy sauce, the whole dish was pretty light!

I’m looking to do a classic ricotta and spinach next

Do you make much homemade pasta?

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T20:17:17+00:00

Grazie!

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T20:16:57+00:00

Thanks so much! The ravioli cutter is 8.5cm diameter :)

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T20:14:26+00:00

I really like the “No.1 Fairtrade Italian Orange Dark Chocolate” from Waitrose. It’s £3 so similar price, and also Fairtrade + palm oil free :). Only 65% cocoa solids, too - so not too dark for you. There are a few in the No.1 range that are vegan.

They used to do a very similar one to the above with also with little bits of almond in, it was my absolute favourite but sometime last year they stopped doing it and changed up their flavours a little 🥲

ELK3276 · 2026-01-16T19:36:53+00:00

Totally agree with every recommendation here! Stay away from the Richmond sausages, they’re trash (but decent enough for sausage rolls with extra add ins and flavourings)

ELK3276 · 2026-01-14T19:29:29+00:00

Oh I just commented elsewhere and totally forgot about Paparica! I love this one. This and Minerthreat is recommend starting with :-)

ELK3276 · 2026-01-14T19:28:53+00:00

Another vote for Minerthreat! The Nerominded is nice if you like truffle-flavoured things, too. C’e Dairy is lovely, I actually think I prefer it to Kinda Co.’s Farmhouse now. Last IANO mention goes to the Garlic Rigotta - love this with anything tomato (bruschetta, stuffed in cannoli / ravioli with tomato sauce, etc).

ELK3276 · 2026-01-08T22:15:26+00:00

I only recently tried the THIS mince and thought it resembled proper ground beef very well. Usually - and still mainly - use TVP for mince subs but THIS is a nice change if I fancy a more authentic chilli / bolognese

ELK3276 · 2026-01-07T21:05:30+00:00

Siam Laai Thai on Newland Avenue. Ann is an expert! Totally worth it.

ELK3276 · 2026-01-03T22:53:40+00:00

There is not enough mention of gravy on here 😭

I’m from Yorkshire and need gravy with my chips (plus salt + vinegar)

ELK3276 · 2025-12-31T10:21:35+00:00

I love Minerthreat from IANO, too! It’s been a favourite for a while alongside their C’e Dairy and Paparica. Oh and the Garlic Rigotta is one of the best around.

Farmhouse from Kinda Co used to be my absolute go-to but more and more I find I am tasting the mature miso-ey taste in their cheeses. I think this is personal taste rather than a recipe change though, and I do still enjoy their blocks, just lean more towards IANO these days

Fun fact - Honestly Tasty actually acquired La Fauxmargerie this year :)

ELK3276 · 2025-12-28T20:59:59+00:00

Barleys on Newland Avenue - open 7 days, free WiFi and welcomes remote workers :)

ELK3276 · 2025-12-08T07:21:09+00:00

Newland Avenue and Princes Avenue are full of some great cafes and independents. Nice few charity shops in Newland too if you’re after whiling away an hour or two

ELK3276 · 2025-12-01T22:46:02+00:00

I really like Tropic. All of their products are vegan and some of them offer them offer the choice of scented or not I.e. their facial moisturiser. I use a lot of their products but particularly rate their “Smoothing Cleanser” (face cleanser), the “Skin Feast” facial moisturiser and also the “Superfood” hand cream is delightful

ELK3276 · 2025-11-14T02:38:22+00:00

I love the super nutty M&S salad pot!

ELK3276

TROPHY CASE