CANNELLONI IN PIQUILLO

PEPPER AND BRANDY SAUCE

For the sauce:

1 medium onion

2 cloves garlic

200 g piquillo peppers

2 tbsp olive oil

2 (400-g) tin chopped tomatoes

20 ml brandy

Salt and pepper

For the filling:

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked

paprika

2 tbsp yeast flakes

120 g textured vegetable

protein (soya meat), fine

300 ml vegetable broth

6 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce

5 piquillo peppers

180 g vegan cannelloni tubes

50 g Parmesan-style vegan

cheese (optional)

1 bunch basil

Cannelloni, or canelones as Spaniards call them,

are one of the many pasta dishes that are popular throughout

Spain. Centuries of trade between Italy and Spain saw

Italian immigrants bring this dish with them to Barcelona

in the nineteenth century, from where it would soon

spread all over Spain.

1 Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Coarsely

chop the piquillo peppers.

2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sweat the onion

until translucent. Add the garlic and cook together for

1 minute. Add the tomatoes, paprika and brandy, then

stir and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and

simmer for about 20 minutes.

3 Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then transfer to

a blender and finely purée.

4 For the filling: mix the dried herbs and spices with the

yeast and vegetable protein in a bowl. Heat the broth in

a pan and add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Pour the liquid over the herb and protein mixture and

leave to soak for 5-10 minutes.

5 Finely chop the peppers and add to the mixture. Mix

well and adjust the seasoning with salt if required.

6 Fill the cannelloni tubes with the mixture.

7 Put two ladles of the sauce in an ovenproof dish and

arrange the cannelloni side by side over it. Cover with the

remaining sauce and, optionally, sprinkle with the cheese.

Bake in the oven, pre-heated to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, for

about 40 minutes.

8 Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Piquillo Peppers:

This type of pepper is grown in Lodosa, Navarre,

and is widely used in Spanish cuisine. This pepper

is a little smaller than regular peppers and has

an intense red colour and a mild flavour. Piquillo

peppers are available roasted and ready to use in

tins and jars, and they can also be found in

many supermarkets all over Spain and on the

Internet. If you are unable to find them, you

can easily substitute with a roasted red pepper.