Meera Sodha's Vegan Recipe for Cupboard Spaghetti | The new vegan

Not all store cupboards are created equal. Mine is a jumbled ode to disorganization, which I myself have convinced is useful for creativity. Maybe one day I will see the soy sauce next to the fruit pastilles and that could inspire me for a new recipe. This dish, however, was inspired by the tidier cupboard of Giuseppina, the nonna host at a farmhouse where I stayed in Sicily this summer. She dried her own grapes and tomatoes, brined her own capers, and using them cooked us the most phenomenal food, including a pasta dish that this recipe remembers.

Pantry Spaghetti

If you haven't used nutritional yeast, or nooch, before, I recommend dipping your spoon in it. The flakes have an intensely cheesy flavor and although they are not, in my opinion, a substitute for cheese, they do.

Preparation 5 minsCooking 35 minsFor 2

Extra virgin olive oil45 g capers in brine, drained40 g dried tomato paste with sunshine30g pine nuts20g raisins½tsp red pepper flakesFine salt and black pepper1tsp white wine vinegar or to taste40g dried breadcrumbs1tbsp nutritional yeast200g spaghetti

first the sauce. Put four tablespoons of oil in a blender, add the capers, sun-dried tomato paste, pine nuts, raisins, chili flakes and half a teaspoon of salt. Mix to obtain a thick sauce, then taste: it must be salty, sweet and sour. If needed, add a teaspoon of vinegar to balance things out.

Boil a large pot of water and add a teaspoon of salt for every liter of water.

Meanwhile, heat a tablespoon of oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the breadcrumbs and sauté, stirring, until crisp. Off the heat, stir in the nutritional yeast, then transfer to a small bowl.

Once the pot of water boils, cook the spaghetti according to package directions and , when almost done, carefully lower a cup into the cooking water and scoop out some of it. Drain the spaghetti well, then return it to the empty saucepan and add the blended sauce and three tablespoons of the pasta cooking water. Mix well to soften the pasta, add another tablespoon of cooking water, if necessary, then taste a sprig and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

Spread the spaghetti between two plates and sprinkle each serving with a tablespoon of the breadcrumb mixture. Serve with the remaining breadcrumbs on the side, so you can help yourself.