One of my favourite things about travelling is getting to visit new restaurants, try new dishes, and getting to experience foods you might not otherwise get to. One of the dishes I remember most fondly from my travels was the carbonara at Buddy, a vegan cafe and restaurant in Rome.  Of course, it’s no surprise that Italians would excel at pasta, but, even among the many excellent meals I had in Italy, this decadent and expertly cooked carbonara really stood out. Ever since I’ve been trying to replicate this dish, and it’s incredibly rich flavour at home.

Carbonara really embodies the delicious simplicity of Italian cuisine, and a culinary tradition that emphasizes minimal but high-quality ingredients, cooked, and combined in such a way that brings out their complex flavour. In a carbonara though, the key ingredients are pork, cheese, and egg, and it relies on the very specific alchemy of these very non-vegan components. I tried a variety of complicated substitutes, particularly with the egg alternative, and the results were mixed, but ultimately the flavour solution came back to using simple ingredients. That is what I love most about this recipe – it’s something you can throw together quickly, with ingredients you may very well have on hand anyway.  Easy to make, hearty and warm, evoking hot leisurely Mediterranean  summer days – it’s the perfect dinner for a cold winter night.

Ingredients (makes 4 to 5 servings):
1  tbsp of olive oil
1 156g package of Tofurky Plant Based Smoked Ham Style Deli Slices or another similar substitute.
1 14oz package of silken tofu
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
2 tsp of black salt
2 tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of turmeric
1 tbsp of yellow mustard
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 cup of oat or soy creamer
1 cup of vegan parmesan shreds (I used Daiya’s )
1 85 gm package of bucatini (you could also use spaghetti)
Black Pepper

Directions:
1. Heat the 1 tbsp of olive in a frying pan over medium heat.
2. Dice the deli slices into small squares and add them to frying pan. Cook for 5-10 minutes, flipping frequently, until the edges start to crisp up. Remove from heat and set aside>
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the bucatini, reduce to medium heat, and cook until al dente (about ten minutes).
4. While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. In a blender or food processor, add the silken tofu, 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast, 2 tsp of black salt, 2 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp of yellow mustard, 1 tbsp of lemon juice, 1 cup of creamer. Pulse until smooth.
5. Transfer to a saucepan. Stir in the 1 cup of vegan parmesan shreds, and heat over medium heat until the shreds have melted.
6. Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add in the sauce, and the deli slices.
7. Top generously with black pepper and serve!