Opinion – Terra Vegana: Nothing can satisfy our hunger, but a good plate of pasta helps

Some people lose their appetite, but in my stomach the side effect of adverse situations is the opening of a black hole. It seems that the food does not settle, it is immediately swallowed. Neither paçoca nor hot green corn: no food is able to appease this hunger, which, today I know, is not really hunger.

It’s anxiety. It’s fear. Despair, even. It is eating to numb the senses. It is an attempt not to come out of the shell because reality — ah, reality — was invaded by perverse fables in which even Satan was invoked to re-elect those who were sad for not having eaten roasted Indian with bananas.

Today’s recipe is an attempt to embrace sensitive stomachs like mine. Stomachs that barely feel the tension and already start thinking about pizza for dinner every day of the week. Acidified stomachs that need to go for coffee with that friend who said he’s going to vote blank.

And what do we have for that stomach? A comforting pasta sauce with the purplish red color of beetroot. Perfect for lazy stomachs, too: just roast the beetroot and then beat it with the cashews, garlic, basil, water and lemon juice. That simple!

As the price of gas is high, I recommend peeling and cutting the beetroot into cubes to reduce oven time. But, if you want to take advantage of the oven to bake some potatoes for the next meal (still on the comfort food theme, I suggest filling them with the vegan bolognese that we have already learned how to prepare here), the tip is to wrap the beets and whole potatoes in aluminum foil.

It is easier to peel beets after roasting.

The sweetness of the beet will be well balanced by the acidity of the lemon, and also by the pungency of the raw garlic. It is important, whenever you use raw garlic in a recipe, to remove its germ, that core that is sometimes greenish, sometimes white.

The germ of raw garlic can give a little extra work to the digestion of the most sensitive stomachs, so cut the garlic lengthwise to remove it with the help of a small and very sharp knife.

Let’s go to the recipe.

Pasta with beetroot sauce

INGREDIENTS

1 medium beet

½ cup raw cashews

¼ cup basil leaves

1 clove of garlic

¾ cup of water

½ lemon

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of salt

PREPARATION

1. Soak the cashews in water for at least 6 hours (alternative “express”: boil the cashews for 15 min). At the end of the soaking or boiling time, drain the water and reserve the chestnut.
2. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Wash and peel the beets. Cut into 2 cm cubes and transfer to a baking sheet. Season with olive oil and half the amount of salt that the recipe calls for (½ teaspoon), mix with your hands and cover the baking sheet (with another baking sheet, or with aluminum foil). Bake for 25 minutes, or until cubes are very soft.
3. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the beet cubes to the blender. Cut the garlic in half and, with the help of a knife, remove and discard the “core”. Add the garlic to the blender, the soaked cashews, the water, the basil leaves and the rest of the salt. Squeeze the lemon and add to the other ingredients. Whisk until you get a creamy, smooth sauce.