Pasta with “Fake” Sauce

In Italy, we learned about Tuscan sugo finto, or “fake sauce,” so called because the vegetables—onion, carrot and celery—are minced, then gently cooked in fat to the point where they resemble, in both appearance and texture, bits of long-simmered meat in a tomatoey sauce. The mixture of slowly sautéed aromatic veggies is called soffritto, and it forms the flavor foundation of many Italian soups, stews, braises and sauces. “Fake sauce” traditionally is tossed with pici, a thick, hand-rolled spaghetti-like noodle with a dumpling-like quality, resulting in a rich and satisfying but meat-free dish that’s requires only a small handful of very basic ingredients. We also include a portobello mushroom in our mix of vegetables; it supplies a meaty, savory taste and texture that balances the sweetness of the onion, carrot and tomato. We keep the knifework to a minimum by using the large holes of a box grater to prep the vegetables. Salted at the outset and cooked over medium-low in a covered saucepan, the vegetables readily soften and release their essence because shredding has broken down their cell structure. Bucatini or spaghetti are our favorite pasta shapes to match with the sauce, but just about any shape works well.