This recipe is sloooow, deliciously complex gourmet vegan/ vegetarian food, which packs amazing levels of flavour and texture; this is not your average pasta dish. It involves lots of stages, but the good news that you will have the Balsamic Reduction (keeps in the fridge for at least a month, and can be added to salad dressings) and we make the full amount of the Marinara Sauce and freeze it in small amounts for other dishes or for the next time we cook this. You can replace the butter with a vegan alternative, and leave out the parmesan to make it entirely vegan, but no less delicious

Balsamic Reduction (makes 125ml – about ½ of this needed)

125 mls mild agave nectar

250 ml balsamic vinegar

1 small shallot, peeled and halved

salt and pepper

Marinara Sauce (makes 1.5 litres – you need half of this)

4 x 400g tinned tomatoes – best quality that you can get

3 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

½ tsp cayenne pepper

150ml red wine (optional, but nice)

4 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped

10g butter

salt and pepper

Pasta

450g linguine (roughly 75g dry weight per person)

8 basil leaves, finely shredded

The Full Final Sauce

1200g mixed mushrooms, cut into roughly 2- 3cm chunks (chestnut, 'chicken leg', field and shitakes all work well)

3-4 tbsp good quality olive oil or groundnut oil

65 ml of the balsamic reduction (see above)

½ tsp cayenne pepper

25g butter

1 shallot, very finely chopped

90ml dry sherry

750ml Marinara Sauce (see above)

Parmesan to serve (very much optional)

• First make the balsamic reduction. Put the agave syrup in a small saucepan, then stir in the vinegar and finally the shallot. Gently bring to the boil and allow to bubble until it is reduced down to 125ml – about 30-35 minutes. Remove the shallot and season well. Set aside

• Meanwhile, make the Marinara Sauce. Blend the tinned tomatoes and their juice in batches, until semi smooth – you want a little bit of texture. Then in a large saucepan/wok, fry the onion and carrot in the olive oil, along with the cayenne, until very soft – about 10 minutes. Add the wine, if using. Add the blended tomatoes, bring to the boil, and simmer gently on a low heat with the lid off until the sauce thickens and is reduced to 1500ml. Remove from heat, season well and stir in the basil and butter. Set aside

• Once the Balsamic Reduction is finished, turn the oven to 200C. Line a large baking tray with foil or silicone paper. Put 75ml of the Balsamic Reduction and 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the cayenne in a good sized mixing bowl, stir it well, then add the mushrooms. Carefully massage the mixture into the mushrooms with your fingers, taking care not to break them up, then spread out the mixture onto the baking tray in a single layer and roast for 25-30 minutes, until very tender and deep brown. Set aside. (This stage can be done a few hours in advance, and left at room temperature)

• Then prepare the Full Final Sauce. In a clean large saucepan or wok, melt the butter and then fry the finely chopped shallot for a minute. Add the seasoning and the roasted mushrooms, and toss until well distributed. Pour in the sherry, and reduce for 30 seconds or so, then add 750mls of Marinara Sauce. Simmer until heated through – about 5 minutes

• Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons of the pasta water, add that back into the pasta. Add the pasta to the Full Final Sauce with the basil leaves. Stir in together carefully, check seasoning and serve with Parmesan cheese