This is based on Yotam Ottolengi and Ixta Belfrage’s Tray Bake Ragu, in their excellent Flavour book . Blitzing slightly reconstituted dried mushrooms along with the flavours of tomato, miso and soy sauce is inspired, giving a serious umami flavour hit, which is Italian rather than Japanese. It really helps to have a food processor with this, as all the vegetables need to be finely chopped. You will need a large roasting tray (36 x 28cm). Serve with rice, polenta, pasta or in a lasagne. It really is worth cooking the full amount as it freezes beautifully.

Roasting vegetables:

60g dried porcini mushrooms (dried shiitake mushrooms also work), soaked for 10 minutes in 2 tbs of hot water

2 large carrots, peeled roughly chopped

2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped

250g chestnut mushrooms, roughly chopped

350g plum tomatoes, roughly chopped

Marinade for roasting veg:

120ml olive oil

70g white miso paste

1 tbsp paprika (or 25g rose harissa)

1 tbsp dried lemon powder (optional)

4 tbsp tomato puree

90 ml soy sauce

1 teasp fennel seeds, crushed

2 tbsp snipped chives

Final stage stock and ingredients:

280g dried puy lentils, rinsed and drained

100g vegan butter, cut into 2cm cubes

1 litre vegetable stock or nage

175ml red wine

To serve:

Rice, polenta, pasta and/or a green salad

Chopped parsley

• Pre heat the oven to 200c. In a food processor, blitz the slightly reconstituted dried mushrooms with the soaking liquid. Add to a large bowl. Blitz the carrots, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes in small batches so they are the equivalent of being 3mm dice/grated and add continue to add to the bowl

• Combine the marinade ingredients and massage them into the roasting veg mix bowl. Pack into the large roasting tray, making sure that the mixture reaches all sides. Bake for 20 minutes, then stir. Bake for a further 20 minutes until browned (not burnt) at the edges and bubbling. Remove from the oven. Stir very well, scraping the crispy bits well with a spatula

• Reduce the heat to 190c. Add the drained lentils to the roast veg. Stir well, then add the butter then the stock and wine, along with lots of black pepper. Cover tightly with foil and return to the oven baking for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further 5 minutes– this may need to be longer. You are looking for a juicy yet firm ragu sauce constancy, so keep in oven with heat off until this happens

• Allow to cool a little then serve