Vegetable Bolognese with Olive Gremolata

Step 1: Heat the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the carrot, celery, and onions. Season the vegetables with salt and sauté until tender but not browned.

Step 2: While the vegetables cook, combine the tomato paste, soy sauce and wine and whisk until smooth. Deglaze the vegetables with the wine mixture and reduce until nearly dry. Add the canned tomatoes and herbs. Bring the mixture to a boil and season again to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Step 3: Taste the sauce a final time, adjust the seasoning, and add a pinch of sugar if it is too acidic. The sauce may be pureed if desired or used as is. Keep sauce refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or freeze to keep for up to 6 months.

Step 4: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and stir immediately. Leave the pasta to cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, approximately 3 minutes if fresh or 8 minutes if using dried.

Step 5: *For the Gremolata, you can combine the orange zest, parsley, celery leaves and olives in a small bowl to sprinkle over the finished pasta, or you can add each ingredient individually over the pasta.

Step 6: Transfer the cooked pasta along with 1/2-1 cup of the pasta water to the pan with the sauce. Bring the pan to a simmer and cook 1 minute more and stir in the almonds. Add more of the pasta water if the sauce becomes too thick. Divide the pasta between bowls and top with gremolata / garnishes.