Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Miso Butter

Miso was relatively a new ingredient to me. I first had it as the classic miso soup while transiting through Narita airport in Japan. I had a really bad headache and needed something warm to soothe my nerves. I told the elderly lady behind the counter and she kindly made me miso soup with veggies and was just the thing I needed. That day I fell in love with miso. Ever since it’s a pantry staple or should I say fridge staple in my house and I use it soups, an excellent base for salad dressing, as a sauce for roast veggies specially eggplant. This pasta recipe is a bit unsual but it makes complete sense. Miso butter is the best thing to use in pastas, it gives the noodles that rich creamy, salty, umami flavor and works specially well with mushrooms. The recipe is rich so the portions are relatively small at least for my taste. But go ahead and eat to your satisfaction.

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NOTES:

• There are several varieties of Miso I recommend organic. I love white Saikyo shiro miso, it has a clean mild flavor and very versatile. Use shiro for milder flavor, red for a bit robust flavor.
• Cook the mushrooms in 2-3 batches and not overcrowd the pan to allow them to brown evenly. This is important because mushrooms are the key ingredient and texture matters.
• Add cream for more sauce. I cut out cream for lower calories, but cream makes it ultra delicious.
• Remember miso is salty and pasta cooking water has salt too so be careful while adding extra salt.

Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Miso Butter, SERVES 3-4

Ingredients 

• 1-11/2 lbs mixed mushrooms (I use a mix of shimeji, eryngii, and oyster mushrooms, most mushroom combinations are good, ONLY avoid Chinese shiitake it has a strong flavor, unless you like it)
• 7-8 oz good quality spaghetti, 2 oz per person
•  olive oil as needed about 1-2 tablespoons
• 1 teaspoon rice or white wine vinegar
• 2-3 tablespoons shiro or red miso paste (shiro for milder flavor, red for a bit robust flavor)
• 2-3 tablespoons regular or vegan butter, softened, both are delicious
• 2 tablespoons cashew paste or 1/4 cup cream
• 5 garlic cloves, about 1 generous tablespoon 
• 1/2 cup pasta cooking water
• 1 teaspoon Korean Chile threads and/or a stalk of scallion, finely sliced
•  sea salt, as needed, remember miso is pretty salty
•  black pepper, as needed

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Season generously with salt, add dried pasta. Cook the pasta until just under al dente (a minute less than on its package directions), save about 1/2 cup of cooking water, drain the pasta and set aside.
2. Chop or break apart the mushrooms into large, bite-sized chunks. Then, heat a large skillet over high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté the mushrooms for 3-5 minutes until nicely browned.
3. When the mushrooms are browned, add the vinegar to the pan with the mushrooms, give them a little toss, and set aside. Cook the mushrooms in 2-3 batches and not overcrowd the pan to allow them to brown evenly. 
4. Make the sauce, whisk the miso paste, cashew paste and butter together in a small bowl to form a smooth, fluffy paste. 
5. In a medium saucepan, add the minced garlic and a tablespoon of oil, and stir-fry over medium heat for 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant.
6. Add in the sautéed mushrooms, miso-butter mixture and cream if using, and bring this sauce to a gentle boil, stirring gently.
7. Toss the cooked pasta into the sauce, and stir until the pasta is well coated. Add pasta water as needed little by little to get a creamy sauce.
8. Season taste, and cook for another minute until the pasta is al dente and heated.
9. Serve topped with sliced scallions and freshly cracked black pepper.