Red miso paste isn’t the first thing we’d usually associate with pasta, but this dish makes a delicious creamy sauce from the Japanese soup base. Morel mushrooms bring a delicate earthiness while peas add their own springtime sweetness. This recipe comes to us from Lindsay of Running with Tongs.
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 ounce dried morel mushrooms*
- 1 pound dried fettuccine pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large leek, white end only, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup reserved morel soaking water
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- or
- 1/4 parmesan, grated
- 2/3 cup soy creamer
- or
- 2/3 cream
- 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon red miso paste**
- 2 tablespoons warm water
- salt and black pepper, to taste
*dried morel mushrooms can be found in the dried food section of most grocery stores. If you can’t find dried morel mushrooms try substituting another flavorful dried mushroom like dried hen of the woods or shiitakes.
**red miso paste is a Japanese seasoning found in the ethnic food section of most grocery stores.
Directions:
Soak the morels in water for a 5 minutes. Drain, rinse to remove any dirt and then soak morels in enough hot water to cover them. Let morels sit in hot water for 1 hour, drain and reserve 1/4 cup soaking liquid.
Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
While pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the leek and thyme and sauté for 5 minutes, or until leeks become fragrant.
Add the garlic and morels to the pan and sauté for a minute before adding the morel soaking water. Bring the mixture up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Stir in the nutritional yeast or cheese, soy creamer or cream and peas. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
While the sauce is simmering, stir the red miso paste together with the warm water in a separate small bowl until thoroughly combined.
When morel sauce has finished simmering, take the pan off the heat and add in the miso mixture. Stir until combined. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Toss cooked pasta with the miso morel sauce and enjoy.
