Miso garlic noodles with mushrooms

Can you hear that?  No?  That's okay because I don't hear anything either!  My recently whiny, noisy computer has been replaced with a new - blissfully quiet - one.  We finally made the switch to mac after talking about it for years...I'm loving it so far though it takes a little getting used to.

Spaghetti with mushrooms in a miso-garlic sauce (with olive oil instead of butter)

The computer upgrade is just one of several projects happening on the home front right now. It's all good though and I'm happy to be busy in a good way.  Despite how much we may be running around, going out, or attending to things at home, quick-and-easy meals are never far from my mind.

I've been wanting to try cooking with miso for a long time now.  A few weeks ago, I spotted a small container of yellow miso at Trader Joe's; it was inexpensive and had a long expiration date so I decided to pick one up thinking that seeing it in the fridge will get me motivated.  It worked and I started by making a very simple miso garlic pasta with mushrooms.  I made it for a quick lunch after picking up some gray oyster mushrooms at the farmer's market in the morning.  Any mushroom, or a medley of them, would work well.  While most miso pasta/noodle recipes I've seen use butter, I generally prefer to cook with olive oil so I tried it that way and it turned out great!


Keeping things simple, I used what I had on hand so I went with basic spaghetti for this dish though you could try other noodles or pasta.  I adapted this recipe from Steamy Kitchen but instead of butter, I used extra-virgin olive oil, which is predominately what I reach for when cooking.  I use enough butter for baking so I try to stick with olive oil when it comes to the savory.

The sauce is basically olive oil, a few cloves of pressed (or minced) garlic, mushrooms, and a bit of Maggi sauce or soy sauce if you don't have Maggi.  Maggi is a bit like a finishing soy sauce; I really like the flavor and I keep a small bottle in my cupboard all the time to splash on some of my stir-fries and other dishes.  And whenever I want maximum garlic favor in what I'm cooking (essentially all the time when I use garlic), I like to use my garlic press.  If you don't use one, just finely mince the garlic. The miso I used is a mild yellow one and given how salty miso is, a tablespoon is enough.  

The miso has such a delicious umami, savory, quality to it, and the earthiness of the mushrooms works really well with it.  I used some "fancy" gray oyster mushrooms because they looked good at the farmer's market that morning.  I had king oyster mushrooms in mind but they weren't available that day.  The organic mushroom vendor is a new addition to our farmer's market this year and I have a feeling I'm going to be a fairly regular customer.  I'd love to use a medley of mushrooms in this dish.  A little contrast in shapes and textures is always nice.   

This pasta is great served with a fried egg on top!  Well, for me, almost anything is better with an egg on top and I add it to lots of things.  

My family and I enjoyed this simple, quick pasta for lunch on a recent Sunday.  After making it, I can totally see how a little miso can be an easy "short-cut" to a whole lot of flavor.  I see plenty of possibilities in adding a dab or two to stir-fries, dressings, marinades, and soups.  

I've since used my miso to make a miso-glazed salmon for dinner one night (it was another magazine-cutout recipe but for the life of me, I cannot remember where I found the recipe right now!) and I look forward to other experiments to come.  I'm thinking some garlic miso chicken wings will happen very soon...


Recipe:

Miso Garlic Noodles with Mushrooms
Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

- Serves 3-4 - 

8 ounces dry pasta (such as spaghetti or other pasta/noodles of your choice)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, pressed through a garlic press or finely minced
12 ounces fresh mushrooms of your choice, sliced
1 tablespoon miso paste (mild yellow or white)
2 teaspoons Maggi seasoning sauce or soy sauce
Freshly ground black pepper

Cook pasta until al dente and drain, reserving a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, stirring and making sure not to burn the garlic.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes, until mushrooms have softened.  Stir in the miso, Maggi sauce or soy sauce.  Add pasta and stir well to combine.  Stir in a tablespoon or two of the pasta cooking water, if necessary, to add a little more moisture.  Season with black pepper, and serve.