Tag: miso

Miso Creamed Kale

January 28, 2014February 7, 2017

I’ve posted about this miso creamed kale before, in a Weekend Finds post back in October. This recipe was recommended to me by a foodie friend, whose tastebuds I respect. So I was excited when I finally got around to making it. Easy, super flavorful, and wintry (most creamed veggie dishes are, in my opinion).

Miso Creamed Kale

Ingredients

3 Tbl unsalted butter (divided)
1 large shallot
2 cloves garlic
Salt and pepper
1 bunch lacinato kale, stems removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shimeji mushrooms with stems or shiitake mushroom tops, sliced into strips
1 Tbl soy sauce
1/4 cup dry vermouth
1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half
1/4 cup white miso paste

Instructions

In a large pan or skillet, melt 2 Tbl of butter over medium heat. Thinly slice the shallot and garlic, and add them to the pan, along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Turn heat to low, and let the garlic and shallot cook for a few minutes until they’ve got a bit of color. Add the kale, and cook until it’s wilted.

While you’re cooking the kale, in another pan, melt the remaining 1 Tbl of butter over medium high heat. Toss in the mushrooms (whichever kind you’re using), and cook until… well until they’re cooked through and soft. Add the soy sauce to the mushrooms, cook for another minute, and remove from heat.

Increase the heat under the kale to medium high, and add the vermouth. Cook until it is just evaporated, then add the cream/half & half and the miso. You’ll have to do a fair amount of stirring to break up the miso and make sure everything is evenly distributed and combined. Turn your heat down to medium and cook for a couple more minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced and thickens up a little bit. Top with mushrooms, and serve.

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso and Harissa

December 13, 2013February 7, 2017

Make this. Tonight. Now. I don’t care when. But make it. The sooner the better.

I’m not sure when I discovered this recipe on 101 Cookbooks, but it has quickly become a favorite. I imagine you could roast any winter vegetables with miso and harissa and they would be just as wonderful as the potatoes and squash I made. I haven’t tried the full on recipe with the kale yet, but I’m sure I will soon enough. Once I get over these vegetables. My goodness. This recipe is incredibly flavorful, the miso gets beautifully caramelized, and the harissa adds a perfect hint of spice. It’s so comforting but not boring or familiar at all. So make it.

Roasted Winter Vegetables with Miso and Harissa

Note: I bet this would work beautifully with lots of winter vegetables. Sweet potatoes? Turnips? Broccoli? Fennel? Parsnips? Winter squash? Let me know what you try.

Note 2: If you think miso and harissa are some of those ingredients that you’ll use once and never again, you couldn’t be more wrong. The other night Jonah made me this incredible clam miso soup from The Family Meal, and this squash and tofu with miso and molasses is one of my favorites. As for harissa, try adding it to anything for a little heat, especially shakshuka.

Ingredients

1/2 pound fingerling potatoes
3/4 pound delicata squash
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white miso paste
1 1/2 tsp harissa paste (more if you like spice)

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. If your potatoes are larger, quarter them, half them, or cut them as you choose. You want the pieces to be about the size of your thumb. Half and seed the squash, and slice into 1/2 inch half-moons. Set aside.

In a bowl, whisk together the olive oil, miso, and harissa. Add the vegetables and toss to coat evenly. Spread on a baking sheet, and roast for 25-30 minutes. You want everything to be nicely browned and tender – I recommend tossing the veggies halfway through.

Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes. Good luck not devouring these within minutes.

Weekend Finds 10:5:13

October 5, 2013February 5, 2017

I’m writing this weekend finds post from my mother’s living room in Seattle, where she has been surprised for her birthday by myself, Jonah, and my older sister (yesterday at about 5) and then again by her mother, sister, brother-in-law, brother, and sister-in-law. I love seeing the absolute joy on her face when she is surrounded by her family. Her boyfriend really pulled off an incredible surprise. How fun.

Now let’s get to the finds!

1. Pok Pok Wings

Weekend Finds // Serious Crust by Annie Fassler — Pok Pok’s Famous wings with Uncle Ike

The time has come. The recipe for the chicken wings that launched a thousand ships has finally been released, as part of the publicity for Pok Pok’s new cookbook. It certainly seems like a bit of work, but man oh man, if they taste anything like the original, it’s so worth it. And hey, I’m lucky enough to live in Portland, so if it’s too hard, I’ll just drive across town and pay to have someone else make them for me.

2. It’s Pumpkin Time

It’s officially October, which means we can officially start obsessing over everything pumpkin. While some people love their pumpkin spice lattes, I am a bigger fan of pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, and maybe if I get really ambitious, this pumpkin cheesecake.

3. Holiday cocktails

Maybe you’re a member of one of those families that all gets together and doesn’t drink at all. I am not a member of one of those families. My family likes their wine. And their cocktails. And occasionally their beer, too. And the holiday themed cocktails are starting to appear. This pisco apple sour and this apple pie cocktail with cinnamon meringue look like a perfect place to start.

4. How to Fry an Egg

No, it’s not the title of a chapter from How to Cook a Wolf or An Everlasting Meal. This egg frying tip is seriously about to change lives. When you crack your egg into your pan, add a bit of water and a lid – the water will steam the top of the white that’s over the yolk that never gets cooked otherwise. It’s a perfect solution to a serious problem.

5. Miso-creamed Kale

A friend of mine recommended this miso-creamed kale recipe from the now shuttered Wafu, a ramen restaurant in Portland. While I wasn’t crazy about their ramen, I was crazy about their small plates. This dish looks delicious and fairly easy to make.

Restaurant Review: Double Dragon

May 8, 2013February 5, 2017

A few weeks ago, my co-worker Kelly (who is also a big foodie) told me about this restaurant by our office, the Double Dragon. He said they had awesome bahn mi sandwiches for lunch. So the following week, Jonah and I went to get lunch there with our co-worker Sarah. I had the pork belly bahn mi, which was delicious. Now, let me say that I am not usually a sandwich person. There is usually just too much bread and all the fillings squeeze out as you eat it and it can just be a big mess. I’m a fan of silverware. But this bread was so good – like a baguette but really light and the crust was more crispy than crusty. I don’t know what they did to it, but it was awesome. The pork belly was wonderfully cooked and just melted in my mouth, and the whole thing was topped with aioli, jalapeno, and pickled carrot and daikon. It was awesome.

So when Little Green Pickle invited me to the celebration at Double Dragon to welcome their new expanded menu (after 5 pm) and cocktails (yum), I was more than happy to show up, eat some food, and drink some drinks. The party was open to the public, so I was happy to bring Jonah and our roommate Mac along. It was a beautiful day in Portland, and the picnic tables outside were packed. Here’s what we ate (and drank):

While Mac and Jonah both got the IPA on tap, I decided to try the Run Castro Run, a cocktail with tequila, pineapple, jalapeno agave, egg white, and angostura bitters. It was creamy (thanks egg white) and light, and perfect for a sunny day. We also were gifted an unclaimed cocktail, Double Dragon’s punch, which consisted of gin, lemongrass, ginger, and champagne. It was also really light and refreshing, perfect for a sunny day.

We had a little basket of the miso disco fries, Double Dragon’s take on the every popular poutine. Crispy, perfectly cooked fries, drenched in a miso sausage gravy, and topped with melty queso fresco. These were a really good start, and a more unique version of poutine (which you’ll find on a lot of happy hour menus in Portland) than I’ve had before.

Probably my favorite thing we ate was the rice cakes and Chinese sausage. I don’t know what they did to this dish, but it was awesome. I am a really big fan of this kind of rice cake, and I haven’t found it a lot in Portland. But rather than just being a little chewy, they must have pan fried these, so the edges got a little crispy, which was awesome. And the combination of that with the sliced sausage (which also seemed pan fried and had nice crispy edges) made for a really delicious dish. More bar snack than entree, it’s definitely something I’ll be returning for.

Overall, the food was really good, and the cocktails were really refreshing and light. I will definitely be hitting this place up for a post-work drink and bite. I recommend you do the same.