Lovely flavours and smells in this. We don’t have a blender but a food processor did an ok job – a blender will give a smoother sauce.
Wine Suggestion: We think this dish suits a white with a complex mix of fruit, herbal and mineral flavours and some of the best with this combination come from Sicily. Tonight the Casematte Grillo Pharis which is grown facing the straights of Messina and made in a combination of large oak barrels and concrete. Smooth and deep with a lovely Sicilian citrus twiest at the end.
Miso butter greens pasta – serves 4
- 60g unsalted butter
- 5 cloves of garlic, chopped
- ½ tsp fennel seeds
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 100g broccoli, chopped
- 400g cavolo nero, discard the stalks and slice the leaves
- ¾ tsp salt
- 2½ tbsp white miso paste
- 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 500g orecchiette
- extra virgin olive oil, to serve
Melt the butter in a large pot on a medium-high heat. Wait until it bubbles, then add the garlic, fennel seeds and chilli flakes. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until the garlic smells cooked.
Add the broccoli, cavolo nero, salt and 250ml of water. Stir, then cover and turn the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring every few minutes, for 8-10 minutes or until the greens have wilted and become tender.
Scrape the contents of the pan into a blender or food processor and add the miso and olive oil. Blend until smooth, you can add a little water if you need.
Rince out the greens pan, fill with water and bring to the boil (don’t add salt as the miso is salty). Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and reserve a mug of the pasta cooking water before draining.
Drain the pasta, then return to the pot and add the sauce. Add enought of the cooking water to get the sauce to a nice consistency. Taste and season with salt if needed.
Spoon onto a serving platter and drizzle with olive oil.
(Original recipe from Dinner by Meera Sodha, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2024.)
Jono & Jules do food & wine 