Fall

Spicy Miso Brown Butter Pasta

November 23, 2020
3
1 Ratings
Photo by Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
  • Prep time 5 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Serves 2
Author Notes

Pasta with spicy brown butter and olive oil sauce. A simple dish but we elevate it by finishing it with miso, garlic and crushed peppers. We serve it with a handful of chopped walnuts, sage breadcrumbs and Pecorino Romano. The result is just out of this world in terms of flavor. And if you think you don’t like miso, you may be surprised. Once it breaks down into the warm oil, its flavor mellows and changes into toasted, salty nuts. It’s rich and packed with flavor. Unique and beyond delicious.

This is comfort-food at its best, maximum flavor with minimum effort. You’ll find crunch of nuts and breadcrumbs, softness of the pasta, melting savory miso sauce, earthy herbs and a spicy kick from the crushed chili flakes. Layer upon layer of umami. It’s tasty and there’s so much going on, no two bites are the same. And the grated pecorino just seals the deal.

This spicy sauce comes together in no-time, actually we prepare it while the pasta is boiling. And you can throw in as many chili flakes as you want.
As for the pasta, use pasta like orecchiette or shells, because of the tiny little indentations that are capable to catch so much sauce. —Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings

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Ingredients
  • miso brown butter
  • 250 grams (20 oz) short pasta, shells or orecchiette
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 50 milliliters (1/4 cup) olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tablespoon white miso paste
  • 1 teaspoon crushed chili flakes, extra for serving
  • 1/2 teaspoon each: cumin, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper
  • 20 sage leaves
  • sea salt + black pepper
  • grated pecorino, for serving
  • sage breadcrumbs
  • 30 grams (1/2 cup) panko bread crumbs
  • 40 grams (1/4 cup) walnuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
  1. Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water.
  2. For the breadcrumbs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add panko and walnuts, cook, stirring for 4 minutes until toasted and golden. Add chopped sage and cook for 1-2 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the skillet to a plate.
  3. Heat the same skillet over medium heat, add butter. Lower the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes or until butter foams and starts to brown. Add garlic and olive oil, cook for 2 minutes until soft. Stir in miso, lower the heat to minimum trying not to burn miso or garlic. Add chili flakes, sage leaves and the seasoning.
  4. Toss with pasta and add the reserved cooking water. Now taste and add salt and pepper. Serve immediately with crunchy breadcrumbs, pecorino and some extra chili flakes. Enjoy!

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1 Review

tallshipcook September 27, 2023
This recipe looked so good that I had to whip up some homemade pasta for the sauce. Thank goodness I did because if the noodles weren't so good I don't know how I would have eaten this. Spot on with the texture, loved the crunch of the bread crumbs and nuts but the overall flavor was definitely missing something.