Miso Pasta

A miso mushroom pasta recipe + more thoughts on productivity and a dreamy cake cookbook

Hello there!

In case you were wondering, yes, I did take a few minutes to sit in the chair this week. I even have proof.

I’m still thinking about productivity and how to accomplish things while also pushing back against a hectic life. I enjoyed Meagan Francis’ podcast this week that delved into how she thought about productivity as a young mom and how she thinks about it now, as a woman in her mid 40s with older kids. She shares how she decides what to spend her time on without worrying about “getting it all done.”

Meagan also has a newsletter on Substack called The Tea’s Made. I really enjoyed her essay last week about packing up her elderly aunt’s home and the inevitability of having to wind down our own lives at some point.

Who could possibly do this alone?

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This Week’s Recipe: Miso Mushroom Pasta

So far this month we’ve made miso butter salmon and miso butter sweet potatoes. Now it’s time for a recipe that takes just a tiny bit more effort, miso pasta.

Although it takes a little more effort, this recipe is not hard. The entire meal is cooked in one pot and the pasta is coated with a rich miso-flavored sauce that magically appears as the pasta cooks.

The flavors in this dish are fairly mild, but it’s also unlike any pasta I’ve had before. Long, buttery spaghetti noodles are swirled with the savory umami flavors of miso, mushrooms and parmesan cheese.

Here’s a quick look at the step-by-step instructions. You can find the entire recipe here.

1. Saute shallot and minced garlic in unsalted butter.

2. Add mushrooms and cook until soft. Add a splash of white wine.

3. Add spaghetti noodles. Whisk miso into boiling water then pour the boiling water over the pasta.

4. Boil the pasta for about 9 minutes, stirring frequently, until the noodles are al dente and all of the miso water is absorbed by the pasta. Top with cheese & serve.

P.S. I haven’t tried this recipe without mushrooms, but I have a feeling it would still be delicious.

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Dinner Last Week

I’m always curious about what other families are eating. Aren’t you? Here’s what my crew ate last week.

Monday: I tried a recipe for baked pearl couscous with feta and olives that sounded delicious and turned out only so-so. This was a reminder to me that trying new recipes is such a risk. It’s a real bummer when you put in the time and effort to try something new and then dinner is a bust. This is why I take my job as a recipe developer seriously, even though it’s not really a “serious” job. I know that you’re trusting me to give you good recipes, so thank you!

Tuesday: I updated a very old recipe on my blog with new photos and we ate that recipe for dinner. If you like artichokes, you’ll probable love Instant Pot Artichoke spinach pasta. It’s very rich and creamy, so make sure that’s what you’re in the mood for!

Wednesday: We still had leftover artichoke pasta, so Sorin and I ate leftovers with salad. The kids had grilled cheese sandwiches (not artichoke fans).

Thursday: I tested a new “quick and easy” recipe for rice bowls with ground meat that we all liked. The recipe will show up on my blog soon, but first I need to test it with ground chicken instead of ground pork.

Friday: I made the Peruvian Minestrone that we all enjoyed while on spring break, although I skipped the steak and a made a vegetarian version. You can find the recipe on Feasting at Home.

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Cookbooks

I always like to read Odette Williams’ cookbooks while curled up on the couch with a warm mug of coffee or a glass of wine. Her gentle encouragement, gorgeous recipes and dreamy landscapes are a pleasurable escape from everyday life.

There are at least a dozen cakes in this cookbook that I want to bake. I also want to be invited to Odette Williams’ gorgeous beach house where everyone eats well and wears comfortable but very stylish clothing (all 100% organic cotton, no doubt). There are endless dinner parties under twinkling strings of light, the adults always drink rosé the children are always barefoot but have very clean feet.

Which is to say that the world this cookbook transports you to is aspirational and not based in reality. Or, at least not any type of reality I’ve experienced as a parent. I have conflicted feelings about cookbooks like this. On one hand, I love them. I’m a sucker for pretty things and soothing, muted colors. On the other hand, they set a standard of effortless perfection that I have grown to loathe. It’s the type of curated motherhood and “simple” but absolutely perfect home cooking that makes me hate Instagram.

I don’t mean to disparage Odette Williams personally - I have really enjoyed some of her recipes and she puts out truly gorgeous and well-thought-out cookbooks, which is no easy feat. You should read Simple Cake and take pleasure in its pages. Just don’t let it make you feel bad about your regular old house and regular old life and the lopsided cakes you might bake.

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That’s it for this week! What do you have planned for the weekend? On Saturday we’re celebrating an early Passover dinner with friends (I’m in charge of the matzo ball soup) and Sunday will be a day to catch up on housework and yard work.

Hope you have a good weekend,

Jenny