Pizzoccheri with Miso Cabbage and Spiced Breadcrumbs
Pizzoccheri with Miso Cabbage and Spiced Breadcrumbs is a modern Fusion recipe for a dish of pizzoccherio pasta tossed with cabbage in miso sauce served topped with spiced breadcrumbs. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Fusion version of: Pizzoccheri with Miso Cabbage and Spiced Breadcrumbs.
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This is a fusion recipe for north Italian pizzoccheri pasta. For this recipe you need half a batch of pasta, either traditional buckwheat pizzoccheri or dock flour pizzoccheri. Use of breadcrumbs as a topping for pasta is traditional in Italy. Here, they are given a slightly spicy twist. The Asian influence of using miso paste for the cabbage boosts the umami flavour and the overall heartiness of the dish.
For the breadcrumbs:
1½ tbsp olive oil
30g panko breadcrumbs
1½ tsp caraway seeds, lightly crushed in a mortar
2 tsp chilli flakes (I like Aleppo pepper or smoked chipotle)
2 tsp finely-grated lemon zest
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
For the cabbage:
100ml olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2½ tbsp white miso paste
450g savoy cabbage (or other cabbage of your choice), trimmed and cut into 2cm chunks
1 bunch spring onions (125g), 30g of the green part cut into thin rounds, the rest cut into 3cm (1 in) lengths
2 tbsp lemon juice
For the breadcrumbs, put the oil in a small frying pan over medium heat and, once hot, add the panko and fry for two to three minutes, until golden. Stir in the caraway seeds, toast for a further minute, then take off the heat and stir in the chilli, lemon zest and a sprinkle of salt. Turn into a bowl and set aside to cool.
To make the cabbage, combine the oil, garlic and miso in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often, for two or three minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the cabbage and 95g of the spring onion whites, and cook for another six to eight minutes, until softened and buttery.
Meanwhile, bring a medium saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the pizzoccheri, stir gently with the handle of a wooden spoon to prevent clumping and cook for two to three minutes, or until al dente and just starting to rise to the surface of the water. Using a large slotted spoon, lift the pizzoccheri and a tablespoon or two of their cooking water into the cabbage pan, and shake the pan to toss and coat the pasta in the sauce.
Off the heat, drizzle over the lemon juice, then scatter on a third of the breadcrumb mix and the sliced spring onion greens. Lift into two bowls and serve hot with the remaining breadcrumbs on the side.
