Celebrated chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s miso butter pasta is all about comfort

To comfort someone is to reduce or eliminate a negative condition, be it physical, mental, emotional or some combination thereof.

When used as an adjective to describe food, the idea of comfort takes on these soothing traits but also expands to include others.

The descriptors celebrated chef and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi settled on in his latest cookbook, “Ottolenghi Comfort,” are nurture, convenience, nostalgia and indulgence.

Still, “there is no one-comfort-food-fits-all,” he writes in the introduction. “Trying to pin down a specific set of comfort food recipes is as slippery as a bowl of noodles.”

That’s because the definition of comfort food is specific to each individual and can evolve over time with changes in locations, situations and one’s tastes.

However, Ottolenghi — who co-wrote the book with Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley — notes that clear themes emerge in terms of the types of foods we often view as comforting, such as those that feature carbs, fat and sugar, or a penchant for dishes served in bowls.

One such recipe that checks off a few of these boxes is linguine with miso butter, shiitake mushrooms and spinach.

What they describe as “the most comforting of all sauces” for the pasta starts with sautéing a finely chopped shallot in a pan with olive oil and butter.

Next go in sliced shiitake mushrooms followed by fresh garlic, miso paste, vinegar and soy sauce.

Reserved pasta cooking water is added to the pan, and pieces of butter are whisked in one at a time to create a luscious, shiny sauce — a technique referred to as mounting with butter.

Three things to keep in mind when utilising this technique — known as “monter au beurre” in French and applicable to many pan sauces — are that the sauce shouldn’t be too hot, the butter should be cold, and the dairy is be added bit by bit while constantly stirring. (If the sauce is too hot, you run the risk of breaking the emulsion and it becoming thin and greasy.)

I was taught to gently shake the pan back and forth with one hand while whisking with the other hand between each butter addition, and waiting until the first pat is mostly incorporated before adding the next. (Adding butter in increments isn’t completely necessary, according to Serious Eats culinary director Daniel Gritzer, but it makes it easier to whisk than if added all at once.)

Once all of the butter has been incorporated and the sauce has thickened slightly, it’s tossed with the cooked linguine before finally folding in the spinach until wilted.

When serving, the book’s authors recommend a sprinkle of shichimi togarashi — a Japanese spice blend that features chilli peppers — and lemon or lime wedges for squeezing over top.

Each bowl is hearty, wonderfully savoury thanks to the mushrooms and miso, luscious from the butter sauce and full of flavour.

It’s the type of dish that causes my shoulders to relax slightly with each bite as any tension I might have been carrying slowly lifts like the steam rising from a cup of tea.

To take it to the next level of relaxation and rejuvenation, I imagine myself sharing it with a good friend while we catch up on life and split a bottle of wine, or on the couch with bowls of pasta in our laps as we watch our favourite show.

The food itself is integral in providing comfort, of course, but the setting and circumstances matter too.

As Ottolenghi and his co-authors write: “What makes food comforting can be about where and how we eat, why we eat, and who we eat with as much as what we’re eating in the first place.”

Linguine With Miso Butter, Shiitakes and Spinach

Servings: 2-3 (makes about 5 cups)

Total time: 30 minutes

This pasta recipe from Yotam Ottolenghi features shiitake mushrooms and spinach tossed in a miso butter sauce.

It makes for a lovely weeknight meal that’s full of comfort and savoury flavour, thanks to the combination of miso and mushrooms.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Where to buy: Chinkiang (black) vinegar is available at Asian markets and online.

INGREDIENTS

• Fine salt
• 8 ounces dried linguine
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 7 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into 7 pieces, divided
• 1 eschallot (70 grams), finely chopped
• 140 grams fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 3 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 3 tbsp shiro (white) miso
• 1 tbsp Chinkiang (black) vinegar
• 1 tsp soy sauce, preferably reduced-sodium
• 140 grams baby spinach
• Shichimi togarashi, for serving
• Lemon or lime wedges, for serving

METHOD

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add enough salt so the water is pleasantly salty, followed by the pasta, and cook according to the package instructions until al dente.

Reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, and drain the pasta.

1 Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet or sauté pan over medium heat, heat the oil and melt one tablespoon of the butter. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms release their liquid and it evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown, 5 to 7 minutes.

2 Add the garlic, miso, vinegar and soy sauce and stir to combine. Add the reserved pasta cooking water, increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat so the sauce is gently simmering. Add the remaining 6 tablespoons of butter, one piece at a time, stirring constantly until the sauce emulsifies and thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.

3 Add the cooked pasta and toss to combine. Stir in the spinach (in batches, if necessary) and cook, tossing or stirring gently, until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, as desired. Serve warm, sprinkled with shichimi togarashi, and with lemon or lime wedges for squeezing over top.

Substitutions:

Linguine: spaghetti or another long pasta shape

Shiitake mushrooms: Other fresh mushrooms

Shiro (white) miso: Any type of miso

Chinkiang (black) vinegar: Malt vinegar

Shichimi togarashi: Crushed red pepper flakes or Aleppo pepper, combined with a touch of black pepper.

Vegan: Use nondairy butter.

Adapted from “Ottolenghi Comfort” by Yotam Ottolenghi with Helen Goh, Verena Lochmuller and Tara Wigley (Ten Speed Press, 2024).

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