' BROCCOLINI & MISO BUTTER .'

Broccolini steamed , Wakame shiro miso butter , Mirin honey , Toasted white sesame seeds , Roasted peanuts & wild rocket flowers.

           Here we have another really simple vegetarian dish with Japanese influence, using fermented ingredients again to give complexity and the unami flavour not able to be achieved with vegetables on its own. Fermented products such as soy and miso can also supply a vegetarian diet with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and good bacteria needed for optimal health. The concept of the miso butter comes from world renown Korean American chef David Chang and goes with almost any vegetable. The mirin honey lends a complete balance of sweet and sour, while the roasted peanuts and toasted sesame seeds give textural contrast and a unique nutty flavour from the oils in the seeds and nuts which pair perfectly with the richness and salty miso butter. I used wakame shiro miso for this dish which is my favourite of the miso pastes with its subtle seaweed flavour. Wakame is an edible sea vegetable which comes from the cold temperate waters of the Japanese coastline and shiro means white, putting it all together you've got wakame shiro miso or  white miso with seaweed. This type of miso paste is usually used in soups or salads but is also perfect for this application.                                                                  
             In making this simple Japanese entremet I started by whipping some miso paste with unsalted butter until soft and homogenised, this was swiped onto the plate using a silicon spatula. The butter can be kept for quite a long time so you can make a bigger batch and keep the remaining in the fridge for later purposes. In a saucepan I put some water on the boil, lowering to a simmer I placed some broccolini florets in to a steamer basket over the simmering water and steamed the broccolini until cooked but still firm, this was then removed and placed into an ice bath to cool before arranging at both ends of the miso on the plate. The mirin honey was made simply by combining the mirin and honey together, this also can be kept for quite some time stored in the pantry in a sealed bottle. I drizzled the mirin honey on both sides of the miso butter. In a hot skillet a toasted off some sesame seeds placing them on top of the broccolini with some wild rocket flowers. And last of all in the same hot skillet I toasted some chopped peanuts placing next to the broccolini to accompany the dish.