Receta Secret Recipe Club: Ginger-Miso Edamame Spread
It’s that time of the month again… the Secret Recipe Club is back!
This month, my assignment was none other than our fabulous Group A leader, Jane, whose blog The Heritage Cook is bursting at the seams with all sorts of delicious recipes (not to mention a great resource for learning about gluten-free eating, since Jane is gluten-intolerant and has made over many of her favourites with gluten-free variations).
I’m totally obsessed with dips and spreads, so I almost instantly chose the Ginger-Miso Sweet Pea Spread, which Jane adapted from Food and Wine, as my pick for this month. I just couldn’t resist the bright green colour, or the fact that it featured one of my favourite spring ingredients.
Though… as you might be able to guess from the title of my post, I may have taken a few liberties with the original along the way.
I honestly meant to play it straight this month and just follow the original recipe for a change, but it seems that the universe had different plans for me. When I reached into the grocery store freezer to grab a bag of sweet peas, my hand happened to brush against a bag of shelled edamame beans sitting prettily one shelf down, and I knew instantly that I was meant to buy them instead. It was fate. Kismet. Serendipity.
From there, the recipe just kept moving in an ever-more-Asian direction – the store was out of jalapenos, so I swapped them for a red hot chile instead, and they were also out of yellow miso, so I subbed in its slightly milder counterpart, white miso. And, never being one to take it easy on the ginger, I used double the amount of the original.
Which, to make a long story short, is how I eventually ended up with this Ginger-Miso Edamame Spread instead.
Despite all my meddling, I’m pleased to say this one is a winner. Like apples and cinnamon, strawberries and rhubarb, or tomatoes and basil, edamame and miso are two flavours that are so much better together than they are apart… the nutty undertone of the edamame is echoed by the slight nuttiness of the miso, while the salty umami of the miso contrasts against the starchy green of the edamame, creating surprisingly complex layers of flavour for a dish with so few ingredients.
And best of all, it’s stupidly easy to make, which makes it a perfect spring party appetizer – you can use it to make crostini by slathering it generously onto thin slices of baguette, as I did here, or simply spoon it into a pretty bowl and surround it with crackers, pita chips or a variety of vegetable for dipping.
Ginger-Miso Edamame Spread
Recipe type: Appetizer
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 20 mins
Serves: 10
This Asian-inspired spread is perfect for spring entertaining – spread it onto thin slices of baguette to make crostini, or spoon it into a bowl and serve with crackers and vegetables for dipping.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 red hot chile, seeded and minced
- 3 cups shelled edamame beans (thawed, if frozen)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup white miso
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the scallions, ginger and chile, and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the edamame and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until the edamame are bright green and tender. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes or so.
Spoon the cooled edamame mixture into the bowl of a food processor. Add miso and water, and process until pureed and smooth.
Transfer the pea mixture to a food processor and let cool slightly. Add the water and miso, and puree until smooth. Serve immediately, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve (up to 3 days).
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About the author
Isabelle Boucher
I'm a 30-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, cookbook-collecting, photo-snapping, trucker-swearing, farmers-market-loving self-taught cook with a Boy and two cats to feed.
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