I have fallen in love with Gwyneth Paltrow. Seriously. I bought her cookbook, My Father's Daughter, because I have a serious cookbook addiction, but I did not have high hopes for it. I was wrong. Every recipe I have tried has been wonderful! You can expect to see more of them here on my blog, but for now, enjoy the miso soup. I make it at least once a week. The kids love it. Sometimes I cook up a package of soba noodles and pour the soup over them. I expect it would be easy to add tofu, although that's not really my favourite thing.
Best Miso Soup
6 c water
1 c dried bonito flakes
3 dried shiitake mushrooms
1 4-inch piece of dried wakame seaweed
1/4 c plus 2 tbsp miso paste
2 c watercress leaves, spinach or other tender green, washed and chopped
Heat water in a small soup pot. When bubbles form at the edges, add bonito, turn the heat down and simmer for 2 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the broth sit for 5 minutes. Strain the broth into a clean pot and discard the bonito. Add mushrooms and seaweed and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.
Remove mushrooms and wakame. Slice mushrooms (removing any hard stems), chop wakame, and return to the broth.
In a small bowl, combine miso paste with a bit of the broth and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture into the pot and let the soup simmer gently. Add greens, allow to just wilt, and serve.
NB. The wakame and bonito are available at asian grocers, but they are also at Whole Foods for the lazier amongst us. If you don't want to eat the soup right away, make the broth (called dashi) and store it in your fridge. Just stir in the miso and greens when ready to use.
