Tuesday: Miso-Mispoona

Mispoona-miso soup with udon noodles and boiled edamame.

We had some lingering mispoona from last week and decided to wilt it into this simple miso-based udon noodle soup.

There was a time when we used to buy those miso soup "packets" which contain powdered miso along with dried seaweed and tofu. Then we realized it's ridiculously easy to just keep a container of miso paste in the fridge (it keeps indefinitely) and a bag of dried wakame seaweed in the pantry. Now it's an easy standby dinner to which many vegetables can be added for variety.

In Japan miso soup is often eaten for breakfast, but we're not that authentic.

Thursday: Mispoona Two Ways

Buckwheat noodles, mispoona, and radishes with tart tofu-mispoona dressing.

Mispoona is a cross between mizuna, a Japanese mustard green, and Tatsoi, another brassica family member. This was our first time cooking with it.

In this recipe, mispoona greens are blended with soft tofu, lemon juice, and lemon zest to make a sour, bright-green dressing. The remaining mispoona is chopped coarsely and used as a bed for the soba (Japanese buckwheat) noodles. Radishes and sesame seeds act as garnishes. Interestingly, although red radishes are relatively spicy on their own, they are completely tamed by the tofu-based dressing. (Dairy seems to have the same effect.)

Most importantly, this recipe provides an opportunity to show off our stacking pyrex bowl set. Here's the mise-en-scene: