Miso Spice #KitchenMatrixCookingProject

It's Tuesday.  That means it is #KMCP day.  Each Tuesday for the next year a few of us are getting together and sharing our thoughts on recipes inspired or taken from The Kitchen Matrix by Mark Bittman.  This great idea was thought up by Cam of Culinary Adventure with Camilla.  You can learn more about it and how to join in the fun at her introduction post.

Last week, I shared with you a Miso Scented Pasta with Celery.  This was inspired from the Celery section of the cookbook.  The miso stock in which I boiled the pasta came from the prior week's theme of  Quick Stocks.  

See that sprinkling of what looks like coffee on that pasta?  That is actually this month's recipe taken from the Miso section of Bittman's cookbook.  It is miso spice and Bittman compares it to Parmesan Cheese.  In fact, Bittman states that if he were on a deserted island and could only have one or the other, he would opt for the spice over the cheese.

I wouldn't go that far but it is an easy recipe and used up some of the red miso paste I had bought to make the stock.  These two recipes are my first foray using miso. They won't be my last, only because I still have half a package of miso in my fridge and it is not inexpensive so I need to use it.  

Luckily there is an entire section of recipe ideas in the Kitchen Matrix for me to experiment with.

Spread the miso, as thinly as possible, onto a parchment paper or silicone matted baking pan.  Put into a preheated 175* oven for several hours until easily lifted from the lining.  Flip over, bake for another 3-4 hrs until completely dry and able to be broken into chunks.  Place the chunks into a food processor and pulse until finely grated.  Use as you would Parmesan Cheese, or not....I think I'll stick to Parmesan.

Let's see what the others decided to make from Miso.

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