In this episode of “Cooking with Science,” host Todd Silver welcomes Chef Jessica Botta from Montgomery College and Dr. Thomas Bjorkman from Cornell University at the beautiful US Arboretum. Together, they delve into the unique properties of buckwheat, often mistaken for a grain but actually classified as a vegetable. Chef Jessica Botta demonstrates how to create buckwheat maltagliati pasta using a blend of buckwheat flour, wheat flour, eggs, and olive oil, showcasing the art of pasta-making while emphasizing its nutritional benefits. The dish is complemented by a savory bean, miso, and mushroom ragu, enhanced with dulse seaweed.
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Buckwheat Maltagliati with Miso Mushroom, Gigante Bean Ragu and Dulse Recipe
Prep Time: 45 minutes to make and rest the dough;
(Plus 14 minutes to roll and cut the pasta)
Cook Time:15 minutes (with beans already cooked and soaked)
Yields: Serves 4
Ingredients for the Pasta:
1 cup doppio zero, or 00 flour, (a fine-grain Italian flour)
1 cup buckwheat flour
3 large eggs (see Notes)
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt, for the pasta cooking water
For the Miso butter:
1 stick softened unsalted butter (see Notes)
2 tbs white or chickpea miso
2 tsp honey
1 tsp soy sauce
A dash of liquid smoke (optional)
For the garnishes:
4 scallions, white and green parts divided, thinly sliced on the bias
4 shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 cups cooked Gigante beans (see Notes), drained from cooking liquid
1 cup of bean cooking liquid, or as needed
1-piece whole leaf dulse (see Notes)
Freshly grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
Steps for the pasta:
1. Sift together the two flours in a bowl, add the eggs and mix with a fork. Bring the dough together in a ball and knead, (5 minutes).
2. Rub the dough with extra virgin olive oil and transfer to an air-tight container. Let the dough rest for about 15-30 minutes. The dough can be stored for a day or two in the refrigerator if not using immediately. Bring to a room temperature before rolling out.
3. Roll the dough by hand with a rolling pin, or on a pasta machine to a thickness of 1/8 inch.
4. Cut the dough into 2 ½-inch or 3-inch squares, then cut the squares into triangles.
5. Set the pasta aside on a parchment-lined sheet tray sprinkled with a bit of 00 flour to prevent the pasta from sticking.
Miso butter:
1. Combine butter, miso, honey, and soy sauce in a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, whisk all ingredients.
2. Transfer to an air-tight container and store in the refrigerator or freezer, if not using immediately.
Assemble the Dish:
1. Bring a large stock post of water to a boil and add salt to taste.
2. In a large 12-inch skillet, brown the mushrooms in a bit of the miso butter over medium-high heat. Add the white part of the scallions and cook until wilted, not browned, (about 1 minute). Turn the heat down to medium.
3. Add the cooked beans with their liquid and bring to a simmer. Then add half the miso butter and swirl the pan to emulsify with the bean liquid. Turn the heat to low to simmer the sauce (do not over-reduce).
4. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. Strain the pasta and transfer into the skillet. Toss the pan gently to coat the pasta in the sauce. Add more miso butter and/or bean cooking liquid if necessary to create enough emulsified sauce to coat the pasta and beans.
5. Add the seaweed and toss the pan or stir to fully incorporate. Then add the lemon juice and zest and give a final toss to blend.
To Serve:
Spoon the pasta into 4 warm shallow bowls and garnish each, serving with the sliced green part of the scallions.
Notes:
• Any bean can work, but I particularly like Gigante beans or the large, specked Christmas lima beans, which have a chestnut flavor.
• If short on time, dried buckwheat pasta like soba or pizzoccheri are an excellent substitute; follow cooking instructions on the packet.
• Whole leaf dulse does not need to be soaked. It has an intense smokey flavor, so taste before adding any salt. For a milder seaweed, use wakame. Fresh greens such as sauteed fresh kale, Swiss chard, spinach, or even broccoli can replace seaweed. Add the greens after the mushrooms.
• For a more intense flavor, swirl in a few dashes of liquid smoke with the miso butter.
• For a vegan version, substitute aquafaba or flax “eggs” in the pasta dough, and use vegan butter for the sauce. To make the equivalent of one egg, mix 1 tb of flaxseed meal (ground flaxseed), in 3 tbs of water. Let rest for a few minutes until thickened. Note the flax will add texture to the pasta, but the buckwheat flour already has texture.
• For a lower-fat version, puree some of the beans and their liquid with the miso, honey, and soy sauce in a food processor or blender, and omit the butter completely.