I guess this counts as a version of Sad Pasta™️, but with only six ingredients. I made it for friends on the latest Paynter shoot in Wales, knowing we had a beautiful big kitchen, a fireplace and that the weather would call for lounging on the sofa drinking wine and eating big bowls of pasta. It’s the easiest weeknight dish because the gochujang does all the heavy lifting thanks to its deep, earthy and smoky spiciness. Don’t skimp on that butter, though!
For four people you’ll need:
Four large garlic cloves, crushed and roughly chopped
1 tbsp gochujang
1/2 tbsp white miso paste
3 tbsp (or around 1/4 tube) of double concentrate tomato paste (I like Mutti!)
A big knob of unsalted butter (I eyeball it but I’d say about a finger’s width of an average block)
500g of linguine
1 tbsp olive oil
Boil some water in the kettle then add it to a large pot with a spoonful of salt. While this comes to a boil, add your olive oil to a pan that’s on a low-medium heat. Fry up your garlic on a low heat because you don’t want it to brown – I like to add a little splash of pasta water to keep it from burning. It wants to be softened instead of fried. After about five minutes, add your gochujang and miso paste and a spoonful of water (which should be boiling by now). Add the butter and let it melt, stirring it into the gochujang/miso/water emulsion.
Add your linguine into the pasta pot, turn the heat to medium and if it starts to bubble over, place a wooden spoon over the top of the pot (it works! Not sure why!). In the saucepan, stir everything together so the gochujang and miso melt, then add your tomato paste. Turn the heat down a little and let it sit whilst your pasta finishes up cooking.
Once your pasta is cooked and just past al dente (around 12-13 minutes), use tongs or a spaghetti spoon to transfer your pasta to the sauce pan, and add a ladle of pasta water to loosen things up. Serve up and add some parmesan if you want that extra hit.
To make the salad dressing squeeze a whole lime into a large salad bowl. Pour the same amount of olive oil (around 1 tbsp), a small spoon of white miso paste, grate one garlic clove and a big squeeze of honey. If you have hot honey/hot agave, that’s what I’d go for. If not, add a tsp of chilli flakes. Whisk it and give it a taste. If it needs more acid, add a splash of apple cider / white wine vinegar. I sometimes add a tsp of Dijon mustard for an extra kick. I’ve been known to grate a thumb of ginger and/or turmeric. Follow your tastebuds! Add a packet of bitter rocket or crunchy endive and toss through.