Smoked Dashi with Black Garlic Molasses, Kombu, Wakame, Wild Mushrooms & Tortellini

Blue Evolution friend and San Diego-area chef Andrew Spurgin created a recipe using ingredients found at Specialty Produce - a wholesale distributor and retail store (open to the public) with the best produce in Southern California. We’re excited to announce that Blue Evolution Alaskan Kombu and Wakame are available for purchase in the store’s freezer section.

Enjoy this savory, warming dish! The mushrooms and kelp play well together in this soup, with a combined umami factor that is nourishing and satisfying.

Ingredients:

710ml/3 cups dashi (Kayanoya Original Dashi Stock Powder), do not boil

45ml/3 Tbsp. Smoked shoyu sauce

10ml/2 tsp. black garlic molasses 

2 scallions, thinly slice on the bias the green & white parts

40g/1.4oz. Blue Evolution Alaskan Wakame, thawed, soak in water, rinse & drain

50g/1.75oz. Blue Evolution Alaskan Kombu, thawed, soak in water, rinse & drain

15ml/1 Tbsp. avocado oil

225g/18oz. assorted wild mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake, white shimeji, chanterelles & cinnamon caps, roughly chopped (or in the case of the shimeji + cinnamon caps, leave whole)

Maldon sea salt

Pepper, freshly ground

100g /3.5oz. frozen cheese tortellini 

15ml/1 Tbsp. yuzu olive oil + more for garnish (use agrumato lemon olive oil as substitute)

2.5ml/1/2 tsp. sesame oil

Instructions:

Prepare dashi

Season dashi with smoked shoyu & black garlic molasses, taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. The black garlic molasses should be a delicate back note.

Lightly sauté mushrooms in avocado oil. Season with the sea salt & pepper towards the end of the sauté.

Prepare tortellini, drain (but save a 1/2 cup of the pasta water) and toss in yuzu olive oil. Add the sautéed mushrooms to the tortellini and sauté to heat. If you need a little extra liquid add a splash or two of the saved pasta water.

Plating:

Place room temperature kombu and wakame around the edge of slightly warmed soup plates. Do not overheat as it will dry out the kombu and wakame.

Add the warm tortellini and mushrooms to the center of the plate.

Pour over the hot seasoned dashi (do not boil).

Garnish with scallions & several dots of the yuzu olive oil & sesame oil (don’t go overboard with the sesame oil, or it will dominate the plate’s flavor).

Notes

For ease this recipe, as presented, is geared to the home cook.

Ingredients – all available on Amazon

Kayanoya Original Dashi Stock Powder

Haku Smoked Shoyu

W.A. Imports Black Garlic Molasses

Agrumato Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pressed with Lemons 

O-Med Yuzu Pressed Arbequina Organic Olive Oil – Available from www.caputos.com

Professional Chefs:

Simply make the dashi and the tortellini, with your choice of filling, from scratch 

Recipe by Chef Andrew Spurgin www.andrewspurgin.com