INGREDIENTS

1 box of fresh shitake mushrooms, stems discarded (about 10 – 15 mushrooms)
1 14-ounce block extra firm tofu, drained on a paper towel and sliced into 8 slices
Olive oil
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed
1 8.8-ounce package soba noodles
1 32-fluid ounce box miso broth (4 cups – I buy this in a carton from Whole Foods)
2 scallions, finely sliced
1 small handful cilantro leaves
Soy sauce for serving (optional)

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring a pot of water to a boil.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchments and place the mushrooms and tofu slices on the sheet. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Use your hands to distribute the oil and salt on both sides of the mushrooms and tofu. Bake for about 10 minutes – this doesn’t need to be exact – you just want the mushrooms and tofu to be just cooked through and beginning to go golden at the edges.

Meanwhile, salt the boiling water. Blanch the broccolini for one minutes, then remove to a strainer and run under cold tap water to keep it bright and crunchy. Boil the soba according to package instructions – mine takes 6 minutes. Drain and run under cold tap water so the noodles don’t go mushy.

In the same pot add the miso broth and bring to a boil. Add in the noodles and broccolini to warm through, and arrange the tofu and mushrooms on top. Mound the fresh scallions and cilantro on top of it all, in the center of the pot. Serve piping hot!