UmamiTV Episode #0A is Here!
Marjoram Chicken Soup
Taste: Chickeny, bursting with umami, herbal flavor from the marjoram, slightly lemony and caramel-y from the onions.Apparently there are certain dishes which you’re not supposed to use when ‘entertaining.’ I’ve got several cookbooks which caution that certain recipes aren’t for guests. Well, I wasn’t aware of this distinction until recently and I’ve been serving non-guestworthy foods to my guests for a long time, shockingly no one has ever called me out on it. Continue reading » Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)
Moussaka with Eggplant and Ground Pork
Taste: rich, complex, sweet and acidic, aromatic from the bay leaf and the herbs, tomatoey, good bit of fat from the pork, the eggplant also lends the quality of fat from the texture of its meat, starchy from the potatoes which balance out the acidity and intensity of the filling and keep it from being overwhelming, the crust is mellow and creamy and more about texture and balance than flavor.Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)
Banitza with Feta Cheese
Taste: Crispy, flaky, soft, creamy from the cheese, salty, slightly tangy, golden - like only fresh home baked bread can taste.
This is a traditional Bulgarian pastry which uses hand-made filo dough and can be stuffed with all manner of things, both sweet and savory. I made it for New Year’s Eve and it was a smashing success, if I do say so myself. My uncle went so far as to say that it was better than my grandmother’s, an honor of which I would never suspect myself to be worthy. (My grandmother being the queen of banitza, and of cooking in general.) Continue reading »
Filed under Recipes | Comments (2)Sichuanese Boiled Peanuts
Taste: Not as crunchy as roasted peanuts, more of a soft, delicate crunch, slightly spicy, and very aromatic with only a hint of salt.
This is a really simple recipe that produces interesting and surprising results, I made these for a holiday party and they turned out great.
Continue reading »
Coconut Lemongrass Rice
Taste description: Rich, creamy, slightly sweet, aromatic.
I’ve attempted this very simple recipe several times, and have managed to screw it up every time because I had to keep fiddling with it instead of leaving it alone. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Continue reading »
Filed under Recipes | Comment (0)What is Umami?
When you eat something and it feels and tastes rich and luscious and you sort of want to swirl your tongue along the roof of your mouth to get the full intensity of the flavor, that’s umami. Umami is the fifth taste, it’s less obvious and more difficult to capture than the other four. Foods rich in umami have a satisfying, almost addictive quality, foods lacking it taste watery, thin. When you are cooking something and you find that something is missing, but you can’t quite put your finger on what, likely you’re missing some umami. A bit of parmesan, some ground up anchovies, some tomato paste or a dash of soy sauce - depending on which cuisine you’re dealing with - will usually do the trick. Continue reading »
Filed under Rants | Comment (0)I like bowls.
They’re the best way to serve things, because you don’t really need a table to eat from a bowl, the bowl, by it’s nature, contains whatever is in it much more effectively than a plate, so even if you’re eating sitting on the rug with the bowl in your lap, you’re good to go. The bowl radiates warmth and naturally wafts the aroma of the food up towards your face, drawing you in. You can hug a bowl, the way Pooh hugs his pot of honey, which is a comforting thing.
Filed under Rants | Comment (0)