Close Encounter with Umami
Tastes Like Meat or Ripe Cheese
Have you heard the latest news about our tastebuds? Scientists are finally feeling comfortable confirming that there are another set of tastebuds that foodies have long suspected were real. As most grade school kids know, we taste sweet, salty, sour, and – my kids’ least favorite and one of my top tastes – bitter. However, the Japanese came up with the name for the other taste, and they call it “umami”. Umami sounds like it could be some kind of street curse in either Japan or Italy – you know, put the emphasis on the second syllable. But seriously, umami is the taste ascribed to things like meat, seafood, fermented beans and ripe cheese.
Over this past weekend we joined my family for a weekend at a resort in upstate New York. During our first dinner, my dad ordered a couple of bottles of red wine for the group. I drank one of the wines which was a very good pinot noir. But I didn’t get to the second wine until later in the meal. I took one sip and immediately the sensation of eating a steak hit my palate (no, I wasn’t eating steak for dinner, I was having rack of lamb). My mom overheard me and said she immediately thought of blue cheese when she tasted wine. And there you have it – umami. A delicious surprise when you least expect it.
Caprese Salad, Almost
Caprese Salad
One of the challenges of belonging to a CSA is deciding what to do with all of the wonderful vegetables I get each week. Of course, that’s not the way the girls see it. Each night they ask me what’s for dinner, and my response is usually “chicken (or hamburgers, or pasta, or whatever main dish we’re having) and assorted vegetables”. I believe that at this point the second part of my response causes them to quake in fear. Instead of the usual main dish accompanied by a starch and one veg, the starch is gone and there are two or three vegetable side dishes. Which, when you think about it, is the healthful way to eat, whether or not you like it. My response last night caused Louisa to tell me NOT to join the CSA next year. Sorry, kiddo, if I don’t join it has nothing to do with the veggies which have been a revelation, and more to do with the time required each week to drive to the farm for pick-up.
Last night I used some of the softening tomatoes and created a favorite summer dish, Caprese Salad. We had plenty of basil from our own garden to add to it. Since I was unable to find fresh mozzarella cheese in my local supermarket, I substituted Armenian string cheese instead. So technically the recipe wasn’t true to its Italian roots, but the cheese worked very well with it. It’s saltier than fresh mozzarella and has those little pepper bits in it, so – Voila! – instant seasoning.
Enjoying Caramel Popcorn – Photo of the Week 8/19/09
Enjoying Johnson's Popcorn - Photo of the Week 8/19/09
Last weekend we FINALLY had a sunny Sunday and were able to go to the beach for the day. Actually, we went to Ocean City, NJ for the day, and according to New Jersey parlance we “went down the shore.” Strange expression, I know. We have several favorite beaches in the summer. We go to beaches in New York, which are simply called “beaches.” We go to the beaches in Maryland, which is called the “shore”. And with each beach place I associate particular food items. For example, when we go to the Maryland shore, I always look forward to eating crabs. At the New Jersey shore, one of the indulgences we enjoy is caramel popcorn from a place called Johnson’s. It’s loaded with caramelized sugar and fat and is particularly crunchy and warm when you buy it in their labeled buckets. We shared a large bucket that day while sitting on the sand. It was a perfect day. Do you have favorite food items from your favorite beaches?