If you’ve been out
to eat at any trendy
restaurant during the
past five years or have
watched any food
competition show, you
probably have heard
of umami. Umami is
the pleasant savory
flavor resulting from
the interaction of
certain amino acids
with receptors on the
human tongue. (It’s
a wonder we don’t
get into this level of
detail on TV, no?)
Translation:
Dishes higher in
these specific amino
acids taste better
to us, balanced and
complex, even in low-
salt dishes, which is
good to know if you
are watching sodium.
Foods with umami
have a meatiness or
pleasant earthiness
that can feel rich
and satisfying.
Anchovies, soy sauce,
mushrooms, aged
cheeses, yeasts and
fermented foods all
are rich in umami.
This week’s
mushroom-miso pasta
is a tad indulgent, but
tastes far richer and
than it actually is.
Using nutty browned
butter underscores the
earthy mushroom’s
umami flavors. Miso
paste, or fermented
soybean paste, is
the real hero here,
though, adding
surprising depth to
this easy weeknight
dish, as well as a
buttery, almost
At the end of the
summer, we all are
awash in corn, zucchini
and tomatoes. This is,
by and large, a good
thing. But it begs for a
bit of creativity in the
kitchen so the end-
of-summer vegetables
don’t mount up and
threaten to overtake us.
If you are growing
any of these items in a
garden you really need
an arsenal of recipes
to keep the influx at
bay. I have a neighbor
who once told me that
when he was growing
up, August was the only
time the people in his
town locked their cars.
They did it because
otherwise they might
come back to find
someone had left a bag
of zucchini on the seat.
Lucky for me this
neighbor has a serious
green thumb, and I
never lock my car.
Even if you don’t
have a garden, these
items are plentiful at
the farmers markets
and supermarkets, and
as summer starts to
tuesday, august 11, 2015 | west hawaii today
FLAVORS
2C
Making the most of summer’s
vegetable glut with a Cobb salad
By KATIE WORKMAN
The Associated Press
Late summer cobb salad with
buttermilk-thyme dressing
You are welcome to cook bacon the old
fashioned way on the stovetop, or you
can bake it in a 350 F oven on a wire rack
inserted into a rimmed baking sheet for
about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Baking it
is neater, less splattery, less hands on.
And to make perfect hard-boiled eggs, start
by placing the eggs in a large saucepan and
adding enough cool water to cover by at least
1 inch. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
Allow the water to boil for 30 seconds, then
remove the saucepan from the heat and let the
eggs sit in the water for 9 minutes. Drain and
rinse under cool water for a few minutes.
Peeling the eggs while they are still slightly
warm often makes it easier to remove the shells in
big pieces, so you don’t have to chip them off and
mess up the eggs. Tap them lightly on the counter,
then give them a quick roll to crackle the shells
and peel them carefully. It also often helps to peel
the eggs while they are submerged in water.
Start to finish: 25 minutes
Servings: 4
For the dressing:
1/2 cup buttermilk, shaken
2 tablespoons sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
For the salad:
5 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
(or a combination of iceberg and
romaine, for more crunch)
8 slices bacon, cooked and roughly crumbled
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and diced large
1 pint (2 cups) cherry tomatoes, halved
(or 2 cups diced larger tomatoes)
2 cups lightly cooked corn kernels
2 cups diced zucchini
15 1/2-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Ground black pepper
To prepare the dressing, in a small container
or jar with a lid, combine the buttermilk, sour
cream or yogurt, mustard, vinegar, olive oil,
thyme, garlic and a hefty pinch each of salt
and pepper. Shake well. Can be refrigerated
for up to 5 days. Shake before using.
To prepare the salad, spread the lettuce
evenly over a large serving platter or shallow
bowl. On top of the lettuce, make nice neat
rows of the crumbled bacon, eggs, tomatoes,
corn, zucchini, chickpeas, onion and feta. (The
order is of no consequence, whatever strikes
you.) Season with pepper, then drizzle with a
bit of dressing and serve the rest on the side.
Nutrition information per serving: 610
calories; 340 calories from fat (56 percent of
total calories); 37 g fat (13 g saturated; 0 g trans
fats); 220 mg cholesterol; 1160 mg sodium; 46 g
carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 26 g protein.
Workman
Late summer cobb salad. This Cobb salad has chickpeas and eggs as the
main proteins, and the traditional bacon as well, which could be left out
for a vegetarian version.
Matthew Mead/
The Associated Press
ebb we all want
as much of this
produce as we can
get. Soon we’ll
be reminiscing
about ripe, red
tomatoes; plump,
sweet corn; and
firm zucchini with
their emerald
skins. But for
now, they are ours
for the eating.
This Cobb salad
has chickpeas and
eggs as the main
proteins, and
the traditional
bacon as well,
which could be
left out if it’s not
your thing. You
could of course
add a row of
cooked cubed or
shredded chicken
or cooked shrimp,
or substitute it
for the chickpeas.
Most of us think
of zucchini as a
vegetable to be
cooked, but if you
get small, very
firm zucchini,
they are lovely
shredded, diced
or peeled into
ribbons and
eaten raw.
You had no idea pasta this easy could
pack this much flavor
By MELISSA D’ARABIAN
The Associated Press
Mushroom-miso
pasta
Start to Finish:
20 minutes
Servings: 4
8 ounces whole-
grain penne pasta
3 tablespoons butter
8 ounces chopped
mixed mushrooms
(such as portobello,
cremini, button, etc.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon
white miso paste
3/4 cup low-sodium
chicken broth
2 tablespoons nutritional
yeast (or more, to taste)
1 tablespoon Dijon
mustard (optional)
Kosher salt and
ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan
of well-salted water to a
boil over high heat. Add the
pasta and cook according
to package directions.
Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a large
skillet over medium, heat
the butter, allowing it to
bubble and cook until it
turns nutty brown, about
5 minutes. Keep a close
eye on it, as butter burns
easily. Add the mushrooms
and garlic, then cook until
the mushrooms are tender,
5 to 7 minutes. Add the
wine and stir and scrape
the pan to deglaze, then
simmer for 1 minute to
cook off the alcohol.
Whisk in the miso and
chicken stock and cook
for 2 to 3 minutes. Add
the nutritional yeast and
mustard, if using, then stir
until the sauce is uniform.
Season with pepper, then
taste and adjust with salt
as needed. Remove the
skillet from the heat and
toss with the hot pasta.
Nutrition information
per serving: 340 calories;
100 calories from fat
(29 percent of total
calories); 11 g fat (6 g
saturated; 0 g trans
fats); 25 mg cholesterol;
290 mg sodium; 49 g
carbohydrate; 7 g fiber;
3 g sugar; 12 g protein.
Mushroom
miso
pasta.
This
recipe
tastes far
richer and
creamier
than it
actually
is.
Matthew
Mead/
The
Associated
Press
creamy taste to the
sauce that brings all
the flavors together.
Miso paste,
available in various
strengths in most
grocery stores — mild
white, medium yellow
and stronger red and
brown — is a staple
in my kitchen, as
it brings flavor and
richness to dishes
without adding fat
and calories (but note
that it does have salt).
Adding even more
umami to this dish
is the nutritional
yeast. It’s an optional
ingredient, but I
think well-worth
seeking out if you
aren’t familiar with it.
It adds a wonderful
aged-cheese-like
flavor that turns this
simple mushroom-
miso pasta dish into
a veritable “umami
bomb,” which is
a good thing in
the food world.
