Umami - the 5th taste?

[Hyacinth]

Well, go on...anyone tried it yet?

According to the Beeb yesterday it's now available in a paste from from Waitrose (£2.99 for 60g tube) tho it's been available at Selfridges (I think) before that...

I Googled a bit and found the list of ingredients as:

tom. puree (got)
garlic (got loads & all home-grown, anorl)
anchovy paste (staple in my cupboard, or rather tins of the little fish are, but I reckon a pounding of sed little fishes will do, otherwise.....Gentleman's Relish, anyone? Always got a pot of that.))
black olives (got)
balsamic vinegar (got - white & red...I wonder which they recommend? - hmmm..must check)
porcini mushrooms (got, but dehydrated...nothing that immersion in hot water for a bit won't cure?)
o-oil (got)
vinegar (got loads of diff ones...again, must check.)
salt
sugar

Hmmm...I COULD have a bash at making my own this cold, frosty afternoon..there again, praps I won't bother?

 

[Digeroo]

Sounds as if you can knock it up for a great deal less that £2.99.

Don't forget the parmesan cheese!

[Hyacinth]

Sounds as if you can knock it up for a great deal less that £2.99.

Don't forget the parmesan cheese!

  You're right!

[PurpleHeather]

The TV tasters also said it tastes just like cheesy puffs/quavers or something like that. So it is not tempting me. Most of us already have a jar or three of out of date spices and whim food purchases.

Foodies are always looking for something new. They say  prawn cocktail, and Black forrest gateaux is "old fashioned" Yet they are still favourites with most of us. Then they reinvent food. How about Lamb with Lavender, as the Tudors ate it?

The latest meat idea, so I am told is to bring back offal. Pig's heads and trotters. Fine Pigs heads £3 each if you can face them. (that was an attempt at a joke)

OX hearts are £3 each too and slow roasted/braised with a little water and dregs of red wine then, when cooked, sliced with gravy pured over it is hard to spot the difference with beef for most people, you just don't tell them. Pure protein they are actually quite healthy.

Years ago I was getting 5lb of chicken wings for coppers from the market, they were glad to get rid of them. I cut off the tips for stock and roasted the V shaped meatier bits with either a dry marinade or just salt and pepper for 30 minutes until crispy...Then some idiot decided to make them fashionable.

My latest make up recipe for cheap food is to buy a kilo of bacon misshapes for £1 from Netto. I pigs trotter for 50p (cut off any hairy bits)  from the market. Leave the lot overnight with enough water to cover and a few whole spices in the slow cooker. 

Separate the meat from the liquid then remove the bones from the trotter.(you can take off rind and fat for the birds if you are fussy )and let the meat get cold. Chop it and then put it into a Pyrex loaf tin and pour over the stock. to cover  Refrigerate,  The stock turns to a firm jelly so that it can be sliced as cold meat for sandwiches. Or even with a salad. Makes loads. Enough stock/jelly left over for a good lentil or pea soup too.  Any fat skimmed from the top of the set jelly is good for roasting spuds. Waste not want not.

I must admit that when fiddling with cooked meat. I do go to the extravagance of getting a pack of 20 surgeon type latex gloves for £1. and wear a pair of them to do the the separating. They are throw away but I do use them after for cleaning the toilet to get maximum useage, then throw them out.

[emmy1978]

Umami. That sounds sounds like the noise Vic Reeves used to make on Shooting Stars. It sounds absolutely yummable and spread on a cracker-able. 

[euronerd]

I'm amazed there hasn't been a flood of replies to this. Anyway, to avoid Waitrose's inflated prices, go into any Asian shop where you can  get 250g for about a quid. It's called monosodium glutamate.
I'm not on my own computer at the moment, so I'll be back later with some facts, and no doubt a can opener (for the worms). 

Geoff.