16th September 2025

I got a new book at the start of the month and have been really excited to get cooking from it but with life getting in the way, this has taken until today.  So the recipe I picked to make today is a very simple one and from start to finish takes just 20 minutes, perfect for after work and it looked so tasty.  Funny though, I followed the recipe exactly but it was just missing something.  Initially I thought it was seasoning but even after adjusting that it was still flat. 

Flat foods are often just missing the basic taste of umami.  Umami is a complex, interesting, savoury note that improves dishes beyond words, it is like magic honestly.  Foods rich in umami are Parmesan and other aged cheeses, porcini mushrooms and miso. 

So back to my orzo dish, I added some Parmesan and hey presto it was instantly improved and tasted so, so good.