Latin Fiesta Dishes with Umami That Will Make You Dance!

Modifications to Get More Umami Flavor

For this recipe:

Try this recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ½ – 1 cup sofrito sauce (prepared or homemade*)
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 1 (15-ounce) can green pigeon peas (gandules), rinsed and drained
• 4 cups reduced sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 teaspoons adobo all-purpose seasoning with umami seasoning**
• 1 ½ cups short grain brown rice, uncooked
• Cilantro sprigs to garnish (optional)

Preparation:

1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add sofrito sauce*, tomato sauce, tomato paste, pigeon peas. Cook, uncovered, about 5 minutes, until rice is tender but firm.
2. Add broth, adobo umami seasoning** and rice. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cook for about 25 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed and the rice is tender.
3. Remove rice from heat, covered, and let stand for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Serves: 8 portions (1 cup each)    

*You can buy prepared sofrito sauce in a jar, or make your own by blending 3 garlic cloves, ¼ large white onion, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 small yellow or red bell pepper, ½ cup fresh cilantro, and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.

** Adobo Umami Seasoning

• 3 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• ½ teaspoon umami seasoning (MSG)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon ground turmeric

• Substitutions for chips: Raw sliced vegetables like jicama, celery, carrots, cucumber, peppers, or zucchini. Can also try roasted peppers, zucchini, or eggplant and sprinkle with umami seasoning.
• Bean Dip: Mix 1 cup salsa with 1-1/2 cups canned black beans (drained and rinsed) and 1 teaspoon umami seasoning (MSG). Mash beans with salsa and seasonings. You may add 1 tablespoon of plain Greek yogurt to make it creamy.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh or frozen nopales, sliced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon fresh oregano, minced
• 1 teaspoon umami seasoning (MSG)
• ½ cup Chihuahua cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 medium tomatoes, diced
• 3 small radishes thinly sliced, optional

Preparation (10 minutes):

1. In a microwave safe dish, place nopales and cook on high for 2 to 3 minutes or until soft and tender.
2. In a large bowl, combine cooked nopales, onion, vinegar, cilantro, oregano and umami seasoning. Set aside to allow marinating for a few minutes.
3. Add cheese, olive oil, and tomato to the nopales mixture.
4. Serve on a medium platter and garnish with radishes, if desired. 

Serves: 5 portions (~ 1 cup for each serving)

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium-size sweet potatoes or russet potatoes, unpeeled and thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon umami seasoning (MSG)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Pico de gallo salsa

• 1 cup tomatoes, diced
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice

Toppings

• 1/3 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1/3 cup Chihuahua cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• ¼ cup light sour cream or Mexican cream
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Brush medium sheet pan with oil.
2. Drizzle sliced sweet potatoes with the oil and sprinkle salt, toss to coat. Spread the sweet potatoes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake until they are crisp and lightly browned on the bottom, about 25 minutes. Flip sweet potatoes and cook for another 8 to 10 minutes.
3. While sweet potatoes cook, combine salsa ingredients and set aside.
4. Top cooked sweet potatoes with cheeses and return the sheet pan to the oven, and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
5. Transfer to a large serving platter and serve topped with the salsa, sour cream and avocado.

Serves: 4 portions

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• ½ medium white onion, thinly slice
• 4 to 6 tomatoes, chopped
• ½ jalapeño chili (chili pepper), seeded, chopped
• ¼ cup canned diced pimentos
• ¼ cup green olives
• ¼ cup capers
• 2 fresh thyme sprigs or ¼ teaspoon thyme
• 2 fresh marjoram sprigs or ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 laurel leaf
• 4 red snapper fillets or white fish
• ½ teaspoon umami seasoning (MSG)
• Pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, heat the oil at medium heat and cook the onions until tender. Stir in the tomatoes, chili, pimentos, olives, capers and herbs.
2. Seasoned fish fillets with umami seasoning and pepper. Place over the tomato sauce. Cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until fish is fully cooked.

Serves: 4 portions