Umami Butter
I happened on umami butter as a sauté base for green beans… fantastic. Also works well with mushrooms. I would consider it for any sautéed food that could benefit from a jolt of this savory accent: steaks, cottage fries, peppers, eggplant. Broccoli and other crucifers I’m less sure about, but give it a try and let me know how it works. Recipe makes 1/4 cup, which you can cool in a ramekin as I’ve done and give to somebody as a gift. (You could also roll it up as a compound butter, but it’s going to be softer than usual because of the liquid component.)
Ingredients:
1 stick unsalted butter (4 oz)
2 t dried bitter herbs (I used mint; shiso or basil would also work), OR 2 T fresh bitter herbs, finely chopped
2 t fish sauce (I use Red Boat)
Mushroom caps sautéed in Umami Butter. Be sure to pour the pan juices over the produce when you serve.
Method: melt the butter over low heat and add herbs; sauté at low heat until they have softened somewhat. (You can reduce the cooking time if using fresh herbs.) Add fish sauce and mix thoroughly. Keep some in the pan for the food prep at hand, and transfer the rest to a heatproof container for future use.
