Umami on 🍽️ Recipes & ⚗️ Analysis by Diego

Savoury Parmesan and Spinach Parcels

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Savoury Parmesan and Spinach Parcels

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Fresh spinach (raw weight) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Fresh spinach (raw weight) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Filling

Ingredient	Quantity
Fresh spinach (raw weight)	160 g
Firm tofu	125 g
Grated parmesan	75 g
Salt	1 g
Nutmeg	to taste
Garlic	to taste
Extra-virgin olive oil	to taste
Pepper	to taste

Shell

Ingredient	Quantity
Crispy paprika pasta matta	1 batch

2. Method

Get ready (before you start)
Prepare the crispy paprika pasta matta and let it rest, covered, while you make the filling. For 320 g of spinach you can use 300 g of total pasta matta flour (150 g semolina + 150 g type 2).
Filling
Blanch the 160 g fresh spinach (see the note below on the amount of spinach) in water for 1-2 minutes, then drain. Alternatively, chop it into small pieces (do not use whole large leaves), boil for 1 minute in a covered pan with boiling water, then drain the water and sauté for a few minutes in the pan to dry it.
Squeeze the spinach firmly to drain the water well. This step is important: the water left in the spinach then has to be compensated for with breadcrumbs, and it still risks coming out in the oven, soaking the pastry shell and making it tear. Better to spend time squeezing it well now than to fix it later.
Blend the squeezed spinach, the 125 g firm tofu crumbled and squeezed, the 75 g grated parmesan, the garlic, a drizzle of olive oil, a grating of nutmeg and the pepper.
Blend to a thick, smooth cream. Taste and adjust for seasoning and flavour: parmesan already brings plenty of salt and umami, so add the salt only if the taste calls for it, often it is not needed at all.
If the mixture is still too wet, stir in the breadcrumbs. Better to add them a little at a time and check the consistency.
Chill the filling while you roll out the dough: a cold, dry filling holds its shape better and seals without making the shell give way.
Shaping
Divide the pasta matta into balls and roll each into a disc. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre, leaving a generous free border all around. If you like, you can try more creative shapes, as shown in the photos.

In the photo, the sibling variant: savoury sun-dried tomato and paprika parcels.

Savoury Sun-Dried Tomato and Paprika Parcels

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Savoury Sun-Dried Tomato and Paprika Parcels

Set the amount of ingredients you want to use with one of the two options below:

you can pick the number of servings with x1, x2, x3 and so on. Servings are indicative, adjust them to your preference.
you can set the amount of Fresh spinach (raw weight) you want to use. For example, if you want to use 340 grams, type 340 in the box below.

Quantity

Fresh spinach (raw weight) (min g, max g): g

1. Ingredients

Filling

Ingredient	Quantity
Fresh spinach (raw weight)	160 g
Cooked cannellini beans	70 g
Sun-dried tomatoes	60 g
Extra-virgin olive oil	10 g
Smoked paprika	2.5 g
Salt	1 g

Shell

Ingredient	Quantity
Crispy paprika pasta matta	1 batch

2. Method

Get ready (before you start)
Prepare the crispy paprika pasta matta and let it rest, covered, while you make the filling. For 320 g of spinach you can use 300 g of total pasta matta flour (150 g semolina + 150 g type 2).
For this recipe, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes work well. If you use dry ones to rehydrate (not oil-packed), pay attention to the seasoning: you can rehydrate them in hot water for 10-20 minutes until soft, then drain. Even so, they usually stay saltier than oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes.
Filling
Blanch the 160 g fresh spinach (see the note below on the amount of spinach) in water for 1-2 minutes, then drain. Alternatively, chop it into small pieces (do not use whole large leaves), boil for 1 minute in a pot/pan with boiling water, with a lid on, then drain the water and sauté for a few minutes in the pan to dry it.
Squeeze the spinach firmly to drain the water well. This step is important: the water left in the spinach then has to be compensated for with breadcrumbs, and it still risks coming out in the oven, soaking the pastry shell and making it tear. Better to spend time squeezing it well now than to fix it later.
Blend the squeezed spinach, the 70 g cooked cannellini beans (drained), the 60 g sun-dried tomatoes, the 10 g extra-virgin olive oil and the 2.5 g smoked paprika. Blending the paprika together with the oil is the right technique: the paprika's colour and aroma are fat-soluble and the oil extracts them with no risk of burning.
Blend to a thick, smooth cream. Taste and adjust for seasoning: sun-dried tomatoes are already very salty and rich in umami, so add the salt only if the taste calls for it, often it is not needed at all.
If the mixture is still too wet, stir in the breadcrumbs. Better to add them a little at a time and check the consistency.
Chill the filling while you roll out the dough: a cold, dry filling holds its shape better and seals without making the shell give way.
Shaping
Divide the pasta matta into balls and roll each into a disc. Place a spoonful of filling in the centre, leaving a generous free border all around. If you like, you can try more creative shapes, as shown in the photos.
Leave a few small openings, or use a toothpick to make a few holes on the top of the parcel: this lets the filling's steam escape in a controlled way during baking. A fully sealed parcel risks tearing at a random point and letting the filling out.
Keep the parcel's seam facing up (that is, not resting on the tray): otherwise, if the filling is a little watery, a seam facing down will open during baking and let the filling out onto the tray (learned from experience...).
Arrange the parcels on a lined baking tray and brush them with a film of olive oil (optional): it gives extra colour and crispness to the surface.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 200 °C static and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the pastry is well golden. The filling is already cooked: baking only serves to cook the pastry and firm up the filling by evaporating the residual water.
Straight out of the oven the filling will be soft: this is normal, it firms up as it cools. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.

3. Storage

Let cool completely before storing.

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Mushroom Risotto: an in-depth guide

1. Ingredients
2. Step-by-step recipe
3. Cooking mushrooms separately: umami and depth
4. Toasting the rice
5. Adding stock and mushrooms
6. Mantecatura: butter, oil, Parmigiano
7. Plant-based mantecatura: alternatives to butter
8. A note on mushrooms: alternatives to porcini
9. A note on shallots: alternatives
10. A note on miso and soy sauce
11. Storage
12. Scientific evidence

1. Ingredients

Pan-seared mushrooms (separate pan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Extra-virgin olive oil (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh mushrooms: porcini, button, or see section below (g)	600	450	300	150	75
Dried porcini, rehydrated, optional (g)	40	30	20	10	5
Garlic, crushed (cloves)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh thyme (sprigs)	8	6	4	2	1
Soy sauce, optional (ml)	16	12	8	4	2
White miso, optional (g)	20	15	10	5	2.5
Black pepper	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste

Risotto (saucepan, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Extra-virgin olive oil (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Shallot, finely chopped (pieces)	4	3	2	1	½
Carnaroli rice (g)	640	480	320	160	80
Dry white wine, or see alternatives below (ml)	240	180	120	60	30
Hot vegetable stock (ml)	2800	2100	1400	700	350
← fold in the pan-seared mushrooms 3 min before end

Mantecatura (off the heat, in order of addition)

Ingredient	8	6	4	2	1
Cold butter, cubed, or see alternatives below (g)	120	90	60	30	15
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano (g)	160	120	80	40	20
Extra-virgin olive oil, raw, to finish (tbsp)	4	3	2	1	½
Fresh parsley, chopped, optional	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste
Salt (only if needed after tasting)	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste	to taste

2. Step-by-step recipe

Preparation (before starting)

Rehydrate dried porcini (optional, if using dried porcini): cover with 200 ml of hot water (not boiling) and leave for 20–30 minutes. Lift gently, squeeze out excess water; filter the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve (or kitchen paper) and add it to the stock.
Vegetable stock: bring to temperature and keep warm on low heat throughout cooking.

vegetable broth, to which I added slices of portobello mushrooms to give the broth a bit more umami

Fresh mushrooms: clean with a damp cloth, cut into thick slices (~5 mm). Do not wash under running water.

and here are two beautiful portobello mushrooms of 150g each. In addition to these I also used some piopini

Shallot: mince finely.
Phase 1 — Cooking the mushrooms (separate pan)
Heat a wide pan over high heat with 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (for 4 people; this is the mushroom-pan oil, separate from the rice oil).
Arrange the 300 g fresh mushrooms in a single layer (work in two batches if needed). Do not move them for 2–3 minutes until a golden crust forms.
Flip, cook another 2 minutes.
Add the 20 g rehydrated porcini, squeezed; cook 1 minute.
Lower the heat; add 2 cloves crushed garlic and 4 sprigs thyme. Cook 30 seconds.
Umami deglazing: deglaze with 8 ml soy sauce, stir for 15 seconds.
Turn off the heat; dissolve 10 g white miso (optional) in the pan juices, stirring (miso must not be cooked at high heat or it loses aroma). Adjust pepper.
Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside. Reserve 2–3 tablespoons of pan juices.

here's what remains of the portobello mushrooms after deglazing with soy sauce. I suggest using NON non-stick pans (aluminum, steel) because in my opinion it's easier to control the Maillard reaction

Phase 2 — Cooking the rice (separate saucepan)
Heat 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil (for 4 people; this is the rice-saucepan oil) over medium heat.
Sauté the 2 shallots, minced for 2–3 minutes until translucent (do not brown).
Raise heat to medium-high. Pour the 320 g Carnaroli rice dry into the sautéed shallot.
Toast the rice, stirring constantly for 2–3 minutes: the grains should turn translucent at the edges, hot to the touch, with a slightly nutty aroma. They must not colour.
Deglaze with 120 ml dry white wine: pour in and stir until the alcohol evaporates completely (~1 minute; the hissing in the pan subsides).
Lower to medium heat. Add one ladle of hot stock at a time (1400 ml vegetable stock in total for 4 people).
Stir regularly (not obsessively; every 30–45 seconds is enough). Add the next ladle when the previous one is almost fully absorbed.
Continue for about 14–15 minutes.
When 3 minutes remain: fold in the sautéed mushrooms and their pan juices. Stir gently to incorporate without breaking them.
Taste the rice: it should be al dente, with a slightly firm core.
Phase 3 — Mantecatura
Remove the saucepan from the heat.
Immediately add 60 g cold butter, cubed, and 80 g grated Parmigiano.
Do not stir with a spoon: grip the handle of the saucepan and push it back and forth vigorously, making the rice fold onto itself in a wave for 40–60 seconds, until a glossy, uniform cream forms.
Cover with a lid and let rest 1–2 minutes.

and here it is, after mantecatura, in this case with frozen extra virgin olive oil and Parmigiano

up close you can see how creamy it is, none of the tasters complained about the absence of butter

Serve on a warm plate; the risotto should "flow" forming a wave (all'onda). If too thick, adjust with half a ladle of hot stock before plating.
Taste and adjust salt only if needed: the Parmigiano and soy sauce are already salty, so extra salt is often unnecessary.
Optional, to taste: finish with freshly chopped parsley, a drizzle of raw extra-virgin olive oil, and grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

And here is the mushroom risotto, mantecato with extra virgin olive oil and 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano

3. Cooking mushrooms separately: umami and depth

Why cook them separately

Mushrooms contain ~90% water. Adding them raw to the risotto releases moisture into the rice uncontrollably, resulting in "boiled" mushrooms (grey, rubbery) and a watery risotto. Cooking them separately in a very hot pan enables the Maillard reaction: surface water evaporates, proteins and sugars caramelise creating the golden crust and intense flavour we seek.