Mother’s Day Lunch: Check Out an Umami Recipe for the Celebration | Press

Moms love having their children around. Many enjoy sharing moments, giving advice, reminding you to take a “light jacket” for chilly nights. And all of them truly love seeing their kids doing well. For these and a thousand other qualities, they deserve care and affection every day. Mother’s Day, celebrated on the second Sunday of May, is the perfect opportunity to gather the family for a special lunch in their honor. To help with the menu, the Umami Committee offers a tasty tip: a recipe for Meatballs with Fresh Tomato Sauce.

This dish is a great option for this special day. It has umami taste—one of the five basic tastes of the human palate—in abundance. In this recipe, the sirloin, tomatoes, and monosodium glutamate are responsible for providing this taste and delivering many benefits in addition to the delicious homemade flavor: aiding protein digestion and reducing sodium.

Check out the preparation method and make Mother’s Day even more umami:

Ingredients

Meatballs

• 500 g ground beef sirloin
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup milk (100 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

Sauce

• 1 kg ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon monosodium glutamate

Directions

1. Prepare the meatballs: In a bowl, combine the ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, milk, salt, and monosodium glutamate. Mix well and shape into 5 cm (2 in) balls.
2. Arrange on a greased medium baking sheet, cover with aluminum foil, and bake in a medium oven (180 degrees), preheated, for 30 minutes.
3. Remove the foil and bake for 10 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a blender, add the tomatoes and blend until you get a juice. Set aside.
5. In a medium saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until lightly golden (about 5 minutes).
6. Add the tomato juice, salt, and monosodium glutamate, and cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
7. Pour over the meatballs and serve immediately.

Yield: 5 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes (+ 40 minutes in the oven)
Chef’s tip: finish the dish garnishing with basil leaves.

UMAMI

It is the fifth basic taste of the human palate, discovered in 1908 by Japanese scientist Kikunae Ikeda. It was scientifically recognized in 2000, when researchers at the University of Miami confirmed the existence of specific receptors for this taste on the taste buds. The amino acid glutamic acid and the nucleotides inosinate and guanylate are the main umami substances. The two main characteristics of umami are increased salivation and a lingering taste for a few minutes after eating. To learn more, visit portalumami.com.br and follow on social media at facebook.com/GostoUmami/ and instagram.com/ogostoumami.