"Umami Bomb" came across my desk recently and I thought it was a clever compilation of vegetarian recipes that all possessed that fifth flavor -- umami.

What is umami? It really is difficult to describe but Cambridge English Dictionary describes it as "A strong taste that is not sweet, sour, salty or bitter and that is often referred to as "the fifth taste"." Author Raquel Pelzer describes umami as "that special something that makes food better than good, more like amazing."

The book is divided into 8 chapters, each concentrating on one umami flavor: parm and other aged cheeses, soy sauce, tomatoes, mushrooms, caramelized onions, miso, smoke and nutritional yeast. In each chapter she shares recipes that have at least one of these umami bombs as she calls them. It was difficult to choose just one recipe to share with you, but I did it.

This Green Bean and Charred Radicchio Salad with Lots of Parm is a perfect example of a vegetarian recipe that is robust with flavor and contains two umami bombs -- Parmesan cheese and smoke -- creating an explosion of flavor. Charred lettuce is a double layer of texture and flavor. The outside lettuce becomes charred while the inside lettuce stays, cool, fresh and crisp. The smoke flavor blends together with the showering of aged Parmesan cheese to develop an out of this world salad.

To char the lettuce you can use the broiler or your grill, which will provide an extra smoky taste

The green beans add an earthy snap to the salad. Look for small to medium size green beans for tenderness and sweet flavor. Love the fresh vinegar and honey dressing.

Green Bean and Charred Radicchio Salad with Lots of Parm

Serves 4

1 pound green beans, ends snapped

2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

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