October 2016

I have always been crazy about mexican food; however, I never liked quesadillas.  I always felt there were flattened burritos that were sub-par.  It was not until this year that I was introduced into the deliciousness of the dish.It never crossed my mind that this dish would contain the immense flavors of all other mexican dishes, in a flattened pancake so to speak.  I was able to experience this for the first time at the dining halls just a few weeks ago.  A friend of mine was working behind the counter at the mexican style restaurant.  I asked him for the best thing he could make me.  Instead of making me my usual burrito, he told me it would be a surprise.  After selecting all of the ingredients I wanted, he put it on the grill.  I was very confused at this point.  When he called my number, I had this plate of stuff in my hands.  I asked him what he made me, and he said it was a Big Fat Dilla.  Not a quesadilla, no.  A Big Fat Dilla.

From the moment I began to eat it, my eyes widened with extreme excitement.  This was one of the best mexican dishes I have ever had, and it was loaded with meat, vegetables, and flavor.  It would not surprise me if the invention of the quesadilla arose after people made a burrito and it somehow was flattened.  That is essentially what a quesadilla is.  The only difference is the quantity of cheese.  Again, it wouldn’t surprise me if the reason for the extra cheese was to act as a binding factor for the dilla.

Regardless on the motivation for its creation, it is definitely increasing in popularity around the world.  On a more local level, the quesadilla is also picking up speed.  In the beginning of the year, there were very few people that ate, or even knew that the dish existed.  Now, there is often a very long line that one must wait for someone to get their hands on this masterpiece.  This could be for a few reasons, other than its intense flavor.  First, the portability of the dish is advantageous for people that do not have time to dine in.  Second, this is a food that people can eat with their hands, so there is no need for any utensils, making the dish increasingly portable.  Finally, there is a versatility of ingredients just like a burrito, but now it it is warmed so the cheese is melted.

I personally enjoy my big fat dilla with chicken, black olives, rice, black beans, onions and peppers, and salsa.  Furthermore, I like to have sour cream, chipotle ranch, and guacamole on the side for dipping at my convenience.  Feel free to respond with some of your favorite add ins, and if you haven’t had a quesadilla just say what you would put in a burrito.  But more importantly, if you have not had a dilla yet, make sure you get one as soon as possible.  They are definitely something that should not be missed.

One of the most comforting dishes that you can ever make is soup.  The types of soup that are not only available to purchase, but also that you can make are limitless.  That is the true beauty of soup, you can make it your own.  Whether you are simply cold and want something warm to eat, or enjoy a specific flavor in your soup, you cannot go wrong with this staple of a dish.

There is no actual recording of the first time soup was ever made.  Honestly, the first soup probably arose as early as the first humans did.  The fact of placing various ingredients in a large container and adding water is not difficult.  In fact, its simplicity is most likely the reason there is no initial creation date.  Back then, whatever ingredients could be collected were placed into the soup (especially in the winter) because it was a nice way to incorporate a multitude of flavors and textures all in one dish.

Personally, my favorite soup is old fashioned chicken noodle.  The best part – it is super easy to make!  All you need are some carrots, celery, onions, butter, water, and chicken.  You can of course add various other seasonings, but these vegetables and chicken are the base of the soup.  You saute the vegetables in the butter until the onions become translucent.  This technique is called sweating.  Then, you add the water and chicken bones and bring the mixture to a boil.  Then the fun part: letting the pot simmer for a few hours.  After the soup seems flavorful enough, you remove it from the heat, remove the bones, and place it in the refrigerator.

If you did not know, soup always tastes best the following day (as long as it is refrigerated).  There is a simple explanation for this: the soup flavors join together to become more complex in their nature.  With time, the chemical compounds interact with each other, sometimes bonding in specific areas.  This can create, as said previously, a compound taste, which intensifies the flavor.  To better the soup, you cannot go wrong by adding noodles, potatoes, dumplings, or really any other vegetable or starch.

The base of the soup is almost always the three vegetables mentioned above: carrots, celery, and onions.  These three vegetables combined have been coined the name mirepoix.  This usually has the ratio of 1:1:2, respectively.  This mixture is excellent in creating a flavor base for soups, stocks, broths, sauces, and many other foods.  One additional benefit to these ingredients, in addition to their flavor, is the smell, or aroma, that are released.  Mirepoix has been used for centuries, and allows for a plethora of other flavors to accompany it.

Some other great flavors in soup include thyme, rosemary, oregano, and dill.  One must never forget to include some of the most important seasonings: salt and pepper.  The salt aids in removing water from the vegetables during their sweat and pepper acts as a taste bud opener for the consumer intensifying the flavor.  I am curious to know some of your favorite soups, so feel free to talk about them below!

Over this past weekend, I had the luxury of eating at higher end restaurants than the dining halls on campus since my family came to visit for Parents Weekend.  The second time eating at the same restaurant, I decided to divulge in the seared sea scallops.  Like expected, they were beyond delicious, and it made me realize that I do not really know anything about the organism.  So I decided to conduct some research, and share my findings here.

The first interesting fact that I found out was that the scallop isn’t a single organism.  In fact, scallops can be any one of many salt water clams that live in the family Pectinidae.  They are special in that they are free living, and they can float around wherever the current takes them.  This is different from other organisms in this family because the other organisms often secure themselves to fixtures to avoid movement.

One of the coolest aspects to scallops that I learned actually deals with predator avoidance.  In the presence of a predator, a starfish for example, the scallop will clamp its shell extremely quickly to create a type of jet propulsion to get far away from the predator as quickly as possible.  This is similar to how humans escape dangerous situations, except humans run instead of swim.

After learning a little about the biological aspects to the clam, I wanted to learn some cool new ways to cook it.  My first stop was food network.  But before I could actually look at the recipes, I kept seeing something.  Websites kept saying remove the side muscle.  This continuously perplexed me, so I decided to conduct brief research on what on earth the side muscle was.

According to The Kitchen, the side muscle is a little rectangular tag of tissue on the side of the scallop that is tougher than the rest.  This is due to the muscle fibers that run opposite to the fibers in the scallop itself.  Luckily, it is extremely easy to remove with a simply pinch of the thumb and first-finger.  Once it is dislodged, the scallops are good to go into the pan.  If, however, you miss a couple of the side-muscles, there is no problem eating them, they are just sometimes tougher to chew.

There are many ways that one can cook scallops.  You can broil them, bake them, grill them, sear them, poach them, or even chop them up to stuff a piece of fish.  They are extremely versatile, and take up almost any flavor you put into the dish with it.  My favorite dish is seared scallops with lemon and pepper.  These ingredients are simple in nature, but somehow add complex flavors to the dish.

The next time you are the fish market (or fish department of the food store), make sure you take a look at your scallop selection.  Make sure they do not smell fishy, and ensure the size is reasonable for the dish that you want.  Remember, keep it simple.  Enjoy!

This delicious fruit, by far my favorite food in general, has many uses in a plethora of forms.  That is why for this post, I want to inform you about the varying uses of this extravagant ingredient.

The inspiration for this post arose just hours ago when I was in Redifer Dining Commons.  For some reason, I had the desire to drink some hot chocolate.  I was slightly worried that my location would inhibit this request.  I then realized that not only could I get hot chocolate at the cafe, but I could also put a flavor in it.  I knew immediately which flavor I would choose.  When I ordered, the cashier looked at me as if I had a lightbulb over my head.  The drink, was by far, the best hot chocolate I have ever had.  The slightly bitter taste of the chocolate contrasting with the sweet and fruity flavor of the raspberries created the perfect drink.

In addition to hot chocolate, raspberries can be incorporated into almost any dish.  They are fantastic on cold fruit pies, or any pie with a custard.  Furthermore, berry pies are often difficult to master, but adding raspberries can make the difference between a good pie and an excellent one.

I am excited that I chose this food to write about because research revealed many facts that I did not know.  First and foremost, there are numerous health benefits to this fruit.

• They are high in fiber and antioxidants
• Some of the qualities of raspberries have the potential to fight cancer, aging, inflammation, and even neurodegenerative diseases.  If you want to get technical, here are some phenolic flavonoid phytochemicals that raspberries are high in: anthocyanins, ellagic acid (tannin), quercetin, gallic acid, cyanidins, pelargonidins, catechins, kaempferol and salicylic acid.
• High levels of Vitamin A, C, and E
• Top ranked for ORAC, oxygen radical absorbance capacity.

These are just a few of the health benefits, but as you can see the list would continue for many more bullets.

Since my passion is cooking, I figured I would enlighten you with some recipes involving raspberries.  First, for any dessert that you are making that involves icing, never be afraid to make your own icing.  Best part, it is super easy!  All you need is confectioners sugar, butter, raspberries, vanilla extract, and salt.  If you combine these ingredients in the proper ratios, as seen here, you cannot go wrong with a sweet and delicious topping.  Second, strawberry shortcake is a classic that is always available for adaptive changes.  Such a change could be switching the strawberries to various fruits, of course raspberries.  If you are interested in eating this delicious dish, as seen here, don’t be afraid to try and make it wherever you are!

Of course the dishes I named are only desserts, but there is no need to stop here.  I once made a tofu dish with macerated raspberries and pistachios in a hard shell for a main course.  They were absolutely delicious, and surprisingly tasted nothing like tofu!  These truly special fruit can turn any dish into one you will never forget.  So never be afraid to experiment with them, or even just eat them plain.