Writer’s Choice

This week, I want to take you along on a vacation that I took in 2004 to England (and inadvertently got stuck there for 21 days as I had misplaced my green card), and my experiences with British cuisine.  Needless to say, I was able to discover a lot of dining and gained a few pounds in the process.  Like other imperialist countries, Great Britain has absorbed the cultural influence of the people who live there, producing many hybrid dishes.  The Norman Conquest brought exotic spices like cinnamon, saffron, mace, nutmeg, pepper, and ginger into England during the Middle Ages.  From East Asia (China) the British adopted tea (and exported the habit to India).  From India, the British adopted their food tradition of "strong, penetrating spices and herbs", and they developed a line of spicy sauces including ketchup, mint sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

In my experience during my vacation, I found that British cuisine could be best described as unfussy dishes, made from quality local ingredients, and matched with simple sauces which accentuate flavor rather than disguise it.  Of course while I was there, I had the opportunity to taste most of their well-known dishes like fish & chips, Sunday roast, steak & kidney pie, shepherd's pie, and bangers & mash.  While I traveled around Great Britain, I found the there are many regional varieties within the broader categories of English, Scottish, and Welsh cuisine such as Cornish pasties, Yorkshire pudding, Arbroath Smokie, and Welsh cakes.

By far, fish and chips is the classic English take-away (fast) food, and traditional national food of the country.  The dish became popular in the 1860's when railways began to bring fresh fish (cod, haddock, huss, plaice) straight from the east coast, and into the cities overnight.  The fish is dredged in a flour batter and deep fried along with “chips” (potato slices) until they are golden, brown, and delicious!  Once out of the fryer, the fish and chips are covered with salt, and malt vinegar, and eaten with your fingers, straight out of the newspaper which they were wrapped in.  In keeping with the “regional varieties” in the northern parts of England, fish & chips is often served with "mushy peas" (mashed processed peas)! 

With the rich history of Britain and the many influences on their cuisine, when dining one can not only taste the best of the famous British dishes, but the best of the many distinct ethnic cuisines to sample, Chinese, Indian, Italian and Greek just to name a few.

 

Persuasive Essay

Dulce DeIson

Blog #4: Persuasive Essay

English 105

December 12, 2013

Persuasive Essay

         

Everyone has their favorite type when it comes to pizza; chances are that you have probably had more than one pseudo-argument with your friends when you’re hanging out, trying to decide where to order the pizza from.  My favorite pizza is from a restaurant named Lou Malnati's Pizzeria in Chicago and they specialize in classic, deep-dish pizza.

Founded by the original chef of Pizzeria Uno Rudy Malnati’s son, Lou Malnati’s holds true to a long standing tradition of great pizza.  Starting out as a family-owned restaurant in Lincolnwood Illinois, it has blossomed into a franchise with 36 top-notch restaurants all over Illinois. 

Malnati's pizza has several things that make it stand out from the rest but all great pizza starts with an outstanding crust, and Malnati’s is no exception; their special flaky butter crust is the best extra 75 cents you’ll ever spend on a crust.  On top of that is their amazing sauce which instead of relying on quantity, and thickness like a lot of Chicago-style pizza is a little thinner which allows for the flavor of the quality ingredients like the vine-ripened tomatoes, fresh gooey mozzarella cheese, and their exclusive blend of lean, subtle sausage to really come front and center of the taste.  Malnati’s most popular pizzas include Cheese, Sausage, Pepperoni, Veggie (Mushroom, Onion, and Green Pepper), Spinach, and Crust-less (Gluten Free made with a lean sausage base). 

But of all of the varieties, the Sausage pizza is my favorite.  You don’t have to just take my word for it though, and you can try their pizzas yourself without having to travel to Chicago!  In addition to being featured on shows like: Throw Down with Bobby Flay, Road Tasted, Pizza Wars, Chef Vs. City, America's Test Kitchen and Food Wars!, Malnati’s will deliver pizza nationwide which you bake yourself at home!

Compare & Contrast

Dulce DeIson

Blog #3: Compare & Contrast

English 105

November 25, 2013

A Comparison of Panamanian Rice & Mexican Rice

            This week I’m going to write about Panamanian rice (Arroz con Pollo) and how it differs from traditional Mexican rice that many people are familiar with.  It’s not just that I grew up eating Panamanian rice that makes me have a preference towards it, but that it’s also been proven to be healthier for you!

I’m certain that most people in my target audience have sampled Mexican style rice before.  Typical Mexican rice starts with a long-grain rice and the liquid component of the dish is either water or water with chicken bouillon cubes.  Fresh vegetables such as diced carrots, minced garlic, and chopped onions are combined with bay leaves and serrano chilies or chili powder to develop the flavor and heat profile of the rice.  Mexican rice gets its distinct red color from the inclusion of tomato paste in the recipe and many recipes include peas to add color, texture and nutrients to the dish.

Panamanian rice is healthier for you because it contains a lot of organic vegetables such as fresh cabbage, carrots, cilantro, garlic, onions, colorful peppers, and ripe Roma tomatoes; the liquid component of Panamanian rice comes in the form of fresh chicken broth and contains no preservatives.  Typically, the chicken is boiled with garlic and onions just prior to cooking the rice so that the broth used in the preparation of the rice is very flavorful and fresh.  With respect to the vegetables, the cabbage is julienned, the carrots are grated, the garlic is minced; the remaining vegetables are chopped to a small dice and the dish is finished with some green olives and fresh, aromatic cilantro on top.  The various cuts of vegetables gives the completed dish a wide of textures to enjoy and is really the ingredient that sets Panamanian rice apart from the rest.  The fresh, organic vegetables give the rice its natural orange / red color and unique flavor, and the combination of those, along with the medium-grain rice and chicken broth makes the Panamanian rice a complete and well balanced meal.