The Fun facts of one Dill-icious Herb

The Colorful History of Dill

Once an important herb in witchcraft, and a purported aphrodisiac, dill has a distinctive sour flavor that makes an interesting and sometimes unexpected statement in cooking. The leaves, seeds, and flowers of the plant can all be used.

Ok, I know this herb wouldn’t look much on your garden because of it’s weedy like look but take a look at all these fun facts and see how fun it would be having this around. Aside from the fact that it’s good on fishes, spreads, and vegetables, come on, who doesn’t think witchcraft is’nt cool? Here’s the fun side of this weedy little dude!

FUN FACTS:

Dill is reputed to have a calming effect on the digestive tract. It was once given to crying babies, thus deriving its name from the Old Norse, dilla, meaning “to lull.”

Dill is also reputed to cure hiccups, stomach aches, insomnia, and bad breath. Dill’s most famous culinary use - the Dill pickle - is at least 400 years old.

In medieval Europe it was believed that dill protected against curses and witchcraft. It was also thought to make one drowsy.

An essential oil obtained from the fruits and leaves of the dill plant, is used not only for pickles, but also in chewing gum and candy.

Dill seeds are very small and very light. It takes more than 10,000 dill seeds to make an ounce.

One tablespoon of dill seed contains more calcium than a cup of milk.

References:

http://www.foodreference.com/html/fdill.html

http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2008/04/facts-about-dill.html

A Pinoy Classic Reinvented - Crispy Kare-Kare

So by the title itself and if you have tried it, then you know what restaurant I am writing about. Yes, It is in fact C2 Classic Cuisine.

C2’s style is actually this classic Filipino dishes reinvented if not reconstructed. This actually got to tease my mind and thought to myself

“how in the world can this be any different to other fusion Filipino themed restaurants?”

Well, I guess I found out for my self. Went to Shangri-La mall and obviously went to eat at C2 with some friends. We got to try fish and pork dishes that was actually pretty good.

Tilapia in coconut Emulsion was one of the first dishes we got to eat. It was a bit disappointing because I felt we weren’t given the freshest of ingredients that was used for our dish. But all in all the combination of flavors in the dish were in fact refreshing. The flavors of coconut, fish and that hint of pineapple was tropically inviting.

Well enough with the other topics, what actually made me write about them was in fact their Crispy Kare-Kare, well obviously that’s the title of this blog.

Before anything else, I would like to point out I am a fan of Pork turned crispy! YUM-YUM!

So the thought of having a crispy kare-kare was exciting! Come on!? savory peanut sauce, bagoong, fresh vegetables and CRISPY PORK!!! Whats not to like!?

Luckily we had a perfect dish wherein the porks skin wasn’t tough to deal with and was perfectly ccccrrrrunuunnccchhhyyy!!! This dish Is a must try for all you Crispy Pork Lovers out there!!! This dish so far has not disappointed me.

Happy Eating Gastronomes!

Salmon en Croute

It’s called Salmon en Croute.

To those who don’t know , “Salmon en Croute” literally means “Salmon in pastry”. So basically this is salmon (Usually seared) then layered with anything (e.g. mascarpone) and then covered entirely with puff pastry then baked.

OK, we have just tried out a recipe by Gordon Ramsey himself.

Here’s the link to the recipe we followed and actually liked! =)

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/526631/salmon-en-croute

THE VERDICT:

The dish itself was a mouthful, having the rice, mushroom, herb crepe and salmon combine its full force of flavors in your mouth was utterly exhausting, as I chew my way into satisfaction. There may be those who do not like having big chunks of food in their mouth all at the same time, but if your are a fighter who wants to think they are still eating healthy even though one has no boundaries when it comes to eating, well then this is a must try for you!

To all you Gastronomes, keep me posted if you do decide to try this at home! =)

About GastroManila

Gastronomy is the study of food and culture, with a particular focus on gourmet cuisine.By understanding how all of the senses contribute to an experience, a gastronome can more completely understand what is happening when a consumer claims to dislike or enjoy a particular food item.

Gastronomy certainly informs the culinary world, but not all cooks and chefs are gastronomes.

- http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-gastronomy.htm

Gastronomy above all things is also a collaboration of food and culture. From the arts and science of cooking, to the unique ways of life of every individual.

Manila and it’s most interesting and finest cuisine are what we are craving for.

Join us as we go from corner to corner and explore what manila has to offer