Sitting in the dining hall with a copy of "Gourmet" magazine is probably never a great idea. Football weekend or not, the dining hall is never going to be on par with the best of the world's restaurants and chefs. Still, I tried to stay content with my macaroni and cheese and look forward to the chance to try out some of the recipes found in its covers over the weekend and to what I might be able to create for this week's column, always striving to create something new with what the dining hall hands us. This week we have our first non-sandwich entrée, so give it a try.
Shepherd's Pie Full of vegetables, meat, and potatoes, this traditionally English dish is a meal all to itself. Since you have already covered most of the food groups it doesn't need much of a side, but is good with something like cornbread. Of course, get it in a pub and it will probably be matched with a good beer, but you won't find that in the dining hall. Fill a bowl with ground beef from the Mexican bar. (Shepherd's Pie is frequently done with turkey as well; you can try this on the occasions the dining hall offers it.) Add in chopped onion (or sliced red onion, if that is all that is available, or you like the spicier flavor) and cooked vegetables. Carrots, peas and corn are the most common in this dish, but feel free to experiment with ingredients such as stewed tomatoes and red bell peppers. You can also choose things from the salad bar, but you might want to reheat the bowl if you don't think it will be hot enough for your tastes. Mix together. Top with mashed potatoes and gravy. Some recipes add cheese to the top as well, try it!
Ice Cream CookieHow can we forget dessert? This recipe is so easy, I'd be surprised if half of you haven't figured it out already, but it's always a good one sure to fulfill your sweet tooth. Select two of you favorite cookies from the dessert bar. Fill a bowl with a good scoop of your favorite ice cream. Toss in some of your favorite mix-ins. Some good combinations: vanilla ice cream and caramel inside oatmeal-raison cookies, chocolate-chip cookies with mint chocolate chip ice cream and hot fudge or peanut butter cookies with chocolate ice cream for that Reece's effect. Heat up the cookies in the microwave.Fill the two cookies with your ice cream mixture and take a messy bite! (Or if you're of the more delicate variety, go after it with a fork.)
Quick TipDon't forget to mix up your drinks as well! Plenty of students walking around the dining hall have strange concoctions in their hands that we at least hope are tasty. It's like when you were a kid making suicides in McDonald's. Try mixing Sprite into your slushy to make it more fizzy, combining lemonade with cranberry juice or making a dining hall mocha by sweetening your coffee with hot chocolate.
Have your own dining hall recipe? We would love to feature it! E-mail mfordice@nd.edu. Thank you to Diana Jones for providing inspiration for the Shepherd's Pie.
