Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Now Closed

22 Jul 2010

Fortune Cookies – Los Angeles (Hollywood)

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The problem with driving around a city is that the world zooms by at breakneck speed. I’ve probably driven past Fortune Cookies on Santa Monica Boulevard dozens of times over the years, but never really noticed it until congestion forced me to cruise down the street at a snail’s pace twice in two weeks.

Sharing a particularly rundown block with 7 Days Swap Meet, the restaurant looked like a complete disaster from the outside. The sun had clearly taken its toll on both the roof and signage, while the bold promises of chow mein and chop suey seemed dated and out of touch. Honestly, I was a bit frightened by the joint, but also deeply intrigued. Truly, this was the perfect place to take Zach of Midtown Lunch for a “Cheap Chinese Food Challenge.” I prayed we wouldn’t get sick.

Fortune Cookies is like no place I’ve ever eaten at in Los Angeles. With absolutely no press, buzz, or even a single Yelp review to speak of, the restaurant is completely off the radar. Stepping inside, I was surprised that the space and furnishings were not the least bit shoddy. A handful of tables were occupied by regular lunchers, mostly Mexican men taking a break from the grind.

When my lunch date arrived, we headed to the steam tables to scope out the wares. The drill at Fortune Cookies is very much the same as at Panda Express—choose a combo (one, two, or three items) and then select from the available options.

Zach chose a three item combo ($6.47). His flimsy Styrofoam plate was piled high with chow mein, fried rice, fried chicken, fried shrimp, and orange chicken. He found the slew of dishes pleasant and palatable, but his favorite was the “crispy and well seasoned” fried chicken.

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Recipe

20 Jul 2010

Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera)

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Not too long after arriving home from Spain, I tried my hand at making Fisherman’s Paella (Paella a la Marinera). Taste memory is a very powerful asset in the kitchen and I wanted to take full advantage of it while the flavors of Valencia were still fresh in my mind. I also wanted to use the saffron and rice that I picked up at the Mercado Central while they were at their absolute best.

I turned to Saveur magazine, an authority on authentic recipes, to guide me through the homemade paella process. According to the recipe developers, there are six principles to achieving really fabulous paella. The ones I found most important were steeping the saffron at the very beginning and sautéing the seafood in hot oil to build a strong flavor base. “The key is to build flavors from the bottom of the pan up,” the editors emphasized. Paella pans are designed for this purpose, though a wide skillet of the same size will work, too.

The seafood used in this recipe was provided by I Love Blue Sea, a web-based sustainable seafood company in San Francisco. The Gulf shrimp were caught using turtle-free nets, the squid came from the Northern California coast, and the clams were a combination of Littleneck and Manila. The original recipe called for monkfish, but I decided to eliminate it from the recipe after learning that it is overfished and caught using bottom trawling, which decimates the ocean floor. Try as I might to keep abreast on the dos and don’ts of sustainable seafood, I can’t always remember everything I read. I was thankful to have a trusty consultant in I Love Blue Sea to point me in the most eco-friendly direction.

My homemade Fisherman’s Paella turned out as pretty and tasty as I had hoped. The rice was cooked perfectly al dente, while the seafood was sublime. Best of all, I was able to achieve the subtle flavors that made the paella in Valencia so special. I have just enough rice and saffron to prepare the recipe two more times. I will have to space out the occasions carefully to fill the interval until my next visit to Spain.

25 threads saffron, crushed (a heaping 1⁄4 tsp.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 lbs. extra-large head-on shrimp in the shell
1 lb. cuttlefish or small squid, cleaned and cut into 1″ pieces
1 tbsp. smoked paprika
4 medium tomatoes, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, cored and chopped
1 small onion, minced
7 cups chicken broth
2 1⁄2 cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia or bomba
2 lbs. small clams, cleaned

Put saffron and 1⁄4 cup hot water in a small bowl; let sit for 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a 16″–18″ paella pan over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, lightly salt, and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes; transfer to a plate and set aside.

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Restaurant Review

14 Jul 2010

Restaurante L’estimat – Valencia

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Paella is arguably Spain’s most famous dish. Prior to traveling to the Iberian peninsula, I was only familiar with the classic version that’s flavored with saffron and flourished with shellfish (paella a la marinera). Early on in our trip, my notion as to what paella entailed was turned on its head. While at Taverna El Glop in Barcelona, The Astronomer and I shared one made with rabbit and snails (paella Valenciana). I also read in our travel guide about an intriguingly black version made with squid ink. Upon arriving to Valencia, paella’s original stomping grounds, The Astronomer and I were eager to further familiarize ourselves with this one pan wonder.

We had read great things about Restaurante L’estimat and ended up eating there twice during our short stay. Located on the Paseo Maritimo, the restaurant is a few steps away from the beach and offers a postcard-worthy view.

I wouldn’t normally bore one with a historical account of paella, but this romantic painting, which hangs toward the back of the restaurant, has inspired me to do so. Or better yet, I’ll let Saveur do the talking:

The dish exists because of rice, and rice has existed in Valencia and its environs ever since the Moors planted it there more than 1,300 years ago, in a lagoon called the Albufera, where the grain is still grown today. Saffron, that precious and earthy spice, brought to Spain by Arab traders in the tenth century, was the Moors’ preferred seasoning for rice, and it remains a traditional paella ingredient. Local game like rabbit, and foraged foods like snails, as well as various legumes and vegetables, found their way into rice dishes during the Moorish occupation of Spain, but pork (which was prohibited under Muslim dietary laws) and shellfish did not. The dish was prepared in the countryside over an open fire of dried vines and orange-tree branches, usually on Sundays, usually by the men of the family while the women were at church.

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