Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Recipe

14 Nov 2009

Cookin’ with Coolio: Strawberry Hills Banana Muffins Forever

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After reading Eat Me Daily’s Fall 2009 Cookbook preview, I felt compelled to Tweet my excitement. “Magazines may be dead, but thank goodness cookbooks are alive and well. Fall line up looks tasty. I want Momo & Ad Hoc.” My first 140 character statement was immediately followed by, “I want this one too. Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price. AMAZING. PURE GENIUS.”

Somewhere in the Twitterverse, Betty Hallock of the The Los Angeles Times saw my Tweets and decided to make my “Ghetto Gourmet” dreams come true. Thus, I became the proud owner of Cookin’ with Coolio. It turned out that the newspaper had received an advanced copy of the book and, much to my surprise, no one on staff was remotely interested in it. How could that be? Anyway, thank you, Betty!

For my first culinary adventure with Coolio, I made Strawberry Hills Banana Muffins Forever from the chapter, “Sweet Treats for That Sweet Ass.” The recipe was accompanied by a hilarious anecdote from Coolio:

You might think that muffins are for women, but you listen to me, motherfucker, muffins are for everybody! I ain’t never walked into a studio holding a tray of muffins and not had everybody grab one. From a hardcore rapper to a hardened criminal (like Martha Stewart), everybody needs a muffin, either in the morning or at night. This muffin’ll treat you right.

I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Strawberry Hills Banana Muffins Forever turned out terrific—fragrant, moist, and a pleasure to eat. Coolio has surpassed Dorie Greenspan as my favorite recipe writer. You gotta get up to get down.

A few drops of olive oil
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)
1 banana, thinly sliced

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a few drops of olive oil to grease up a 12-cup muffin tin. Jarez Sez: “You can also use those little paper liners in your muffin tin, but I’ve seen people eat the muffin without removin’ the liner, so I just suggest you leave that shit out and go with olive oil.”

Combine the butter, milk, and egg in a small bowl and beat it lightly. In a larger bowl, pour in your flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar and gently mix it. Toss in the chopped strawberries and sliced banana, then stir to coat with the flour mixture. Pour in your milk mixture and stir it all up together.

Fill up the muffin cups with your batter, then place in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.

Let them cool down for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and serve these bad boys up.

Cookin’ with Coolio: 5 Star Meals at a 1 Star Price will be released this Tuesday, November 17.

[For Printable Recipe Click Here]

Now Closed

13 Nov 2009

Mo-Chica – Los Angeles

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Mo-Chica is a temple of contemporary Peruvian cuisine housed in the Mercado La Paloma, a former warehouse converted into a vibrant marketplace and community center. Of the 100+ restaurants I’ve had the pleasure of dining in during my first year living in Los Angeles, it’s Mo-Chica that surprised and impressed me the most. I knew going in that the food would be stellar based on Sir Jonathan Gold’s glowing review, but the meal I experienced exceeded all of my expectations.

Lima native Ricardo Zarate, Mo-Chica’s chef and proprietor, churns out food so beautiful and delicious that it could be easily served in a fancy pants establishment at twice the price. The restaurant’s warm service, kick back atmosphere, and overall quality redefine food court fare, and the city’s dining scene is all the richer for it.

Once a month, Mo-Chica pulls out all the stops (and the linens) for a six-course pre-fixe dinner. I’ve been wanting to attend one of these events ever since reading Ravenous Couple’s enthusiastic write-ups [1] [2], and finally had the chance the third time around. I attended the tasting dinner along with Hong of Ravenous Couple, Danny of Kung Food Panda, and Abby of Pleasure Palate.

Mo-Chica was packed to the rafters when we arrived; Hong thought it was the largest turn out he’d ever seen. I perused the marketplace while we waited for our table to open up. The Dia de los Muertos display caught my eye…

…while the soulful musicians caught my ears.

Before the first course arrived, we sipped on aguas frescas. Abby chose the chebada—barley ice tea, ginger, and herbs ($2), while Danny and Hong went for the maracuya—passion fruit juice ($2). I chose the chicha morada—purple corn ice tea ($2). The chicha morada was tart, refreshing, and a deep shade of royal.

The six-course dinner was priced at $35, but all four of us dined this evening as guests of Chef Zarate. We started with a locro soup made from Japanese pumpkins. Locro is a hearty thick stew popular along the Andes mountain range. The mildly sweet soup was drizzled with cream and topped with crisp croutons.

The second course was a causa, a popular dish along the Peruvian coast. The beauteous creation consisted of a layer of creamy diced avocado topped with a layer of chunky yellow potato mash. A luscious pile of dainty scallops smothered in a mentaiko (caviar) was perched atop the potato mash. This dish was seriously phenomenal.

The third course was a tiradito, a Japanese-influenced dish similar to ceviche. The slices of sushi-grade yellowtail rested in a pool of yuzu, tomato, and leche de tigre. The gorgeous cuts of fish married merrily with the tangy sauce.

It pleased me to no end when the tiradito was followed by another raw fish course—I love raw fishes because they’re so delicious! The fourth course consisted of seared bluefin tuna served with a camote (sweet potato) quiche and purple corn reduction. The delicately composed quiche offered the perfect textural and flavor contrast to the buttery slices of tuna.

The final savory course was a homey dish of braised oxtail with barley huancaina (a cheesy sauce made with aji amarillo peppers) risotto. It was rich, creamy, and stick-to-your-bones good.

Lastly, a plate of picarones (Peruvian pumpkin doughnuts) with a side of chancaca (unrefined cane sugar) honey dressing. I thoroughly adored the one picarone I ate, but had to pass the other two to Hong and Danny due to lack of stomach capacity.

At the end of our meal, Chef Zarate stopped by to say hello. After thanking him for the outstanding feast, we learned a bit more about the talent behind Mo-Chica. Chef Zarate spent years working in London, but eventually moved to Los Angeles after falling in love with the city’s ethnic diversity during a short visit. He began working in Los Angeles at The Biltmore Hotel downtown and currently divides his time between Mo-Chica and Wabi-Sabi in Venice, where he serves as executive chef.

UPDATE: I attended the November 19 tasting dinner and left hugely disappointed. The food was nowhere near as fresh and delicious as the one I wrote about and the portions had shrunk dramatically. The tasting featured two fried items, a dried-out halibut, and worst of all, chicken strips! I won’t be back for another tasting, but I would like to return to sample Mo-Chica’s regular menu. Ricardo Zarate, you’re breaking my heart with your inconsistency.

UPDATE UPDATE: I have since dined at Mo-Chica two more times for their regular menu offerings and it’s one of my favorite spots in the city. I love the daily ceviche special, quinoa mushroom risotto, and the seafood with rice. The prices are reasonable and the food is so, so good!

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Mo-Chica
3655 S Grand Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: 213-747-2141

Restaurant Review

12 Nov 2009

Miss Myra's Pit Bar-B-Q – Birmingham

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Before departing home to Los Angeles, The Astronomer and I once again consulted the Barbecue Bible for noteworthy lunch options. “Miss Myra’s does many things well, but it’s the mayonnaise and vinegar-based white sauce that keep people talking,” touted the guide. The idea of a white barbecue sauce definitely piqued our interests, but it was Raymond Sokolov’s poetically penned piece, “Where Ribs are an Art Form,” for the Wall Street Journal that really convinced us that Miss Myra’s was a worthy last meal.

The protocol at Miss Myra’s was similar to other casual barbecue restaurants in Birmingham. The bill of fare was posted toward the front of the restaurant and orders were taken from behind the counter. Lunch was delivered upon plastic plates and trays soon after ordering. Miss Myra’s level of customer care was efficient but indifferent. After five visits to Alabama, I’m fairly convinced that Southern hospitality is a myth.

We tucked into an empty dining area adjacent to the restaurant’s main room. Even though The Astronomer and I were the only diners in the section, we didn’t feel alone with the likeness of Bear Bryant staring down at us from every angle. After amassing six national championships and thirteen conference championships for the University of Alabama, the man has become a legend in these here parts. Roll Tide.

Miss Myra also boasts an incredibly vibrant and varied collection of pig statuettes. Mr. Sokolov described it as “a veritable museum of swine art consisting of hundreds of effigies of the genus Sus in all its pink, piggy majesty” in his article. I told you the man was a poet.

The Astronomer ordered beef brisket with green beans and a bag ‘o chips; a steamy roll and limp pickle spear was included with every platter ($7.65). The beef was great on its own, but even better doused in Miss Myra’s peppery and tangy white sauce.

I ordered a pulled pork platter with green beans and deviled eggs ($7.65). The meat was served in small chunks rather than shreds, but I didn’t mind because it still provided a fine vehicle for saucing up. The white barbecue sauce was admittedly intriguing, but I favored the classic red one on my pulled pork.

Miss Myra’s green beans were prepared in typical Southern fashion, overcooked and mushy as can be. When I’m south of the Mason Dixon, it feels so right eating sickly-colored vegetables. The deviled eggs weren’t pretty, but they sure were tasty.

For dessert, The Astronomer dug into a slice of lemon cream pie ($2.75). The graham crust was superb, as was the tart and sweet filling.

I went for a slice of peanut butter cream pie topped with mini chocolate chips ($2.75). Cream pies go down especially easy after consuming heaps of savory meats. Even though the filling was light and airy, I couldn’t manage to finish my slice; into a box and onto the plane it went.

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Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q
3278 Cahaba Heights Rd
Cahaba Heights, AL 35243
Phone: 205-967-6004