You Will Drink Local

Just a friendly reminder from Bite and Booze that a Jedi drinks local.  Sith Lords drink Jameson.

I know St. Patty's Day came and went a month ago, but I still thought these pictures were worth sharing.  Also, as far as the Jameson goes... did you know that while Jameson is the #1 selling Irish Whiskey world wide, it isn't even close to the top selling Irish Whiskey IN Ireland?  Jameson : Irish Whiskey :: Foster's : Australian Beer.  Translation: it is all about marketing.  Try Power's, John Sullivan, Tullamore Dew, Redbreast, Midleton Very Rare, or quite a few other types before ordering Jameson as your next shot of Irish Whiskey.  I will say though that the Jameson Reserve 12 yr is pretty tasty.  Stay tuned every Wednesday on Bite and Booze as I'll soon be ramping up a new series called "Whisk(e)y Wednesdays!"

Grilled Rosemary Quail with Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub

Our latest Virtual Potluck adventure has taken the group into the world of gourmet seasonings from the Savory Spice Shop.  Each VP blogger got a different category of spices to deal with.  I chose the chicken and seafood grouping since I knew I'd be grilling something in that category sometime soon.  Still, I didn't want to be too obvious.  Chicken on the grill just wouldn't do.  I thought about perhaps some Louisiana seafood, but nothing quite struck my fancy right away.  Then I had my ah-ha moment.  Savory Spice sent me some seasoning called "Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub."  However, I wouldn't use chicken for this cook out.  Instead, I decided to grill one of my favorite, most nostalgic game birds: quail!




The quail, which I picked up at Calandro's Supermarket here in Baton Rouge, got a special brine of their own.  They marinated in a mix of apple juice and apple cider vinegar with some onion and spices for a few hours.  I then stuffed each quail with a skewer of fresh rosemary from my Harb's Oasis herb garden.  The outside of each bird got generously sprinkled with the Savory Spice Shop's Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub.  The quail were then grilled over some charcoal and apple chips to provide a little sweet smoke.  The succulent birds had a wonderful flavor throughout.  They took on the characteristics of the apple and rosemary very well.  But the real secret had to have been the rub.  The delightful blend of seasonings created a crust on the outside of the quail that had just the right amount of sweet and heat!  I might have to try to cook some more quail soon.  If anybody would like to take me quail hunting, just let me know!!


Brine:
1 Quart Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Pint Apple Juice
1 Yellow Onion, Coarsely Chopped
2 Tablespoons Savory's BBQ Rub
2 Tablespoons Crushed Red Pepper

Reserve a cup of the brine for basting before soaking the quail in the remainder.


The Rest:
A Dozen Quail (or however many you want to cook!)
3-4 Inch Sprig of Rosemary for each Quail
1/2 Cup Savory Spice Shop's Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub

Grilled Rosemary Quail with Team Sweet Mama's BBQ Chicken Rub

Savory Spice Giveaway:

Savory Spice Shop on Facebook

Twitter: @SavorySpiceShop  

Go to the Savory Spice Shop Facebook page, click the Virtual Potluck link, and choose a spice from my section.  Then come back here and tell me which spice or blend you'd like to try the most!  I'll select one winner on Friday, April 20, 2012 to get some free spices from our friends at the Savory Spice Shop!

Pizza Magic at Mama Della's

Mama Della’s New York City Pizzeria is the new place to get a slice in town. True New York style pizza is not easy to come by in Baton Rouge, and best I can tell, Mama Della's does it right. “I’m into what’s going on in your mouth,” owner and chef Barry Kalt told me as he joined my table for a brief moment in between pizza orders. Born and raised in New York City, Kalt knows what it takes to make the authentic New York style pies that are coveted across the country. He started in the restaurant business 46 years ago and has worked in various venues including restaurants, casinos, and even submarines. All of this experience has left him with the knowledge and talent to run a successful restaurant while sticking to his roots. All of the pizzas at Mama Della’s are handmade and the recipes come from different members of Kalt’s family. Even the logo is a picture of his mother, Adelle. While the chef is happy to discuss his life and experiences, he’d rather talk about his pizzas and the steps that go into making them. Because after all, “it’s all about the food.”

While at Mama Della’s I tried two of the favorite items on the menu. I'll get to the pizza in a bit. Besides serving NY pies, Kalt also fixes up Italian-style hero sandwiches. I opted for the chicken parm. Mama Della’s does a pretty good job on this simple sandwich. A fried chicken cutlet is served on soft Italian bread with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. What makes the sandwich so special is Chef Leonardo’s marinara sauce, which is named after Kalt’s father. If pizza isn’t for you, you’re sure to find something on the menu that is true to New York style.

The star of my meal was one of Chef’s favorites, a classic margharita pizza. The simple pie only contains four elements: crust, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Complexity isn't needed here. It’s the quality of the ingredients that make this Mama Della specialty so good. Kalt hand tosses the dough for all of the pizzas and this extra step is evident in the food that he serves. The crust doesn’t overshadow the rest of the pizza, which is the way a classic New York style pie should be served. It’s thin enough to have a crunch but thick enough to hold the few ingredients and complement the flavors. But that's where the margharita pizza ends its common ties. There’s no sauce on Chef Kalt’s signature creation. The tomatoes, which come from an area in Italy near Pompeii, have a sweetness and tang which pair excellently with the mozzarella. They alone make up the tomato portion of the pizza. And they are a topping unto themselves. Throw on a little basil, and you have a fairly authentic pizza! Chef Kalt doesn’t cut any corners when it comes making his pizzas. “If I can’t get the ingredients I want, I don’t serve that pizza. It’s as simple as that. I’m not going to compromise the quality of my pizza in order to make more money,” said Kalt.

While there are no exceptions when it comes to the ingredients of his pizzas, Chef Kalt is willing to make changes for a customer. “I go the extra mile to make sure folks are taken care of,” he told me. Just please don't ask him to add pepperoni and Italian sausage to a margharita pizza. I'm sure he'd do it, but the man might die a little inside.

When you walk into Mama Della’s it may not seem like anything too special. It’s a standard in and out restaurant with bar stools and red checkered table cloths. Chef Kalt serves his pizza on paper plates with plastic utensils for those who may need them for some bizarre reason. In New York City they don’t eat their pizza with forks so he doesn’t serve it that way here either. His attention to quality and authenticity are attributes that give a restaurant staying power. Let's hope this one lasts.

If you’re looking for classic New York style pizza, the only thing Mama Della’s is missing is the Statue of Liberty in the background. Alright, so it may not have quite been Lombardi's pie coming out of a coal oven in Manhattan, but I can definitely add it to my list of go-to pizza restaurants in Baton Rouge. Next time you’re in the mood for a slice, avoid a chain and try a new, local pizzeria. I don't think you'll regret it.

Coyote Blues Beer List Fail

Those of you who really know me or have ever spoken with me about Bite and Booze know that I don't fancy myself as a food critic, but rather as a food and beverage enthusiast.  I've been able to make a name for myself and find a market for my writing and speaking through highlighting what I love about eating and drinking, and the culture and traditions which surround them.  For that reason, I rarely post a "bad review" or even call a place out for serving frozen burger patties (unless you're in Tuscaloosa, AL, of course).  I prefer to highlight the good generally at the expense of ignoring the bad.  If I have a meal or a cocktail that I don't like, I usually just choose not to write about it.  I don't have time to write about everything I eat anyway.

That being said, I feel like it is high time I take a stand on some things that really grind my gears.  I would have been writing this post about the foolishness of the Baton Rouge Metro Council had item "T" regarding the food trucks been passed last night.  Instead, it was deleted from the agenda because everyone not named Smokie understood how frivolous it truly was.  Props to that.

Today I'd like to rant about piss poor beer lists... and about general dumb-ass-ed-ness when it comes to menu creation with beer.  Please observe this snapshot of the menu from Coyote Blues in Baton Rouge:

Coyote Blue's Beer Menu

To their credit (well, not really), the Mexican and "Latin" selection is not seen in this picture.  There are a few more crappy lagers available than this if you like what marketing companies have led you to believe is beach beer.  However, I'm not ranting about the quality of the beer on their list.  I'll give you a second to look it over if you haven't noticed the problem already.

...

Kegs of Macrobrew

Okay, time's up.  Since when is Shiner Bock an import?  We have to "import" beer from Texas now?  I realize that crossing state lines can be an issue with alcohol distribution, but it isn't really importing!  I suppose that I half-way sort of kinda understand-ish the old school mentality of "domestics" and "imports" being used more for price differentialization (can I make up that word?).  That needs to change too, though.  However, when you HAVE A CATEGORY for "Domestic Specialties" in order to solve the price gap issue, and then still list Shiner Bock under imports, I REALLY have a problem.  To me this shows one of two things: ignorance or lack of giving a flip.  If ignorance is to blame, then sometimes there is no cure.  Fire the person who ignorantly thought Shiner Bock to be a German beer and hire somebody who knows their stuff to create a new menu.  If, on the other hand, you don't care about things like this, then I will even more quickly stop caring about your bar or restaurant.  Show a little passion for your beer list or I won't assume that there is any sort of attention being paid in the kitchen, either.  

And if I may... and it is my website, so I grant myself permission... Blue Moon should not be on any respectable beer list as a "specialty."  It is produced by Coors.  It is as "macro" and "domestic" as anything on the list above it.  I understand that it might carry a bit higher of a price tag, but please stop trying to pretend that it's something which it ain't.  I know they aren't actually calling it a craft beer, but it also shouldn't be deemed special.

Everyone please feel free to send Coyote Blues Baton Rouge a memo that they may want to change their embarrassing beer menu.  I'm okay (though certainly not thrilled) with a Mexican place having a terrible beer selection, but they ought to at least label it correctly!  This sort of thing shames me and, in my opinion, this city.  We HAVE to be smarter than this.  Beer menus and wine lists are tied in with the entire gastronomic experience of eating out, and I'd rather everyone in Baton Rouge impress rather than disappoint.

Attention restaurants: you're now on notice.  It only takes a little effort and a little bit of caring about the products that you sell to correctly put together a menu.  If you need help, call me.  I'll do some consultation.  But if you make an error like this, I just may have to call you out on it.  Be warned.

Cornmeal Fried Catfish, Black-Eyed Pea Salad, Pickled Jalapeno Relish

Cornmeal Fried Catfish over Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Pickled Jalapeno Relish

I've been wanting to play around with some different fried catfish recipes for a while so when I was gifted a Lodge Cast Iron skillet and cookbook as part of a Virtual Potluck blog party, I knew which recipe I needed to try!  The dish titled Cornmeal Fried Catfish over Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Pickled Jalapeno Relish jumped right out at me.  Rather than being fried catfish with more fried stuff, this presented an almost-healthy alternative.  Sure, I would still bread and deep fry the catfish in peanut oil, but at least I didn't throw in sides French fries and hush puppies!  I assembled a group of friends at my buddy Bret's house to test out his remodeled kitchen.  A short while later, a memorable meal emerged!  The Lodge Cookbook provided the recipes for the black-eyed pea salad and jalapeno relish in addition to the catfish itself.  Both were very easy to create and extremely tasty.  The pickled jalapeno relish didn't overpower anything with spiciness and its sweetness made it an interesting garnish.  The black-eyed pea salad which sat underneath the catfish came out bright and full of flavor from the artichoke hearts and red bell pepper.  So the main thing I needed to master quickly became frying the fish!

The Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook and My Groceries at Calandro's Supermarket (Win a Cookbook at the bottom of this post!)

After a shopping trip to Calandro's Supermarket to pick up the key ingredients, I arrived at Bret's house and got to work.  The recipe for the catfish itself is what really piqued my curiosity.  It began with sprinkling the fillets with salt and pepper followed by a hefty dash of hot sauce.

Raw Catfish Fillets with Hot Sauce

After covering both sides with salt, pepper, and hot sauce and rubbing it over the fillets, the next step was to dredge the catfish in the dry batter.  The hot sauce helped the batter adhere to the catfish and create an excellent coating for a crispy fish.  This, however, was no ordinary fried fish batter.  It started with equal parts cornmeal and masa harina.  Masa harina is basically the fine corn flour that is used to make the dough for corn tortillas and tamales.  I had never used it before as a fish fry, but I'm sold now.  In addition to the cornmeal and masa harina, I added a decent shaking of Cajun seasoning and seasoned salt.  Then the fillets were tossed in the batter and prepared for their oily bath.

Catfish Fillets in the Cornmeal and Masa Harina Batter

 In a 12 inch Lodge Cast Iron skillet my peanut oil came up to temp at around 375 degrees.  I dropped in catfish fillets two at a time and fried them until they were golden brown.

Catfish Fillets Frying in Peanut Oil in a Lodge Cast Iron Skillet

To plate the dish I spooned a generous portion of the black-eyed pea salad on the middle of a plate.  I then topped the salad with a fresh catfish fillet.  On top of the fish rested a couple spoonfuls of the pickled jalapeno relish.  All in all, this dish really impressed me.  I think the catfish itself stole the show.  I might incorporate masa harina into frying batters much more often.  It delivered a light and crispy batter to the beautifully seasoned catfish.  If you're looking for masa harina, I know Calandro's Supermarket in Baton Rouge has it.  You can also find it at any Latin or Mexican specialty store.

Cornmeal Fried Catfish over Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Pickled Jalapeno Relish

GIVEAWAY:

Want your own copy of the Lodge Cast Iron Cookbook?  Leave a comment on this blog post about what your favorite things to cook in cast iron.  You can go big like a jambalaya in a 30 gallon pot or you could cook cornbread in an 8" skillet.  No matter what, just tell me what you like to cook in cast iron and make sure I can get in touch with you.  One lucky comment will be selected to receive a free copy of the book!