Trattoria Centrale offers breakfast on weekdays, but
Breakfast ’Za during Sunday brunch only. Photo by Brad Daly.

By Glenny Brock and Brad Daly

Pizza for breakfast is often inelegant. Even the finest pie can lose its piquancy after being stored overnight in cardboard next to desiccating lemon wedges and other odds and ends in your refrigerator.

Happily, the guys at Trattoria Centrale have a decidedly different approach to early morning pizza: They put an egg on it.

“The egg functions as the sauce,” says Geoff Lockert, co-owner of the downtown pizzeria. “Even on a breakfast pizza, we could use other things for the sauce, but we feel the egg creates a good bit of texture.”

Trattoria Centrale serves Breakfast ’Za ($3 per slice) at Sunday brunch only. Lockert’s partner Brian Somershield starts the pie with dough, then adds diced potatoes, scallions, bacon, sausage, mozzarella, Fontina and Pecorino Romano. Each serving is made to order: Somershield fries an egg as soon as a slice goes in the oven.

“On the pickup, we pull the pizza out and put the egg on it right when the yolk is nice and runny,” Lockert says. “We add a little salt and pepper, and that’s it.”

The result is nearly a religious experience. Once you’ve had Trattoria Centrale-style pizza for breakfast, cold leftovers just won’t cut it.

• • •

Trattoria Centrale

• 207 20th St. N., downtown [map]
• (205) 202-5612
• Trattoriacentrale.com
• Hours: 7:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 7:30 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday

• • •

Also:

• Bhamwiki: Trattoria Centrale
• Birmingham News: “Za Za Trattoria is now Trattoria Centrale”
• Anthro101’s review of Trattoria Centrale
• Pavo Magazine Q&A with Trattoria Centrale’s co-owners Geoff Lockert and Brian Somershield.

• • •

Writer Glenny Brock (@glennybrock) and photographer Brad Daly (@bwdaly) launched the Birmingham food blog Stay Hungry (@stayhungrybham) in June. He cooks, she writes, and they both eat, thoughtfully.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

The marinated slaw from Zoës Kitchen pairs
cabbage with feta. Photo by John-Bryan Hopkins.

By John-Bryan Hopkins

Nothing says Southern at a family get-together, potluck or cookout like a bowl of slaw sitting alongside deviled eggs and baked beans. Coleslaw seems to be a common thread that pulls these meals together.

(“Coleslaw” is an anglicization of the Dutch word koolsla, a shortening of koolsalade, meaning “cabbage salad.”)

Unfortunately, I’ve never been a fan, being more of a meat-and-potatoes guy when it comes to Southern food. (Side dishes are those “other things” littering the table.) The first thing that comes to mind is the milky, mushy, chopped cabbage/carrot concoction — usually too sweet for my taste.

That was until I stumbled upon the marinated slaw at Zoës Kitchen a couple of years ago. My opinions completely changed in a single bite. The fresh, thinly sliced white cabbage paired with feta cheese and a little olive oil makes for a wonderful combination.

Soon, slaw went from a rare side dish to a staple in the refrigerator. It is not uncommon to find me visiting the Birmingham-based chain to replenish my stockpile of quart-size containers ($6.95).

Choosing the right side dish can make or break a meal. I haven’t found many things that don’t go well with this slaw. Zoës’ version hits it out of the ballpark and onto my plate every time.

• • •

Zoës Kitchen

• Five locations in the Birmingham area
• Zoeskitchen.com

• • •

Also:

• Bhamdining.com capsule on Zoës Kitchen.
• Southern Foodways Alliance interview with Zoë Cassimus, co-founder of Zoës Kitchen.
• Magic City Mom review of Zoës Kitchen.
• Bhamwiki: Zoës Kitchen.

• • •

Birmingham’s John-Bryan Hopkins loves talking about food facts, their origins and, most of all, what food means to us.

His site/blog is Foodimentary (@Foodimentary).

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q serves chicken superior
to the other joints in Birmingham.
Photos by Jason Horn.

By Jason Horn

One barbecue rule we’ve found to be universal: The more anthropomorphic the pigs on the sign or in the restaurant, the better the food. Don’t laugh, it’s true.

Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q has shelves covered with dozens of pigs, doing all kinds of human activities. This red-roofed cathedral of smoked chicken sits just a couple blocks from the Summit shopping center, in the Cahaba Heights section of Vestavia Hills.

Inside, the place resembles all great barbecue joints: a little dingy, a little dark and featuring at least two photos of the legendary Bear.

But the food.

It’s chicken that makes Miss Myra’s the best in town. This restaurant’s version is five times smokier than anyone else’s, perfectly juicy and the reason Alabama white sauce was invented. (That’s a barbecue sauce based in mayonnaise, rather than tomato sauce.) A dark-meat plate ($6.25) consists of a leg and thigh, bread, a pickle and two side dishes.

Make sure to order a deviled egg for one side dish. They’re the absolute best we’ve ever had: nice and mustard-tangy but still creamy and dense.

And don’t forget a slice of home-style pie ($2.75). Four or five kinds are on display daily, from Key lime to coconut to a lemon meringue that’s a good 4 inches tall. All are delicious.

Key lime pie is one of the handful of varieties
available at Miss Myra’s every day.

• • •

Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q

• 3278 Cahaba Heights Road, Vestavia Hills [map]
• (205) 967-6004
• Missmyrasbbq.com
• Hours: 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday

• • •

Also:

• Reviews of Miss Myra’s Pit Bar-B-Q from Boston Globe | Gastronomy | Marie, Let’s Eat | Wall Street Journal.
• Birmingham News: recipe for Miss Myra’s white sauce.

• • •

Jason Horn (@messyepicure) is a Birmingham writer, sometime culinary student and big fan of zombie movies who blogs at The Messy Epicure.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Stock your pantry with the right ingredients by
exploring the Asian markets across Birmingham.
Photo by Jen Barnett.

By Jen Barnett

The Birmingham grocery-scape has become increasingly dotted with Asian, Latin and other ethnic markets. Foreign by nature for many of us, they can seem especially intimidating if you’re accustomed to today’s massive chain supermarkets, where products are mostly familiar and layouts are homogeneously streamlined to move you from buggies to produce to meat.

Why would you need to visit an Asian market anyway? After all, Publix has rice noodles and coconut milk.

But it carries only one brand of coconut milk, one kind of rice noodle. It’s like buying groceries at the gas station.

Plus, the convenience-store selection also carries convenience-store prices. Shopping at the Asian market can save you 20 percent or more on ingredients such as sticky rice, seaweed wraps and fish sauce.

(One caveat to newbies: Some markets have a unique fishy smell you might not be used to. Tolerable, maybe, but not always conducive to browsing.)

Asian recipes are often quick and easy, especially if you have ingredients on hand. We visited several Asian grocery stores across town and compiled this list of favorite markets to get you started.

Asian Super Market

• 3065 Lorna Road, Ste. D, Hoover [map]
• (205) 822-0140
• Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday
• Note: Very friendly owner who will answer any questions.

Super Oriental Market

• 243 West Valley Ave., Homewood [map]
• (205) 945-9558
• Superorientalmarket.com
• Hours: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday
• Note: Huge store with food plus gifts, cookware, appliances and the Red Pearl Restaurant.

Chai’s Oriental Food Store

• 2133 Seventh Ave. S., Southside [map]
• (205) 324-4873
• Hours: 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday
• Note: Nice people in a small shop next to Thai House, which is also recommended.

Asian Food Market

• 22 Green Springs Highway, Homewood [map]
• (205) 941-1009
• Hours: 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday
• Note: Small Korean restaurant next door with affordable prices and friendly owners.

• • •

Also:

• The Messy Epicure’s recipe for Sichuan-style braised eggplant.
• Okra Cola: “East meets South: The Korean-redneck dinner table.”

• • •

Jen Barnett is the managing editor of VisitSouth.com, a travel hub with tips on where to stay, what to do and where to eat in the South. Her favorite dish in Birmingham is her mom’s fresh veggie plate, but she didn’t bring enough for everyone, so she won’t mention it again.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Whether at the stadium or in your back yard,
bring a little Birmingham to your tailgate party.
Photo by Richelle Antipolo (CC).

By Sean Kelley

With college football season starting‚ it’s time to tailgate. Whether you’re headed to the Plains, tailgating in T-Town, cooking out in town or just gathering around the HD in your living room, serve a little Birmingham to your guests.

Meat: Nothing says class like steak at a tailgate party. But before you reach for the A1, consider dressing up your beef with Dale’s Seasoning, first bottled in Birmingham in 1946 and works on steak, hamburger and chicken.

Serving barbecue instead? Several Birmingham barbecue joints sell their sauces at the register or in supermarkets. Our favorite is Saw’s BBQ in Homewood, but you can also get sauce from Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q in Bessemer and Golden Rule Bar-B-Q, among others.

Chips and dip: Nothing says football in the South like Golden Flake. Seriously, the snack food company has sponsored everyone from the Bear to Gene Chizik. Plus, its potato chips have been a Birmingham tradition since 1923. And while Auburn and Alabama may no longer play in Magic City, Golden Flake still does.

And what better to accompany your chip than a dip that’s all Birmingham? Pick up a tub of Party Dip from Barber’s Dairy from the grocery store.

Side dish: While you’re at the market, grab a head of cabbage and a bottle of John’s Famous Angel Hair Slaw and Salad Dressing, created by Birmingham restaurateur John Proferis. Just be sure to slice your cabbage thin.

Dessert: Put out a bowl of Bud’s Best Cookies, a Birmingham tradition for more than 40 years. Or serve a treat from one of Birmingham’s distinctive bakeries. Pick up a dozen cupcakes from Urban Standard downtown or a tailgating party tray from Savage’s Bakery in Homewood, themed for your team.

Once you’ve done that, you’re ready for kickoff, Birmingham-style.

• • •

Also:

• The Bell Center Tailgate Challenge on Saturday
• Kick’n Chick’n Birmingham Wing Fest on Oct. 9 for Magic Moments

• • •

Sean Kelley (@seankelley) is a Birmingham health writer and food lover as well as writer, editor and online content manager for Everwell.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

At Max’s Delicatessen at the Colonnade, the regular Reuben
comes with corned beef and Russian dressing.
Photo by Brad Daly.

By Glenny Brock and Brad Daly

Taking inspiration from the great delis of Detroit and New York, Max’s Delicatessen at the Colonnade features more than 40 sandwiches. But the standout on the menu is the Reuben ($8.99), which comes with a pickle slice and choice of cole slaw, fresh fruit or potato salad.

The sandwich, always on rye, includes a combination of corned beef, sauerkraut and Swiss cheese. The difference is in the dressing: Some delis serve it with Thousand Island, others use Russian. Max’s is one of the latter, but with three variations. The regular Reuben comes with Russian dressing. The Russian Reuben features pastrami instead of corned beef.

And the Rachel is a smoked turkey sandwich dressed like a Reuben. (Max’s doesn’t offer the variation known as the Southern Reuben, one slathered in barbecue sauce.)

The massive sandwich has a range of piquant flavors: savory and mildly spicy meat, tart dressing and mellow rye. These tastes combine into something distinctive and delicious. Perhaps the only way the sandwich comes up short is by being too tall — unless you pull off some of the meat, it’s the kind of sandwich you have to eat with a knife and fork.

While the menu has a few vegetarian options, most of the setups are meant for meat-lovers. The three dozen non-Reuben sandwiches fall under the combination sandwiches, classic sandwiches or open faces. Other fare includes soups, salads, hamburgers and hot dogs.

• • •

Max’s Delicatessen

• The Colonnade, U.S. 280 and I-459 [map]
• (205) 968-7600
• Maxsdelionline.com
• Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. seven days a week

• • •

Also:

• Bhamdining.com mini-review of Max’s Delicatessen
• Birmingham News feature on Max’s Delicatessen

Video: In the kitchen at Max’s Delicatessen.

• • •

Writer Glenny Brock (@glennybrock) and photographer Brad Daly (@bwdaly) launched the Birmingham food blog Stay Hungry (@stayhungrybham) in June. He cooks, she writes, and they both eat, thoughtfully.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

The moussaka at Nabeel’s Café in Homewood
is comforting and authentic. Photos by Celeste Ward.

By Celeste Ward

Nabeel’s Café constantly bustles with happy patrons for a reason: The food is authentic, fresh and lip-smackingly delicious.

Upon stepping through the doors of the Homewood restaurant, you’re transported to a cozy cafe reminiscent of those in Europe. The atmosphere is casual, intimate and charming; the staff, equally wonderful. Even the private booths make the experience more enjoyable.

You’re sure to find something to suit your fancy on the extensive menu of Greek and Mediterranean fare. We were certainly smitten from the start.

The bruschetta was one of the highlights of our evening.

The Greek salad with grilled chicken tastes fresh and scrumptious.

For dinner, we started with the bruschetta ($7.95), without a doubt, the best we’ve ever had. Fried eggplant is the star of the dish, paired beautifully with the fresh basil, tomatoes, feta and roasted peppers from northern Greece. We also sipped on a refreshing glass of iced mint tea ($1.89).

The moussaka ($9.95) was fabulous! This eggplant-ground beef casserole tasted like a closely guarded family recipe. It comes with a small Greek salad on the side.

We also had an entree-size Greek salad topped with grilled chicken ($7.95), piled high with classic ingredients, including fresh pita wedges and the most amazing kalamata olives you’ll ever eat.

We ended with a little piece of heaven, the finest tiramisu ($4.95) around, pictured at left.

While there, don’t miss a visit to the adjoining market which has a plethora of the best international ingredients available.

• • •

Nabeel’s Café and Market

• 1706 Oxmoor Road, Homewood [map]
• (205) 879-9292
• Nabeels.com
• Hours: 10:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday (market open 8 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday).

• • •

Also:

• Southern Palate review of Nabeel’s Café.
• VisitSouth.com profile of Nabeel’s Café.
• Bhamdining.com mini-review of Nabeel’s Café.
• Birmingham Magazine profile of Nabeel’s Café.
• Birmingham News Q&A with Nabeel’s manager of special events, Maria Gambino.

• • •

Celeste Ward is a Birmingham blogger passionate about food and photography. Her food blog Sugar and Spice by Celeste, founded in 2007, has been featured on the Cooking Channel website and AL.com.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Finding the perfect summer tomato takes care, but the
reward can be mouthwatering. Photo by Ellen Riley.

By Shaun Chavis

Nothing tastes better than the perfect summer tomato. And nothing can be as disappointing as a faker. These three tomato experts shared their secrets for bringing the best ones home.

• Ellen Riley, manager of Oak Street Market in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village, sources tomatoes from small growers who ripen them for better flavor by keeping them on the vine longer. She says larger growers may get tomatoes to market faster, but that denies them the chance to develop goodness. Just because they’re red doesn’t mean they’re ripe.

Another problem with tomatoes from some larger growers are tough white cores. “That comes from too much fertilizer, not enough water and picking too early,” Riley says. Her advice: “Buy from people who will cut a tomato open and let you see inside.”

Riley’s favorite kind? The Amelia, a new variety with old-fashioned flavor.

• Rod Palmer of Owl’s Hollow farm, near Gadsden, is partial to sandwiches made with pineapple tomatoes, bulging yellow-and-red heirlooms. He sells tomatoes to 15 Birmingham-area restaurants and markets, including Southside’s Hot and Hot Fish Club, home of a great heirloom tomato salad. (Find them at Murphree’s Market and Garden Center in Cahaba Heights in Vestavia Hills, Homewood Farmer’s Market [pdf], Pepper Place Saturday Market in Lakeview and Urban Cookhouse in Homewood.)

• Donald and Kelly Warren of Greenwood Farms grow 20 varieties of tomatoes in their back yard in Homewood. Their favorite, the black plum tomato, goes on Pizza Margherita that Donald grills on his Big Green Egg. (Find them at Pepper Place Saturday Market in Lakeview.)

• • •

Also:

• Recipe for tomato tart.
• Gilchrist Drug Co. and the old South rarity, tomato aspic.

• • •

Shaun Chavis (@shaunchavis) is the co-founder of Birmingham’s Foodie Book Club, and a food journalist whose work has appeared in “Cornbread Nation 4: The Best of Southern Food Writing,” eGullet and Friends Journal. In the fall, she will teach a course on food and literature at Samford University’s Samford After Sundown.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

The patio at the Garage Cafe offers a setting
unlike any other. Photos by Eat Birmingham.

By Eat Birmingham

In the world of food, places are rated on food, service and atmosphere.

You can expect certain things every time you go to the Garage Cafe: a healthy collection of regulars, no shortage of places for your eye to land, a fully stocked bar, great bartenders and a cash-only policy. (You know this going in, so no complaining, especially with an ATM on site.)

Know that the food is sandwiches. You choose your bread, your meat, your cheese your toppings, and again, no complaining. We all go there because it’s like visiting another land in the middle of our city, and no one wants to hear your whining. The drinks are flowing and cold; the bar even has a nice selection of high-gravity beer.

The service is sassy, with one of our favorite servers being the 6-foot-9 bartender (we don’t recommend calling him sassy to his face).

You go to the Garage for off-the-charts atmosphere. From the motorcycle hanging above the front door to the collection of artifacts scattered around the open-air courtyard, you get the feeling that something really cool has been here, and it will be back.

Antiques, pots and assorted knickknacks fill the
nooks and crannies of the Garage’s courtyard.

• • •

The Garage Cafe

• 2304 10th Terrace S., Southside [map]
• (205) 322-3220
• Garagecafe.us
• Hours: 3 p.m.-2:15 a.m. Monday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 11 a.m.-3 a.m. Thursday-Friday, 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Saturday and 3 p.m.-2 a.m. Sunday

• • •

Also:

• Garage Cafe on Esquire’s list of the Best Bars in America.
• Chris Hastings of Hot and Hot Fish Club considering restaurant near Garage Cafe.

• • •

Eat Birmingham (@EatBHM) writes about eating in Birmingham and the relationships people have with food, because of food and around food on her site, Eat Birmingham.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

By Brian Heptinstall

Mention New Orleans, and many people think of Bourbon Street and the revelry that comes with it. For me, the city represents a never-ending search for the native foods that I crave so much.

On a 2005 trip just one month before Hurricane Katrina struck, I ventured with a friend into a restaurant in the French Quarter, where we ordered Blackened Voodoo Chicken made with Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager. I wish I had obtained the recipe from the chef, because the restaurant went out of business after Katrina.

I tried my best to re-create this dish soon after. But I ran into one fundamental problem every time: the flavor of the substitute beer just didn’t measure up to Dixie. Because the hurricane heavily damaged the Dixie Brewing Co. also, it made Voodoo even harder to find.

Nowadays, several breweries produce Dixie varieties under contract, while the Dixie Brewing works to resume operations in New Orleans. Shoppers can find the brand at most high-end supermarkets and at Cost Plus World Market on U.S. 280 near Best Buy.

• • •

Photo by Brian Heptinstall.

Blackened Voodoo Chicken

• Preparation time: 20 minutes
• Cooking time: 40 minutes
• Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, small dice
• 1/4 cup green bell pepper, small dice
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bottle Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager (available at Cost Plus World Market)
• 2 cans (12 ounces) stewed tomatoes, small dice (reserve the tomato juice)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (we use Tony Chachere’s)
• 1/2 cup butter, cut in 1/2-inch pieces and dusted with flour (beurre manié)
• Salt and pepper, as needed
• Hot sauce, as needed
• 4 cups cooked white rice (follow instructions on bag)

In a medium sauce pan over high heat, sear chicken, onions and bell pepper in the olive oil. When chicken is cooked, add in the garlic and sweat for about 1 minute, then add beer to deglaze. Let the alcohol cook off (about 2 minutes), then add tomatoes and tomato juice. Bring to a boil.

After a boil has been reached, turn heat down to a simmer and add in bay leaves and Creole seasoning. Allow liquids to reduce by half, about 30 minutes.

After reduction, turn off heat and add in butter dusted with flour, stirring until butter has melted. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference; adding any hot sauce should be done at the end.

Serve over bed of rice, or mix in rice to let it soak up the goodness. Leftovers should be refrigerated immediately and will keep for up to 5 days.

• • •

Other recipes using Dixie Blackened Voodoo Lager:

• New Orleans Voodoo Jambalaya
• Voodoo Cheese Fondue
• Voodoo Barbecue Sauce

• • •

Gadsden native Brian Heptinstall (@bheptin) writes the AL.com blog Food and Farce and produces how-to videos featuring his favorite foods from Walt Disney World on A Taste of Disney. A classically trained chef, he has worked in several top kitchens including Mar-A-Lago, the Four Seasons, Il Cioppino Italian Restaurant and the PGA Resort and Spa.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Connie Blalock, left, and Paula Hunt Hughes.
Photo by Shaun Chavis.

By Shaun Chavis

Good home cooks fill our tummies and make meals memorable. They serve as stewards of local cuisine and culture.

Not only are these three women excellent home cooks, but they are also people who make an impact on foodways in Birmingham and across Alabama, creating food loved by many.

• Connie Blalock compiles cookbooks for Alagasco, 10 so far, filled with recipes from Alabama chefs and amateurs. (Many recipes appear on inserts in the utility’s billing statements.) “Once, we tried to take those recipes out; we thought people didn’t use them,” she says. “The phones rang off the hook!” The Bluff Park resident uses jalapeños often in her cooking, as in Cedar-Plank Salmon with Cilantro Pesto (recipe below).

• Paula Hunt Hughes loves baking cookies for friends. But she says her God-given passion is feeding Birmingham’s homeless. On Thursdays, she cooks enough meals at her South East Lake home to feed breakfast to 75 people in Linn Park downtown. (They love her sausage-cheese muffins, a recipe found on her food blog, Let’s Eat.) Later this year, she and her friend Lisa Latham plan to open Grace’s Kitchen, a pay-as-you-can restaurant. “We want to serve people with dignity and create a sense of community,” Hughes says.

• For Helen McEwen, selling packaged grits and fresh eggs is the family business at McEwen and Sons. The company plans to sell locally raised grass-fed beef in Birmingham soon. “Alabama’s got to be able to feed itself,” said McEwen, an advocate of local food. At home in Wilsonville, her husband Frank grows the produce she uses not only for family meals but also her fabled dinner parties. Her secret? “Start impressive, end impressive!”

• • •

Cedar Plank-Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Pesto
(adapted from an Alagasco recipe)

• Preparation time: 10 minutes, plus time to prepare grill and planks
• Cooking time: 8 to 12 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional for salmon
• 1 cup packed cilantro leaves and smaller stems
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/4 cup pepitas or pumpkin seeds, lightly toasted
• Juice of 1/2 lime (or more to taste)
• Minced jalapeño (to taste; start with half a pepper)
• Salt, to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon)
• Ground black pepper, to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon)
• Four 4-ounce salmon filets

Also:

• Cedar planks

Preheat grill; use indirect heat, keeping temperature at 350 degrees or lower. Prepare cedar planks according to the package directions.

Blend olive oil, cilantro, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a blender until completely smooth. Stir in lime juice and minced jalapeño. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Transfer cilantro pesto to an airtight container; store in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Brush salmon filets with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place salmon on planks, place planks on grill and close lid, turning it into a smoker. Cook until salmon reaches desired doneness. (Generally, allow 4 to 6 minutes for each 1/2 inch of thickness.) Remove salmon from the planks with a spatula.

Using tongs, plunge planks into a bucket of cold water. (They could be re-used, but check package directions.)

Serve salmon filets with cilantro pesto sauce.

• • •

Who’s your favorite home cook, and why? Tell us in the comments below.

• • •

Shaun Chavis (@shaunchavis) is the co-founder of Birmingham’s Foodie Book Club, and a food journalist whose work has appeared in “Cornbread Nation 4: The Best of Southern Food Writing,” eGullet and Friends Journal. In the fall, she will teach a course on food and literature at Samford University’s Samford After Sundown.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

By Elisa Muñoz

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto is my go-to recipe.

This easy meal impresses every time, with its powerful punch of flavors and textures from the breaded chicken and the spicy/sweet pesto. (The pesto can be made ahead to make things easier.) It’s also incredibly filling and satisfying.

The abundance of basil and spicy arugula makes this a great summertime dish. Add a bit of red wine, some crusty French bread, along with an interesting dining partner and good tunes for a terrific evening.

• • •

Panko-crusted chicken with arugula-basil pesto

• Preparation time: 30 minutes
• Cooking time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 2

Ingredients

For pesto:

• 1 cup fresh arugula (we used Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1 cup fresh basil (also Jones Valley Urban Farm)
• 1/3 cup pine nuts (toast for 2 minutes in the oven)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

For chicken:

• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Salt, pepper, basil, oregano to taste
• 1/4 cup oil (we used canola)

Optional:

• Pasta

For garnish:

• 1 cup arugula
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Pesto: Combine arugula, basil, pine nuts and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until chunky and combined. Slowly add olive oil while processor is running until everything is combined, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice and pulse three to four more times until it is incorporated. (Unused pesto can be kept in the freezer or the refrigerator for later use.)

Chicken: Using a meat mallet, pound the meat to about 1/4-inch thick. (Instead, we covered the chicken with wax paper and slammed a heavy skillet against them.) Whisk the egg in a bowl and set aside. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and seasonings on a plate or shallow bowl, mixing well. Dredge chicken breasts in egg, then the breadcrumb mixture, coating thoroughly. Heat a skillet to medium and warm oil until water pops in it. Carefully lower the chicken into the skillet. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes, until fully cooked.

Suggestion: Cook two servings of pasta (we used penne). Drain. Add 2 tablespoons pesto, stirring to cover pasta. On a plate, pile half the arugula, half the pasta and a chicken breast, then top with some Parmesan; repeat for second plate.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Bargain Mom’s list of area farmers’ markets, plus bonus list.
• Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners’ list of area farmers’ markets.

• • •

Elisa Muñoz is an avid cyclist and a food activist. In addition to founding and helping run the Bici Bicycle Cooperative, she is the program coordinator for Greater Birmingham Community Food Partners. Her thoughts on cycling and life in Birmingham can be found on Bike Skirt (@bikeskirt), a blog she co-writes.
• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Crawfish étouffée on white cheddar-Parmesan grits
at Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook. Photo by
Virginia Jones, Birmingham Daily Photo.

By Deborah Lockridge

During a recent morning meeting at an Atlanta hotel, I watched a colleague from the Southwest slurp up the grits from the breakfast bar with relish. Looking at the thin, pale, watery gruel, I told him to come to Birmingham to enjoy some real grits.

Here, after all, is where this Missouri-bred girl learned to love grits. It started with the decadent baked grits appetizer at Highlands Bar and Grill on Southside. I learned how to cook grits at home, and I discovered McEwen and Sons’ stone-ground grits, which I now ship to out-of-state grits lovers.

Many local restaurants serve up dinner-worthy grits dishes, but Dyron’s Lowcountry in Mountain Brook has gone far beyond, featuring five grits bar selections on its menu ($9 to $16 for lunch, $14 to $24 for dinner).

Dyron’s version of classic Southern shrimp and grits includes fresh Gulf shrimp, applewood-smoked bacon, garlic and lemon. The crab cake sits atop roasted grits with beurre blanc, while the buttermilk fried chicken rests on roasted red pepper grits. And let’s not forget the slow-braised pork cheeks on blue cheese grits.

My favorite is the Creole-style crawfish étouffée with andouille sausage, both on white cheddar-Parmesan grits.

Diners can enjoy plenty more at Dyron’s. Favorites include West Indies salad ($14), house smoked trout ($13) and Peace Maker Po’Boy with oysters ($10).

For more, see the extended post on Bhamdining.com.

• • •

Dyron’s Lowcountry

• 121 Oak St., Mountain Brook [map]
• (205) 834-8257
• Dyronslowcountry.com
• Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday

• • •

Also:

• Ham-Wrapped Fried Oysters, recipe from Dyron’s Lowcountry executive chef Phillip Baio.
• Birmingham News Q&A with owner Dyron Powell

• • •

Deborah Lockridge (@DLinBham) is a freelance writer and editor who founded Bhamdining.com (with husband Evan) to offer an independent source of information on local restaurants, back before anyone had heard of blogs or social networking.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

Organic Harvest in Hoover has the best selection
of gluten-free groceries in the Birmingham area.
Photos by Sean Kelley.

By Sean Kelley

Finding gluten-free alternatives to breads and pastas hasn’t always been easy for Birmingham residents with celiac disease or wheat allergies. When our son was diagnosed in 2008 with a wheat allergy, we struggled to find gluten-free options, making most of his baked goods from scratch.

But going gluten-free in the Magic City is finally becoming easier.

Area supermarkets carry some gluten-free packaged and frozen foods as well as gluten-free flours and baking mixes from Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s Products. Often, we buy our pancake and bread mixes at Publix and rice noodles from Walmart.

For a better selection, we visit Whole Foods in Mountain Brook, which has its own selection under its Gluten-Free Bakehouse label. We also shop at two locally owned stores: Golden Temple in Five Points South and Hoover, for rice bread in the freezer and baking mixes on the shelves; and Organic Harvest in Hoover, with the most extensive line of products, including cereals, cookies and breads.

Gluten-free mixes for baked goods fill the shelves
at Organic Harvest.

Organic Harvest also offers gluten-free wraps in its cafe, one of a few restaurants with true alternatives. Several chains in town do offer gluten-free menus, such as Firebirds, Mellow Mushroom and P.F. Chang’s.

Mellow Mushroom offers a gluten-free crust on its menu.

We took our son to Mellow Mushroom’s Southside location recently for a Hawaiian pizza. The restaurant began offering a gluten-free crust this year.

“We’re all eating the same pizza,” he remarked.

For a kid who often doesn’t get to eat the same food as everyone else, having another option was quite a treat.

Have a gluten-free favorite in the Birmingham area? Share it in the comments below.

• • •

Also:

• Birmingham Celiac Disease Support Group
• Urbanspoon’s list of gluten-free restaurants in Birmingham.

• • •

Sean Kelley (@seankelley) is a Birmingham health writer and food lover as well as writer, editor and online content manager for Everwell.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!

By Celeste Ward

Before Giada, Ina, Paula or Emeril came along, one original stood out: Julia Child.

Her wit, her charm and that unmistakable voice: She was truly a force in the kitchen. In celebration of her 98th birthday today, we present one of Child’s most beloved recipes, Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream. Caution: You might find yourself unabashedly licking the sauce off your plate!

She taught me to never give up, no matter how difficult the recipe — or life in general — seems. While watching her TV show, “The French Chef” [aff. link], you can’t help but smile. Those early episodes aired unedited, so viewers witnessed a down-to-earth, endearing chef, mistakes and all! So many watching fell in love with her charming demeanor.

Video: Julia Child shows how to make an omelette
on an episode of “The French Chef.”

Child discovered herself and her love for cooking in Paris. The food, people, culture and joie de vivre completely enamored me on my first visit and continues to influence my cooking.

In her memoir, “My Life in France” [aff. link], she quoted one of her teachers, chef Max Bugnard. It reminds me of why I love to cook.

“You never forget a beautiful thing that you have made … Even after you eat it, it stays with you, always.”

• • •

Let’s celebrate Julia Child’s birthday with one of her
most incredible dishes, Chicken with Mushrooms and Cream.
Photo by Celeste Ward

Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream
(Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons)
(from “Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I” [aff. link],
by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck)

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 supremes (boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Big pinch white pepper
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1/4 lb. diced or sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon
• 1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth
• 1 cup whipping cream
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice (save some for the sauce), and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat butter in a heavy, 10-inch oven-proof casserole, until foaming. Stir in minced shallots, and sauté a moment without browning. Stir in the mushrooms, and sauté lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt.

Quickly roll chicken breasts in butter mixture, and lay a sheet of buttered wax paper over them, then cover casserole and place in hot oven. After 6 minutes, touch top of chicken. If still soft, return to oven for a moment. The meat is done when springy to the touch.

(Note: Although Child suggests to check the chicken after only 6 minutes, I cooked it for 30 to 40 minutes to ensure safety. Use a meat thermometer to check for correct temperature before serving.)

Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave mushrooms in the pot), and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).

Sauce: Pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms. Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy. Stir in the cream, and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

• • •

Also:

• Profile of Julia Child by Vanity Fair contributing editor and Birmingham native Laura Jacobs.
• Birmingham’s Plain Chicken tries Julia Child’s quiche recipe.
• Playing host to Julia Child in 1973 in Birmingham.
• Cooking Channel celebrates Child’s birthday all week, with a featured photo from Celeste Ward.

• • •

Celeste Ward is a Birmingham blogger passionate about food and photography. Her food blog Sugar and Spice by Celeste, founded in 2007, has been featured on the Cooking Channel website and AL.com.

• • •

Hungry for more? Check out the menu of Birmingham’s Best Eats!