Peanut Butter Cookies (and Gluten Free to boot)

Big Mary has a confession.  I have not always been the most sympathetic chef to guests claiming allergies or other types of food restrictions.  Though I admit to being a born cynic, there's just been too many events where I saw the Kosher clients decimating the caviar station.  Had I been gifted with that proverbial nickel, I'd have a paid off my mortgage from all of the faux allergies that were really just masks for foods a client doesn't enjoy... cilantro, cumin, anchovies, grapefruit, etc...etc...etc...........


But the reality is, there's too many people with real allergies, with life altering consequences, for Big Mary to indulge in said cynicism.  I can't imagine the stress from any Mom who's child could stop breathing from a brush with a walnut.  And I've also known a few friends who describe an unenviable hell after consuming a perfect slice of sourdough.  That got my attention.  Life without baguette?  Say it ain't so!

So, for the last few years, I've been on the lookout for gluten free options for our buddy and Clay Diva, Ellen.  As this year's birthday arrived, her angels aligned, and tossed a recipe across my laptop for Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies.  It was at saveur.com, a website that usually makes me want to head for the kitchen.  I happily fell for the bait and am excited to report that somewhere between my momentarily motherly instinct and culinary research I discovered my new favorite peanut butter cookie.

I upped the spices a twitch, 'cause that's who I am. But I send major kudos to the creator of this recipe, Judy Haubert's pastry chef friend Lindsay.  I love most that it's a recipe which fits our friend's gluten free requirements, without using any obscure ingredients.  Arrecha! (Bravo!) as the handsome Venezuelan proclaims...
See if it doesn't beat your go-to PB Cookie!

 
Peanut Butter Cookies (Gluten Free) 
Makes 4 - 5 dozen

Ingredients

16 oz. Jif brand creamy peanut butter*
1 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg (freshly ground)
¾  teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup (approximately) demerara sugar  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350° with racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two rimmed baking sheets with non stick Silpat mats or parchment paper and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl cream together peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon until thoroughly combined.

2. Place demerara sugar in a small bowl. Form peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls (approximately a Tablespoon of cookie dough) and roll in demerara sugar, coating lightly. Place balls 2-3 inches apart on prepared baking trays and flatten with the tines of a fork in a perpendicular cross-hatch pattern, if desired.

3. Bake 10-12 minutes (rotating and turning at 6 minutes) until puffed and lightly brown. Allow to cool 10-15 minutes on trays to set before removing.

*The original recipe strongly suggested Jif brand.  Not sure why.  I plan to experiment.  Jif does make a “natural” peanut butter with less sugar that doesn’t separate.

Peach Poor Man's Pie - or cherry, or apricot ...


Should you peek in my kitchen cupboards, and I know you want to... you will always find a large can of sliced peaches.  You might also find a large jar of pitted tart cherries.  There's one simple explanation.  Mom Magel's Po' Man's Pie.  Armed with this canned fruit, a few other staples that are routinely stocked in my pantry and 75 minutes, and I am always at the ready to whip up a last minute dessert sure to impress surprise dinner guests or just satisfy a childhood sweet tooth craving.  I also enjoy remembering Ma when I make it.

This recipe is one of the few from Mom Magel that I proudly brag on, and make with amazing repetition and consistency.  It's just that good, and if possible, even easier to make than it is delicious.   Nah, who am I kidding?  It's more delicious!  But it is crazy easy.  One of the few recipes I have in my head at the ready to mix together. It might also have been memorized because of the many times I've written it out for someone after serving it.

When I Googled Poor Man's Pie I learned the more traditional recipe is even humbler than Mom Magel's.  Most recipes are merely a combo of equal parts sugar (brown & white mixed) and flour with a pinch of salt, placed in the bottom of an unbaked pie shell.  Drizzle this with a can of evaporated milk, don't stir, add a few bits of butter, and bake it off in the oven.  One recipe even substituted water for the evaporated milk, creating what might be called Dirt Poor Man's Pie.These recipes seems to date from the Great Depression.  Mom Magel's dates from a bridge club luncheon in the 1960's.

Her Po' Man's Pie lies somewhere between a cobbler and a clafoutis.  Not as dense with fruit as a crisp, but once you've tried the buttery cake and crisp chewy edges it bakes into, you wouldn't want any additional peach competing for your attention. My research did pull up some fruited versions similar to this one.  Interestingly they often have you add the canned fruit WITH the syrup.  I don't honestly know if her version originally had the syrup used as well, and hopefully I have a little more time here on earth before I get the chance to ask Ma, but it seems to me that it would come out achingly sweet.  Besides, this recipe is so NOT BROKE, that I'd be tempted to slap anyone trying to fix it.

I offer you here a Peach and Berry version that is my personal gilding of the lily.  Mom almost always used only peaches.  Her recipe calls for a large can of peaches, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the size of a large can of peaches has shrunk in the 40 some years since she first made the recipe.  With just 29 oz of peaches, the recipe seems to me just a half step from perfection.  That's why I started to add the berries, that I always seemed to have a bit of in my freezer (add them to the pie directly from the freezer. You could of course just add more peaches. For the record, this recipe also works perfectly with fresh or frozen peaches substituted for canned. Just toss them lightly with sugar before adding to the dish.  My personal favorite version of Poor Man's Pie is made with fresh or frozen red tart cherries (sprinkle these heavily with sugar).  Alas, these are something almost never seen here in Brooklyn.  But the Polish and Russian markets DO have jarred tart cherries that I have happily deployed to the baking dish.

Peach Poor Man's Pie

4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla extract (or almond extract)
1 29oz can sliced peaches in syrup - drained
1/2 pint blackberries, red raspberries or blueberries

Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut butter into 4 pieces and place in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish.  Preferably oven proof glass, ceramic or CorningWare.  Place butter in the baking dish and put dish in the oven as it preheats.  Remove baking dish when the butter is melted.
Meanwhile combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium mixing bowl  Whisk to combine.  Add milk and vanilla extract.  Stir until a smooth batter is formed.  Drizzle batter loosely over the melted butter in the baking dish.  Drop peaches over the batter, distributing evenly.  Scatter the berries evenly over the pan.
Bake for 50 - 60 minutes.  The "pie" should be evenly brown and slightly darker around the edges.
Allow to cool slightly and serve warm with ice cream.
I hope you enjoy this one soon!  There may not be another recipe closer to my heart.  Treat some lucky dinner guests to this piece of heaven this weekend.  And if no one asks for the recipe... ?
Get some better friends!

Big Mary's Granola

I've never been much of a cereal person.  Even as a kid.  In fact I was a little bit infamous for talking my Mom into purchasing whatever cereal had the most tempting prize hidden deep among the flakes, crisps or crunchies... promising that for sure this time I'd eat the cereal...and then never touching the box again.  It wasn't that I meant to be wasteful.  I'd been graphically informed about the starving children in Africa, India and Bangladesh, and would have happily sent each and every box off to them, sans mystery secret code ring of course.  It was just that come breakfast time I could always think of so many other things I'd rather consume.  And I was never such a big fan of milk.  As I'm writing this I realize the greater issue may have been that I was spoiled and beloved by the lovely woman known as Mom, and was never sat down in front of a big bowl of Sugar Pops and however forcefully made to be true to my word.

And in later life, I've learned I'm also not so much of an oatmeal person.  Inspired by a growing legion of faithful oatmeal breakfasters in my culinary circle, and their nutritionally superior pride in product... I picked up some steel cut, Irish, whole grain, slow cooking, multivitamin laden, organic, boutique market driven Oatmeal.  And it was delicious.  Especially delicious when gilded with sweet butter, dried fruit, maple syrup and maybe a drizzle of half and half (to cut the richness as my Mom might have said).  I learned that I had missed the point.  And honestly, with just a spoonful of honey and some berries... that bowl of oatmeal just wasn't doing it for me.  So I returned to my egg beaters and English Muffin and was left with the better part of a box of morally superior oatmeal on my shelf.

Just days before I was ready to succumb to a rainy day oatmeal raisin cookie intensive, I happened upon a recipe for homemade granola.  And who knew?  I do like granola, especially when it's my version.  Or maybe I mean any good indulgent version.  I won't make any claims that this recipe is low fat, healthy, diet friendly or virtuous in any way, though it may flirt with some of those attributes.  I will claim that its delicious and allude to potentially addictive.  The handsome Venezuelan and I really enjoy this over Greek Yogurt with a honey drizzle!

I've written this recipe so that you can tailor it to your own tastes and pantry.  For the "wet sugar" you may use agave nectar (my 1st choice), honey, maple syrup or corn syrup (the latter not my recommendation, but its up to you).  For the nuts, seeds and dried fruit, use what you love or what you have on hand.  For the version in the photos I used cashews, sliced almonds, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and golden raisins.  I can also recommend using pecans, walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, dried apricots (chopped), dried cherries, dried apples, and currants.  You could also switch out vanilla extract for maple flavoring or almond extract if you wish.  Replace the cinnamon with pumpkin pie spice mix or garam masala... you get the idea.  The important ratios to keep constant are the amount of oats, sugars, oil and fruit/nuts.  I've also noticed that if you are making granola on a humid or rainy day, you may want to turn off the oven and let the finished granola rest inside with the oven door propped open for an additional 5 minutes or so.

Big Mary's Granola


2 Cups Oats - Not instant or quick cooking
1 Tablespoon Water
1 – 1 ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon Salt
2 – 4 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
¼ Cup Wet Sugar - such as agave nectar, honey, maple syrup, etc.
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 ½ Cups combined raw nuts, dried fruit, seeds - reserve nuts & seeds separate from dried fruit


Preheat oven to 325*.
Toss together oats, water, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.
Whisk together sugar, oil, wet sugar & vanilla in a separate bowl.  Toss together with the oat mixture, leaving a Tablespoon or two for the nuts and seeds.
Scatter oat mixture loosely over a parchment lined (or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick spray) approximately 12 x 17 baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.


Toss raw nuts and seeds with reserved sugar mix and add to sheet pan, toss and bake for an additional 12 - 13 minutes.  Spin pan back to front when returning to oven.


Remove from oven and add dried fruit.  Cool and store in air tight container.


Note - If you want to double this recipe, be sure to use two pans.  It's important to not crowd the granola on the baking sheet.  Also, if doubling the recipe.  Make sure to rotate pans when you add the nuts mixture.

Text and Recipe by Edward Magel

Photos by Edward Magel & Yder Leon Laya
Copyright 2011 ©  Big Mary's Kitchen

Crispy Eggplant Parmesan-Caprese Salad

I have garden envy.  It's one of those conditions one learns to live with; sublimated by early Saturday strolls through a Farmer's Market. Or transferred in some form of shopper's pride to an overflowing grocery cart of exotic produce from faraway lands. It overwhelms me at least twice a year.  February and March are often the toughest times as my mailbox begins to plump with seed catalogues that laugh right out loud at my shade infested Pocono garden.  They'll be no tomatoes here mon frere.  No worries of a zucchini glut in this August plot. Hosta pesto?  Just not an option.

Late summer, as you might surmise, is the other rough patch for my frustratingly dirt free green thumb.  My soul just knows it's way past time to be putting up bread & butter pickles, canning tomato sauce for winter feasts, or jamming, conserving and "chutneying" all sorts of stone fruits and summer berries.  Though it's true, I never let the season go by without filling up a few shelves with canned treasures.  But it's without the connection that the gardener gets from weeks of weeding, watering, fertilizing, coaxing, supporting and cajoling from sprout to flower to fruit. Totally lacking the parental pride of color, girth and scent.  Ah well, Big Mary must remain content with the flourish of magnificent herbs that continue to scent my windowsill garden.  That and the few prodigious basil plants that I've managed to situate in the 4 sunny microclimates of my dark and moody property.

More than any other home grown treat, freshly picked ripe tomatoes are what I find myself envying the loudest. Never mind that I was raised on tinned green beans, frozen broccoli, and Ragu from a jar.  Come June my otherwise food neutral Dad, would occasionally arrive from work with one of his summer farm stand trinity, Strawberries, Fresh Corn, or Fragrant Muskmelon (the Midwest's version of Cantaloupe). However tomatoes, though bountiful on the Ohio country road stands, were always snapped fresh from one of his heavy bearing plants by the side of the house.  Dad grew two things with pride, Roses and Tomatoes.  That was it.  Back then they were best enjoyed in thick cold slabs with a sprinkle of salt or sandwiched between crisp bacon, lettuce and Miracle Whip.  And I grew up spoiled by the opportunity to be sick and tired of sweet, red tomatoes by the end of every September until I left for college.

So that's why I grumble just a touch as I hand over $2 per tomato at the farmer's market.  But my how the tomato has exploded since those days deciding between Early Girl, Big Boy or Beefsteak!  Back in the day, a yellow tomato was about as exotic as it got.  This summer, even the smallest of markets were plump with Brandywines, Mr. Stripey's, Mortgage Lifters, Cherokee Blacks and multi hued Plum, Cherry and Currant tomatoes too.  So Big Mary may be a bit conflicted, but certainly not deprived by any tomato bounty.

This recipe came about after a typical over purchase at the farmer's market, when everything just looked to good to pass by.  It actually combines two of my summer standards, Caprese Salad and Crisp Oven Fried Eggplant.  Like the old commercial about Peanut Butter and Chocolate, it was bound to happen.

I'm not giving you a totally written out recipe for this because it's really just about putting it together.  I'll just give you the details for cooking the eggplant and reducing the balsamic vinegar. You can serve this to as many or as few friends and family as you wish.  It can be a great veg lunch or light dinner. It could also be reconfigured as a buffet platter.

Crispy Egglant Parmesan-Caprese Salad        

Eggplant - Preferably a    thinner one, not bulbous. 
Panko Bread Crumbs.

Grated Parmesan Cheese.

Whole Eggs, Egg Beaters or other Pasturized Egg White Product.

Olive Oil.

Aerosol Oil Spray (Pam, etc).

Fresh Tomatoes - sliced thin.

Fresh Mozzarella - sliced thin.

Basil Leaves - cut in chiffonade.

Marjoram Leaves - chopped or left whole if small.

Reduced Balsamic Vinegar.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Sea Salt & Freshly ground Pepper.

To Reduce Balsamic Vinegar - This is the time to use a bargain brand from the large package store.  Pour balsamic vinegar in a small saute pan.  Over medium high heat, bring to a boil.  Lower heat and simmer until reduced by about 75%.  This will probably take from 12 - 20 minutes.  Remember the reduced vinegar will be slightly thicker when room temperature. Remove from heat and cool.  Place in an air tight container or bottle and keep refrigerated.  Will keep for months and months.

To Make Crispy Eggplant - Preheat oven to 425*.  Place panko crumbs in a sealed plastic bag and using a mallet or bottom of a pan, crush them slightly.  Transfer to a shallow dish and stir in 25% parmesan cheese.  Meaning if you have 1 cup of crumbs add 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.  Whisk eggs (or egg product) with a splash of water, salt & pepper, and put in another shallow bowl. Peel or partially "stripe" peel eggplant if you wish.  Slice the eggplant into 1/2" thick discs.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a baking sheet.  Brush the foil lightly with olive oil.

Dip an eggplant slice in the egg mixture and then transfer to the panko crumbs. Flip and press well, getting as much crumb mixture as possible to stick to the eggplant.  Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining eggplant.  Spray tops of breaded eggplant with oil spray.  Place baking sheet in preheated oven and cook for 14-18 minutes, until dark golden brown.  It's a good idea to rotate the pan about 10 minutes into the cooking.

To assemble the dish - Place 1 or 2 crispy eggplant slices in center of the plate, (still warm from the oven is heavenly). Season with Salt and Pepper and drizzle lightly with reduced Balsamic. Add sliced tomatoes and mozzarella, alternating and seasoning each layer with salt.  Finish with a small disc of eggplant.  Drizzle entire salad with some Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic reduction.  Finish with herbs.

Obviously you can enjoy this eggplant on it's own.  Serve it with fresh lemon wedges, maybe a crumble of feta cheese.  And as for Caprese Salad, let's face it.  We've only got a few more weeks to enjoy the real thing.  Be it Heirloom, Beefsteak or Plum ... enjoy this summer's bounty till it's gone.

Copyright  © 2011 Big Mary's Kitchen

All copy by Edward Magel

Photos by Yder Leon Laya

Vegetarian Chile Rellenos

I do believe that I am of a generation where almost all of my cohorts in Life have at one time or another felt the desire, need or duty to try vegetarianism.  For Big Mary it was the summer of 1974, when through some sort of cosmic hiccough I was awarded a 1 semester scholarship in modern dance.  Now understand, I was no stranger to a show tune by this time, but I had neither the physique nor the inclination to persue such close contact with leotard & tights ... not to mention a dance belt. 

Nevertheless the gods of chance decided it would be too much fun to resist, and so it was that my path crossed that of Margit Heskitt, a lunatic and questionably talented choreographer who was down to her last 24 hours to fill a spot in Bowling Green State University's Summer Arts Festival.  A quick handwritten note to the registrar and before I knew it, I was lunging and stag leaping with real "honest to god" artistes. Or so it seemed to this freshly hatched high school graduate.

Desperate to fit in on some level,  I found the holy trinity of coffee, cigarettes and vegetarianism was going to be a much more successful bonding experience, than graceful jetes or a perfect 5th position.  And so it was that I learned to drink my coffee black, switch to low tar cigarettes and substitute veggie burgers for beef.  I will spare the reader any further details of that less than graceful summer.  My pas de deux with Modern Dance is best remembered with the haze of these 30+ years.  These days I am happily free of nicotine and unreliant on caffeine, but I do still enjoy meat free cuisine on a regular basis.

Goddess knows there are plenty of reasons for us all to consider vegetarian options when it comes to planning a weekly meal plan.  There's cholesterol, there's methane gas, there's the horrors of the industrial farming of animals, there's the inefficiency of grain to flesh protein ration, it's a karmic and social dilemma.  For Big Mary, the most persuasive point is that sometimes I just get so weary of chicken, beef or pork.  Seafood always tempts, until I see the price tag.  And there's only so much disguising one can do with tilapia or swai.......

So lately, I've been having a lot of fun with grains, tofu, seeds and nuts; and most all of the experiments have been succinctly praised and enjoyed by the Handsome Venezuelan and I.  Here follows one such recipe. 

Vegetarian Chiles Rellenos

½ cup brown rice, raw

4 large Poblano peppers

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, 1/4 inch dice (1 cup)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

¾ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped *

8 oz extra firm tofu, small dice

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 Tablespoon canned chipotle chiles en adobo, finely chopped

¾ teaspoon salt

6 oz mixed vegetable juice (like V-8)

4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

2 oz cheddar cheese, shredded

1/3 cup Mexican crema** (or substitute sour cream)

Bring about a quart of lightly salted water to a boil. Add brown rice, lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain rice and return it to the pan, cover, and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 475*. Lightly rub poblanos with vegetable oil. Place on foil lined baking sheet and roast until skins begin to darken and blister. Approximately 10 minutes. Remove from oven and gather foil to completely enclose poblanos. Set aside to cool. When cool, carefully remove as much skin as possible from poblanos. Make a lengthwise cut on each poblano starting at stem end. Remove all seeds, while keeping the pepper as intact as possible. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a medium sauté pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft and add cumin, chipotle and salt. Add V8 juice and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 375*. Combine rice, walnuts, onion mix, tofu and 4 oz cheddar cheese. Gently fill the 4 poblano peppers. Place peppers into a lightly oiled baking dish that holds them fairly tight. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining 2 oz shredded cheddar. Return to oven for an additional 7 - 10 minutes.

Serve with Avocado Tomatillo Salsa and drizzle with Mexican crema.* to toast walnut, place nut meats on a baking sheet in an oven preheated to 375 degrees.  Toast for 5-7 minutes, until nuts just begin to darken and are aromatic.  Set aside to cool.

** Mexican crema is often available in the dairy secion with Latin American cheeses

Tomatillo Avocado Salsa

1 pound Tomatillos, husked

3 medium garlic cloves

1 medium jalapeno

1 med/large onion (12-14 oz), peeled and quartered

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ large Haas Avocado, ripe

¼ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed

Put all tomatillos, garlic, jalapeno and onion in a medium pan. Add water to cover, and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until tomatillos change color to a duller green. Remove from heat, drain, seperate jalapeno and transfer to a blender container. Cut stem from jalapeno and add to blender. Add salt and pulse until mixture is a rough puree. Chill in blender container for 30 minutes.

Add half avocado and cilantro and pulse until smooth. Serve room temperature.

You should know that this Tomatillo Sauce is crazy delicious, not only on these peppers, but chicken, pork, hell even Tilapia!

Text and recipe - Edward Magel
Photos - Yder Leon Laya

© 2011 Big Mary's Kitchen

Spicy Chocolate Relief from an Italian Heat Wave

Chipotle Spiced Brownies

One of the techniques I've recently been employing to buy some relief from the summer heat of 2011 is to time travel back to our Italian Grand Tour of 2006.   Remembered best by the Italians as the summer they won the World Cup in soccer.  Remembered by all tourists as the most diabolical summer heat torture since the martyred Saint Lawrence requested to be turned over on the grate so he could be cooked on the other side.  Ooohhhh Big Mary will pay for that one...

But it was crazy hot in Italy that July.  We arrived in Rome, greeted by the Handsome Venezuelan's expat niece, already apologizing for the heat.  Hmmm not the exact welcome we were hoping for.  By the time we had arrived at the Hotel Santa Presede and rejected two rooms for the lack of functioning air conditioning, we began to understand that it was more a matter of cultural translation than engineering.  Clearly air conditioning to Italians was a relative term not so clearly experienced by pampered Americans like ourselves.  We experienced a similar discordance trying to locate some ice cubes for "en suite" cocktails later that night, when handed a tiny tray of pellet sized cubes more typical of a summer hail storm in my neck of the woods.

But what the hell....  We were on vacation, in the heart of Rome, so we just leaned out the windows like all the other nonnas, watched the pigeons drift over the 15th century church across the street and sipped delicious cheap red wine until sleep became an option.

Italy made it into the World Cup finals just in time for us to head to Florence.  There we found the same lack luster air conditioning as well as a few degrees tick up to 98* Fahrenheit... BUT we were somehow booked into the hotel's handicapped suite.  Complete with a marble tiled bathroom as large as our bedroom, completely open for wheelchair accessibility.  It took the Handsome V'man less than 5 minutes to block the door's threshold with towels and create his own marble lined wading pool to cool his fevered brow and more....

We were moved to another room the following day.  There was no explanation, but since the new room was on the top floor terraced with a Duomo view... I asked no questions.  It was still hot as one of the lower rings described by Dante, but with that view.... you weren't going to catch me arguing with my fate.

And it proved the "punto perfetto" to watch a long evening of celebration as the city celebrated their team winning the World Cup.

But that energy just added fuel to the fire apparently, as we melted off the train in Bologna and faced an undetermined hike from the termini to our hotel.  Luckily the early hour and new surroundings distracted us as we trudged the many blocks to our destination.  Happily arrived, we registered and were handed a map to where our actual lodgings were.   Really?  Another 6 blocks?  It's kind of amazing what vacation energy can help you accomplish...

20 minutes later we arrived, sheltered most of the way by the gorgeous and oh so smartly engineered porticos of Bologna which harness both shade and breezes to make Life seem like not an altogether ill-conceived notion after all.  And that brings us dear readers to Gelato Cioccolato Azteca and the inspiration for this blog post.

To the right side of the gates that welcomed us to our brief residence in Bologna was a gelato stand that proved to be renowned among the cutting edge gourmands in a very "gourmand-town".  It took less than a sidelong glance from me to confirm gelato was just what was needed to comfort these two about to be "Ugly Americans".  We are both about 99% sure it was called Gelato Stefino, but at that moment in time we were both 100% sure that Cioccolato Azteca was what we wanted.  Sitting back on the bench under the portico, sweat dripping from several "orrifi", we started giggling from travel fever as we dug greedily into the gelato we clutched in our hands.  I think it was the Handsome Venezuelan that said it first... "It's so spicy it hurts, but I can't stop myself!"   And that's the memory I hope to honor here.

Fair warning... these brownies don't come close to the "It's so spicy it hurts..." moment.  But they do deliver a great punch not only of heat but rounded spice.  If you experience anywhere near the reception they got at a recent backyard smoked food fest... you'll be doing good.

Side Note:  The air conditioning in Bologna, could have powered a meat locker!  That didn't phase our enjoyment of Cioccolato Azteca!  If jaded memory serves, we were there 4 times in 2 days! 

When I started to head into the kitchen to develop my idea for Spicy Chipotle Brownies, I googled the idea to look for a base recipe to fiddle with.  The tiniest amount of research delivered a recipe on one of my favortie blogs (The Smitten Kitchen.com) that was everything I had in mind and more.  And so I pass on her delicious recipe, based on one from Baked, a recipe here in Brooklyn.  I have made only the slightest of changes, never being content to leave well enough alone.  In her blog Chef Deb mentions that a spice free version can be made by eliminating the chipotle, cinnamon or cardamom.

Chipotle Spiced Brownies

Yield: 24 - 48 brownies Depending on size

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chipotle powder

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

11 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 72% cacao), coarsely chopped

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees farenheight. Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 x 13 glass or light-colored metal baking pan.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, salt, cocoa powder and chipotle, cinnamon and cardamom together.

Put the chocolate, butter, and instant espresso powder in the top of a double boiler ( or in a 3 -4 qt heat proof or metal bowl) and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally,

Heat until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Turn

off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the white and brown sugars.

Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The

mixture should be room temperature.

Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture, one at a time and whisk until combined. Add the remaining 2 eggs and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible. Repeat twice until all the flour is incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies

comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it. Let the brownies cool completely, then cut them into squares and serve.

I find they cut better after being refrigerated, but definitely let them come back to room temperature to serve

Store tightly covered with plastic wrap. These brownies also freeze well.

Copyright (C) Big Mary's Kitchen 2011

Copy by Edward Magel
Photoes by Edward Magel & Yder Laya

Cool, Cool Cucumbers

Cucumber Basil Limeade & Chilled Indian Spiced Cucumber Soup

Oh lordy, but this heat makes Big Mary cranky! I understand how it must destroy your image of the nuturing, loving, considerate and pleasant, big bear of a love bug that I almost always am, but lately there's just not enough talcum, air conditioning or sno-cones to keep my mind and mood from chaffing.

Work's been slow, but I think that may be the good news. It only takes a few random freelance shifts in an un-air conditioned kitchen with a raging 12 foot gas grill to make you consider permanently taking up residence in the walk in freezer. And I do mean permanent. Talk about your quiescently frozen treat! (Side note here: Ever wondered about that term on the Popsicle box? Turns out it just means frozen at rest. Not frozen while being churned - as in ice cream. Frozen while at rest - as in my fat butt while resting in the walk in freezer.) But alas, a Creamsicle I was not meant to be, so here I sweat with the rest of you, looking for a little relief.

Perhaps this is why Mother Nature steps up her game in such a timely manner come July and August. A perfectly red ripe strawberry does pull my focus from the rising thermometer ... And I do know the hotter the summer, the sweeter the tomatoes about to arrive. As the Farmer's Market begins to swell with stone fruits, tender greens and fragrant herbs, I seem able to relax by surrendering to the coolingperfume of a local canteloupe. Nothing cuts through the heat like an ice cold wedge of watermelon or muskmelon? It's such an intense sweet wetness. No wonder melons have taken on a metaphoric sexiness.

Yet it's cucumbers than have thrown down the challenge of "Who's the coolest?" The answer it turns out, doesn't grow far from the vine. As I started working on this entry I discovered that a cucumber really is a melon, and with a little research learned it shares the same genus as a muskmelon. Like the tomato, the cucumber is really a fruit, not a vegetable.

And this "vegeruit" or "fruigetable" takes a chill like nobody's business. While I know there are recipes out there for warm cucumber side dishes, forget about those for now and get as cool as that cucumber. I'm offering two options for a cucumber chill down. The first is a crazy cool refresco - Cucumber Basil LimeAde. This refresher has also been known to curry the favor of some icy vodka. Then I like to call her "Down the Garden Path".

Cucumber Basil Limeade
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Zest of 2 limes – taken with vegetable peeler
1 small Bunch of Basil, at least 20Basil leaves, well washed
1 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and rough chopped
1 cup water
3/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
24 ounces Plain Seltzer, chilled
Ice
Basil leaves, Lime slices & Cucumber slices for garnish
Combine water, sugar and lime zest. Bring to a boil and simmer 3 minutes. Add Basil, return to a boil then remove from heat and let cool.
Puree cucumber with the water in a blender. Strain into a pitcher. Add lime juice.
Strain the sugar syrup, discard the basil and zest, and add the sugar syrup to the pitcher. Stir well, add seltzer, ice and garnish (if using)
Serve immediately

The second recipe is a riff on a raita, that classic Indian curry cooler -

Chilled Indian Spiced Cucumber Soup
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup yellow or white onion, roughly chopped
1 medium fresh garlic clove, chopped
1 teaspoon Garam Masala*
1 cup low sodium chicken stock or vegetable stock
2 large cucumbers, peeled, seeded & diced (about 3 cups)
1/2 medium jalapeño, stemmed, seeded & chopped (or to taste)
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, packed
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
Warm olive oil in a medium skillet. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until soft and transparent, 3-5 minutes. Add garam masala, stir, cook 3 minutes, and remove from heat. Transfer into a small bowl and chill.
Prepare remaining ingredients. Note: Jalapeños vary drastically in terms of spiciness of jalapeño for this reason, reserve the second half of jalapeño in case you wish to increase the spiciness.
Place all ingredients in a blender. On a low speed, blend all ingredients. Increase speed to blend the soup into a smooth puree. Serve well chilled.

* Garam Masala is an Indian spice mixture that varies from household to household, but typically contains : black & white peppercorns, cloves, mace, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg, star anise & coriander seeds. A great version is available from kalustyans.com

And why is it that cucumbers come off as such cool characters.

Copyright Big Mary's Kitchen
Photos by Yder Leon Laya

More Culture... More Yogurt

Well wouldn't you know? The moment I'm poised to begin my sabbatical from regular employment and take up the Museum Saturation, Gallery Crawl and Summer free-for-all of cultural opportunities - My hidden chef for hire becomes as popular as frozen daiquiris in Hell. (Hemingway's line, not mine, but I've always wanted to borrow it.) And like said daiquiri, time was essential in taking advantage of being in the hot seat.

Just as I managed to juggle last minute freelance bookings (Really? You JUST decided to get married on the 4th of July?), with my desire to either hide out in the Poconos for a week or three or delve into a cultural odyssey, my in-box popped up with 2 responses to my personal chef ad on Craigslist. Well yeah, I did place the ad, but figured it was more a gesture than a possibility. But no, I'm not interested in living above your East Hampton's garage and cooking for you and you friends Wednesday's thru Sunday's till Labor Day. And now the cell phone's ringing with my most recent boss's number displayed and he's asking if I'm in town or in the country.... because he's got some ... (cue the back lit halo effect) recipe development work for me.

It's short notice... I don't care ... Fage yogurt .... Love their product .... We just made up the recipe titles in 3 minutes ... Sounds great .... Not sure they can work ... They'll work ... It only pays .... I'll take it! ... We need it by noon tomorrow.... WTF? I mean, No problem!
See, I really love recipe development. It makes me happy. And these gigs are hard to come by. So I didn't care, sabbatical be damned. I'm off to the grocery store. And feeling damn special about it too.

So the task ahead was to develop, test and write up 8 recipes as quickly as I could put knife to product, food to fork and ink to paper. Yogurt, Fruit and Nut Parfait - easy enough. Yogurt Dijonaisse Potato Salad - no worries. Lemon Yogurt Coleslaw - where's the problem? Yogurt Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Strawberry Compote - Done and done. Yogurt Mac & Cheese - hmm OK, will yogurt be stable when heated? Yogurt Fried Chicken - OK... do I confess now I've never actually fried chicken... Yogurt Dill Biscuits - that's more like it. Yogurt Hollandaisse - screeching to a halt... Really? What were they thinking? But no worries, it'll happen.

And so it does. One by one, happily substituting yogurt for sour cream, or milk, or buttermilk; And tossing in more Fage in lieu of said creaminess. That said....In spite of my satisfaction I'm not ready to share all recipes I developed. Several of which are already being berated in hindsight into a position of submission. I'm guessing I'd significantly bump up the seasoning in the fried chicken marinade and coating as an example. Mind you they all work, and are seriously tasty, but the 14 hour deadline did force some truncating I'd prefer to avoid.

But here's the fun part... It was the Yogurt Hollandaisse that was the eye opener for yours truly. While the classic Hollandaisse has no milk products (save the obvious butter) the addition of the yogurt stabilized the sauce and added to it's rich mouth feel. Who'd a thunk?

And so my Greek version of the ever present NYC Brunch option is what I'm sharing today. Even the Handsome Venezuelan (who prefers his eggs "crispy"- it still gives me shivers 12 years into...) proclaimed this dish a total winner.

FAGE YOGURT DILL BISCUITS
Makes 12 2” biscuits

1 ¾ cups All-Purpose flour
1 teaspoon Sugar
1 ½ teaspoons Baking powder
½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt
4 ounces Unsalted butter, cut into small dice
1 cup Fage 0% Yogurt
¼ cup Fresh dill, finely chopped

Combine 1st six ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment. Add diced COLD butter, and mix into the dry ingredients, using slow to medium speed until the butter is worked down into small pea sized bits. Stop mixer. Add yogurt and dill. Slowly mix together until just combined.

Turn out onto a floured board and mix by hand until last floury bits are combined. Roll out dough to about ½” thickness. Using a 2” cutter, cut out biscuits and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Place baking sheet in freezer.

Preheat oven to 400*. When oven is ready, remove biscuits from oven and brush tops lightly with heavy cream.

Bake for 16 – 18 minutes, rotating baking sheet after 10 minutes.


FAGE YOGURT BLENDER HOLLANDAISE

3 large egg yolks
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon dry mustard powder
¼ teaspoon Siracha pepper sauce
4 ounces butter, warm & melted
3 Tablespoons Fage yogurt

Place all ingredients (except the melted butter) in the bowl of the blender. Mix briefly to combine well.
With machine running on low, gradually add the warm melted butter in a slow stream through the center opening of the lid.
Transfer mixture into a double boiler over warm water (no flame). Whisk in yogurt. Serve warm, not hot.



FAGE YOGURT GREEK EGGS BENEDICT
Serves 4


8 Fage Yogurt Dill Biscuits

8 medium Canadian bacon slices

10 ounces Fresh spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 recipe Fage Yogurt Hollandaise

8 large Eggs
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar

1/3 cup Feta cheese, crumbled

Place 2 biscuits on each plate.
Put salted water in a large skillet to the depth of about 2 inches. Add vinegar. And bring to a simmer.
Gently sauté Canadian bacon in a dry sauté pan and keep warm.
Warm a medium sauté pan with olive oil. Add Spinach and sauté until wilted. Season with salt & pepper and keep warm.
When water with vinegar is just barely simmering, crack an egg into a small dish, then gently slide egg into water. Repeat with remaining 7 eggs. Cook each egg 3 – 4minutes.
While eggs are poaching, top each biscuit with 1 slice of Canadian bacon and sautéed spinach.
With a slotted spoon, top the spinach with one poached egg.
Spoon Hollandaise Sauce over each egg and garnish with crumbled feta.
Serve immediately.

Big Mary's Kitchen 2011
photos by Yder Laya

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

I guess it must have been the recent Super Bowl and it's avalanche of party food suggestions that got me thinking. Seems there was no shortage of wings, with a world's tour of spices, sauces and crispy coatings. Our local supermarket even bumped aside half of the salad bar to make way for WingStavaganza. Pre-seasoned wings and delectable dips, microwave ready in five (count 'em 5) finger licking flavors. Chex Mix seemed to revive itself from holiday ashes, some with an Asian rice cracker twist, others sugared up with M&M's and chocolate covered raisins. Several chili cook-offs were rumored to have been thrown down. Why, even a football shaped cheese ball was passed across my inbox. I missed all of it.

Those of you among Big Mary's oh-so-intimate circle of friends, know of my emotional allergy to group gatherings (aka parties). Combine that with a determined lack of enthusiasm for football, and it's easy to see the natural progression to my Buffalo Wing deprivation. I come to my anti-social orientation genetically if not honestly as my father was determinedly a family act. Like a hibernating bear he was most content huddled in his den with wife and family within growling distance.

Not so Mama Magel, for whom "the larger the gathering - the better the party" seemed more her mantra. This obvious conflict of social energies proved an ongoing low level of frustration in their otherwise pitch perfect love affair. It's a conflict often stirred up between the Handsome Venezuelan and myself.

Unfazed by my father's reticence, my mother had what could genuinely be called an ace up her sleeve in the form of the very retro phenomenon known as The Bridge Club. Several times a month (in her heyday), Mama Magel enjoyed the company of 7 or more lady friends for an afternoon or occasional evening of neighborhood critiquing, woman banter and card playing. Looking back, it strikes me as a decidedly 40's through 60's sort of thing. Only ephemerally related to the recent enthusiasm for poker playing.

These bridge parties were society for my mother and her friends in Springfield, Ohio; though she did draw the line at attending bridge parties at "The Springfield Club", deeming them too snooty for her tastes. Nonetheless, even her home based parties warranted dressing up, dusting off the Noritake china cups, using the "good" playing cards, making a fancy lunch WITH dessert and purveying snacks that rose above the pretzel sticks and Goldfish crackers we were used to.

For Mama Magel a "fancy" lunch might be Chicken a La King in Pepperidge Farm Pastry Shells (decidedly hard to locate in 1960's Springfield), or a composed open faced sandwich with her famous 1000 Island Dressing. A typical dessert was often a Chocolate Refrigerator Cake or the achingly sweet Peach Cream Pie. But the snacks were a constant, Planter's mixed nuts and Brach's Bridge Mix.

What really was in that Bridge Mix? Wikepedia describes it as a type of candy that is an assortment of nuts, fruits, and cremes all covered in chocolate. Hmmm, my memory dishes up something a little less refined involving vaguely flavored fondants, tough little wads of coconut, and a not half-bad fruit gel all covered in a paraffin laced chocolaty coating. Ambrosia to young FatBoyEddie who was forbidden to touch even one piece until after Bridge Club. Happily the ladies never failed to leave mostly untouched candy dishes as they departed.

While Big Mary's taste buds have refined themselves since those youthful days, hopefully it is not to the level of the snooty dames at The Springfield Club. And though I may shrink from large social gatherings and Super Bowl parties in particular, I still look forward to delicious nibbles when gathering on a smaller scale. If Mama Magel were still dealing hands. bidding suits and taking tricks around the Bridge table, I'd have to send her a pound or two of these Sweet & Spicy Mixed Nuts

Sugar Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound raw nuts
2/3 cup superfine sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

Preheat oven to 250*.
In a medium bowl beat egg white with water until frothy. Toss in the nuts and mix well. Transfer nuts to a sieve and let drain for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile combine sugar, salt and spices. Put nuts and sugar mix into a bag and shake to coat the nuts well. Place on a baking sheet pan, distributing evenly and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes, toss nuts with a spatula and place back in oven. Lower temperature to 225* and bake for 1 hour more. Toss nuts occasionally as they finish baking.

Savory Spiced Nuts

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1 pound raw nuts
1/3 cup superfine sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin seed
1 teaspoons ground coriander seed

Preheat oven to 250*.
In a medium bowl beat egg white with water until frothy. Toss in the nuts and mix well. Transfer nuts to a sieve and let drain for 2 minutes.
Meanwhile combine sugar, salt and spices. Put nuts and sugar mix into a bag and shake to coat the nuts well. Place on a baking sheet pan, distributing evenly and place in oven. Bake 15 minutes, toss nuts with a spatula and place back in oven. Lower temperature to 225* and bake for 1 hour more. Toss nuts occasionally as they finish baking.

I can claim with a pure conscience that Big Mary's nuts have been held in high regard across all 5 boroughs on New York City. And now they are available to you whenever you desire them. HA!

To gild that nutty lily here's my recommendation. Use walnut halves (and macadamia nuts if your budget allows) when making the sweet version. And use natural whole almonds and pecan halves in the spicy version. Combine them in equal weights and put those out when the "girls" come over.

If you get them good and dry in the oven they'll last at room temperature in an air tight container for several weeks. Alternately you can freeze them. I've never seen them last long enough to worry. Finally, know that you can substitute regular granulated sugar for the superfine, but really don't we all strive to be superfine?

Happy snacking my cherubs!
And Contented Eating
Big Mary

All photos and copy Copyright 2011 Big Mary's Kitchen

Romesco Sauces - Classic Romescu & Poblano Green Romesco

I guess there should be no real surprise that the cuisines of Mexico and Spain should share quite a few in laws via the shotgun marriage of Cortez and Montezuma. The prevalence for pork was one influence, though there's the school of thought that this was more likely a trade off for the Spaniard's eliminating dog from the Mexican's menu. However, this shouldn't diminish the apparent easily developed Mexican appreciation of rice, olives, and citrus.

More likely is an influence toward Spain. Hard to envision Spanish cuisine without tomatoes, peppers, chocolate, and potatoes. All ingredients unheard of in Europe before Spain began the slow and steady annihilation of indigenous North, Central and South American people and their culture.

OK. That's heavy. Let's take two minutes to appreciate that in ensuing years Spain also brought us paella, El Greco, amontillado sherry, manchego, Ribiero del Duero wine, Picasso, saffron and Almodovar just to mention the top end credits.

Truth be told, the recipe I'm about to offer to you was not inspired by some trans-cultural understanding of food history, but rather by an abundance of poblano peppers in my 2nd favorite caterer's walk-in. And that, if fact is often the Mother of Invention when it comes to recipe development; the caterer's version of "necessity".

But as inspiration occasionally reflects on the divine, this is truly a fabulous version of a sauce that is already 4 stars. Before I get ahead of myself, we should talk among ourselves about Romesco Sauce.

I was first attracted to the Salsa Romescu legend years ago in a recipe by Penelope Casas, truly the first lady of Iberian Cuisine when it comes to the US. This was back in the mid 80's before tapas had entered the mainstream of party food. When small plates was a pejorative for nouvelle cuisine. I was researching Spanish food to assist in the catering for the Metropolitan Opera Club's Gala which that year was celebrating Spain as it's theme. Ms. Casas had managed to source an entire Jamon Serrano, then unheard of in the United States, as well as a variety of Spanish cheeses, dulce de membrillo, fig cakes, the list went on and on. Yet I was completely befuddled when attempting to find a resource for the dried peppers that her recipe deemed critical to the success of Salsa Romesco. Yes, this is how it was in those dark years before the Internet made the world our oestra.

Fast forward 10 years or so and find Big Mary in gustatory bliss, savoring the sesonal treat of Calcots a la Plancha con Salsa Romescu in a sunny Barcelona cafe. Grilled Calcots being a uniquely Spanish treat, something akin to a cross between scallions and leeks. A truly authentic repast would have found Big Mary in the fresh country air, surrounding an open fire, peeling back the burnt outer layers of these oniony treats, before dipping them in the oil rich Romescu and consuming them, head thrown back with the panache of a side show sword swallower. Paints a picture, no?

But the best part was that I finally had enjoyed this deeply satisfying Spanish classic sauce, and was heady with the confidence I could recreate it back in Brooklyn. That I did, and have continued to serve it with grilled vegetables, fish, chicken, etc. along with the rest of America as Spanish cuisine has thrust itself into the world cuisine stage and promptly established itself as the leader of most things innovative in the planet's dining rooms.

And so I offer you both versions of Romesco Sauce; a classic Salsa Romescu with an appreciative nod to Penelope Casas, and the previously mentioned Poblano Green Romesco Sauce.

Salsa Romescu

3/4 cup pure olive oil
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 cloves fresh garlic, cracked
1 slice white bread, trimmed and cut into pieces - 3/4 oz
7 large red peppers
3 small canned whole tomatoes, seeded
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons Spanish pimenton (smoked paprika)or regular Spanish paprika

Roast red peppers over an open flame (or electric burner) until well charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool and then clean all of the burned skin from the peppers. Wipe clean. Remove seeds and discard. Set aside the cleaned peppers. You will need 1 quart approximately.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat until shimmering. Add almonds, bread and garlic. Cook until bread just begins to turn golden. Immediately remove from heat. When bread cubes are completely golden, drain, reserving oil.
Place cleaned red peppers, bread cubes, garlic, almonds, tomatoes and salt in a blender. Add half of the reserved oil and the sherry vinegar and blend until smooth. Add cayenne and pimenton and blend. With the blender running on low, slowly add the remaining oil until the sauce is completely smooth. Check and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Poblano Green Romesco
The only caveat I offer is that poblano peppers are notoriously indiscriminate when it comes to heat. Often they are as mild as a bell pepper, but sometimes they swell to a jalapeno level of spiciness. You can check the heat level by running your finger across the white membrane on the interior of a pepper. Touch your finger to your tongue and you'll have a idea of the heat level you are dealing with. If the poblano approaches incendiary, substitute a portion of the poblanos with a regular green bell pepper, roasted and peeled.

8 large poblano peppers
3/4 cup pure olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and cracked
1 slice white bread (3/4 ounce)crusts trimmed and cut into pieces
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Roast poblano peppers over an open flame (or electric burner) until well charred on all sides. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow to cool and then clean all of the burned skin from the peppers. Wipe clean. Remove seeds and discard. Set aside the cleaned peppers. You will need approximately 14 ounces.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over moderate heat until shimmering. Add bread and garlic. Cook 1 minute and then add pumpkin seeds. Cook until bread just begins to turn golden. Immediately remove from heat. When bread cubes are completely golden, drain, reserving oil.
Place cleaned peppers, bread cubes, garlic and pumpkin seeds in a blender. Add half of the reserved oil, salt and the sherry vinegar and blend until smooth. Slowly add the remaining oil with the motor running. Season with salt and pepper.
Add lime juice and cilantro right before serving.

So that's Danny Boy's inspired Green Romesco. Please remember this one when the weather sends us all back outdoors to grill some skirt steak. Or for those more tropical members of our family, head out to that hibachi immediately. Either way, this is great on chicken, fajitas, salmon, grilled vegetables... Hmmm just about everything it seems.

Contented Eating my Sweets,
Big Mary