I pulled this one out from the archives… made it a few years ago when the poblanos were overrunning our garden. Fresh pepper season has passed in Pennsylvania, but you could swap out red peppers and/or jalapenos, or serranos for a little more heat, which are all readily available at the grocery store year-round.

• 1 poblano pepper, julienned
• 1 jalapeno, chopped
• 1 white onion, sliced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 links andouille sausage, sliced
• 6-8 jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1/2 cup frozen (thawed) or canned clams
• 3 Tbl Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 cup heavy cream or half and half
• 3 Tbl butter
• 1/3 cup Parmesan or Romano cheese, grated
• 3 Tbl fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 lb fettuccine

Put a large pot of salted water on the stove to boil for the pasta.

Push vegetables toward the outside of the pan and then brown the shrimp in the center.

Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with two tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is glistening, add the onions and peppers and saute until soft. Add the sliced sausage and cook until beginning to brown.

In the meantime, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, continue making the sauce. Push the vegetables toward the outsides of the pan and then add the shrimp in the middle. Sear for one minute and then turn over. Sprinkle the Cajun seasoning and clams into the pan. Saute for another 30 seconds to distribute the seasoning evenly.

Deglaze the hot pan by adding the white wine and stirring for just another 30 seconds. Now stir in the butter and cream. Allow the cream to simmer for about two minutes before adding the cheese. Continue to simmer until slightly thickened.

Remove the pan from the heat and sprinkle in the parsley.

Simmer until just slightly thickened.

Drain the cooked pasta, do not rinse. Toss the noodles with the cream sauce and serve topped with hot pepper flakes, if desired.

A raging controversy exists in the Pittsburgh community regarding whether or not to peel our eggplants. This is a debate I knew nothing about until a passionate colleague tracked me down and, exasperated, rattled off the horrendous story about eating a friend’s Eggplant Parmigiana that still had the skin on. “Ugh! It was like a long piece of plastic running down my throat,” she lamented. Well, little did she know that I had also made an eggplant dinner over the weekend, and like her offensive friend, I left the skin on. I have never peeled an eggplant in my life. So I did a little googling and found that the people who peel their eggplants are very passionate about it, but generally, people say if you want to peel it, peel it. If you don’t, don’t.

I think that the answer lies in the preparation. I can see how the skin could be tough and hard to swallow. But with proper cooking, the skin should soften and become more digestable, and in some cases, useful. Without the skin, slices of eggplant would be more likely to fall through the grill plates or disintegrate into a casserole. In my version of Eggplant Parmigiana, the skin is eatable because I cook it twice: once during the frying and again as it bakes in the oven. But even without the baking, I enjoyed nibbling on the extra fried eggplant pieces and would leave the skin on if I made it again! In either case – peel or no peel – I think you’ll enjoy the first of the Northside Kitchen’s Throwback Thursday recipes, the 1970s favorite Eggplant Parmigiana.

• 1 large eggplant, peeled or unpeeled as you prefer, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups bread crumbs
• 2 tsp dry Italian Seasoning
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh minced parsley
• 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp fresh minced basil
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• 3 cups fresh mushrooms (cremini, oyster, porcini, and/or button)
• 4 cups of your favorite marinara sauce
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 5 slices provolone cheese
• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiana cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese, divided
• Vegetable Oil (for frying)
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350F.

Prepare a large-bottomed cast iron or cast aluminum pan for shallow frying by filling it with about an inch of vegetable oil and setting it over medium-high heat. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temp until it reaches 250 degrees F. Meanwhile, prepare the eggplant for frying. In a shallow bowl, beat together the eggs with one teaspoon each of fresh parsley and basil, plus 1/2 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp black pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs with Italian seasoning.

Dip each slice of eggplant in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs. Scoop some of the crumbs over top with your hands and gently press into the top and sides. Stack the coated eggplant slices on a plate. Gently place the eggplant slices one at a time into the hot oil and allow to fry for about 5 minutes on each side, until nicely browned. Remove to a cooling rack to keep the breading crisp.

In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese with 1/4 cup parmigiana, 1/4 cup mozzarella, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper. Set aside.

In a stainless steel saute pan, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for one minute more. Remove from heat and set aside.

Now, assemble the casserole. Spread one cup of marinara sauce evenly into the bottom of a 9″x9″ baking pan. Arrange a single layer of tomato slices over the sauce and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp basil and a pinch of salt. Dot 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese by the tablespoon-ful between the tomatoes.

Now arrange the eggplant slices in a single layer over the tomatoes and ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Cover the eggplant using slices of provolone cheese. This will protect the breading from sogginess when you add the next layer of wet ingredients.

Over the provolone, scatter the mushrooms in a single layer. Then continue layering with more ricotta, sauce, and then the mozzarella and parmigiana cheeses, and finally the remaining tomato slices. Drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil over each tomato slice and finish with a sprinkling of sea salt.

Bake uncovered in a 350F degree oven for 30 minutes, until bubbly and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Just before serving, finish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped parsley and basil.

Some of us just aren’t the canning sort. Any activity that requires forceps and a cauldron of boiling water is something that this clumsy cook should stay away from. Inspired by a bountiful harvest of garden peppers, this fresh relish mimics the flavor of gently pickled peppers in a fraction of the time.

for the relish

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large hot banana peppers
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon whole brown mustard seed
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• salt and pepper

for the steaks

• 4 sirloin strip steaks
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• coarse sea salt, for finishing

Put the mustard seed in a mortar and pestle with 1/2 tsp each of cumin and coriander. Grind the spices together until the seeds have broken down. Set aside.

Slice each banana pepper lengthwise, turn 45 degrees and slice lengthwise on the other side. Now slice the peppers horizontally into 1/4 inch pieces, discarding only the stems.

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a stainless steel skillet over medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and peppers, season with a little salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften and become translucent. Add the spice mixture and cook for another 2 minutes, then add the vinegar. Cook, stirring, until the liquid has evaporated and the vegetables are dry enough to clump together. Add the water and cook a few more minutes until just glistening. Taste the relish, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with a touch of olive oil. Remove the condiment to a bowl while you prepare the steaks.

Prepare a grill for direct cooking over high heat. For the steaks, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Smear this mixture all over the steaks, then grill steaks over the hottest part of the grill for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Place the steaks on serving dishes and sprinkle with coarse flakes of seasoning salt. Top each steak with relish and serve.

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• banana pepper relish

These deep-fried, stuffed poblano peppers are often enjoyed with a cheese filling that excludes any meat. Even for a cheese lover like me, though, that can be a little much. So this recipe incorporates chorizo sausage. Adjust the balance of sausage and cheese to your own liking. Other fillings you may substitute include ground beef, pork, or veal, tomatoes, diced green chiles, or potatoes. Use your imagination!

rellenos

• 6 poblano chiles
• salt
• 2 tsp white vinegar
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• 3 cups shredded cheese (see note below)
• 1 lb ground chorizo, browned, drained, and cooled
• 3 eggs, separated
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• vegetable oil for frying

authentic sauce

• 3 large tomatoes
• ½ small onion
• 1 large clove garlic
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig fresh oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp oil

1. roast & prepare the peppers

Place the chiles directly over a medium flame on a gas stove. Turn the peppers with tongs until they are entirely covered in black blisters (5-10 min), being careful not to roast them any longer to prevent bitterness. Immediately but gently put the peppers into a plastic bag and close the bag. Leave in bag for 15 minutes to sweat. This will make the skins easier to remove while the steam continues to cook the peppers’ flesh.

Gently remove the roasted peppers and peel them. Do not rinse. Carefully make a single lengthwise slit in each pepper and remove the seeds and membranes. For more information on roasting peppers, watch this video.

After roasting and peeling, soak the chiles in enough cool water to cover with 1 Tbl salt and 2 tsp. vinegar for 20 minutes. Rinse, drain, and set aside. The peppers will need to be as dry as possible when you stuff them.

2. prepare the sauce

Gently simmer the tomato puree with fresh herbs.

In a blender or food processor, puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, pushing the mixture with a spatula or spoon until all that is left in the strainer is a relatively dry lump of pulp. Discard the pulp.

Heat 1 Tbl oil in a skillet, add the tomato puree and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat, add 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, and the herbs. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. You may thin this sauce with a little water if it becomes too thick. Set the sauce aside until ready to serve.

3. stuff the peppers

Allow the roasted peppers to air dry and then fill them very gently to prevent tears or holes.

Remove the peppers from the salt water brine to drain briefly on paper towels. Fill each chile with about two tablespoons of meat and ¼ cup of cheese, then set aside. Be sure that the flaps of the peppers can still touch enough to close around the filling. Heat frying oil while you prepare the batter. Be sure there is enough oil to cover the peppers at least ½ way, so you only need to turn them once.

4. prepare the batter

Fry the peppers on both sides in hot oil.

Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold in the yolks one at a time. Season flour with S&P, and spread flour mixture on a plate. Turn 1 chile in the flour to coat lightly, then dip into the eggs, making sure that it is coated completely with no gaps in the batter. Add chile to oil and fry on each side until medium brown. Drain on paper towels. Repeat flour/batter/deep-fry process with remaining stuffed peppers. Hold finished rellenos in a warm (170 – 200 degree F) oven while you finish frying the others.

5. serve

Warm the sauce and pour a lovely pool of it on the plate first. Place a fried relleno on top of the sauce. Drizzle a little more sauce over the top of the pepper, being careful not to make the entire relleno soggy. Serve with your favorite Mexican accompaniments.

cheese note

Use 2 cheeses: equal parts Chihuahua Mexican cheese (made for melting) and a sharp, dry, hard cheese with chili peppers in it if you can find it. Substitutes for Chihuahua cheese include softer, creamy-textured white cheeses like Monterey Jack, or a mild cheddar. Most large grocery stores (Giant Eagle, Whole Foods, Market District) should carry a nice assortment of cheeses that can accommodate the sharp & dry : mild & creamy balance.

cook’s tip

Roast one or two extra peppers to be prepared for possible breakage.

make ahead

Prepare the recipe through step three. Cover and refrigerate sauce and stuffed peppers for up to four hours.

For many, the Old-Fashioned cocktail represents a classic sip of Americana. The elixir is one of the first recorded American cocktails and remains popular in bars and supper clubs today. Today’s widely accepted recipe – rye, soda, and bitters with muddled sugar,  orange and cherry – is a variant of the drier original version, which doesn’t have fruit. But nowadays we wouldn’t have it any other way.

This recipe is inspired by that classic combination. Cherries and oranges are known friends of duck, so I tossed in a little bitters and bourbon to round it all out. You can make pulled duck with confit legs. If you’re ambitious, you can spend all day making your own confit, but for our purposes, the store-bought legs are perfect. Top the duck with a rich, orange-scented dark cherry sauce and an orange-juice laced cabbage slaw finished with aromatic bitters.

Makes 6 sliders

• 2 prepared confit duck legs (like D’Artagnan brand)
• 6 mini-sandwich ‘slider’ rolls *

Dark Cherry Sauce

• 1/4 cup minced red onion
• 30 fresh or frozen black cherries, pitted & halved
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp dark agave nectar or 2 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 1-inch  pieces orange zest (orange part only – no white!)
• 3 Tbsp room-temperature butter, divided
• 1 Tbsp flour

Aromatic Bitters & Orange Slaw

• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
• 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 20 drops Peychaud bitters **
• 2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & minced

Place 2 confit legs in a skillet and warm them gently over low heat. Once softened, pull the meat off the bones in chunks. Discard the bones. Use two forks to pull and tear the duck meat into stringy pieces. Sprinkle the meat with a pinch of sea salt, cover and keep warm.

Make the sauce: In a very small bowl, make a beurre manie by blending together 1 tablespoon of softened butter with 1 tablespoon of flour. Set the beurre manie aside while you continue the cherry sauce. In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Wait for the foam to subside, reduce the heat to medium and immediately add the minced red onion to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent. Do not allow the onions to brown.

Stir in the cherries and cook for another two minutes. Stir in the orange zest, bourbon, balsamic, and agave nectar and cook for five minutes more, gently pressing the cherries to release their juices. Remove the sauce from the heat. Pick out the orange zest and discard. Drop the beurre manie into the sauce. Stir briskly until the butter has fully melted. Cover the sauce and set aside.

For the slaw, whisk together the wet ingredients until well blended. Toss this liquid with the cabbage, green onions and jalapeno peppers.

To serve, warm the slider rolls in the microwave for 10 seconds. Open the roll and stack ¼ cup meat, then 3 tablespoons of sauce, and a little less than ¼ cup slaw. Replace the crown of the roll and serve immediately.

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• pulled duck recipe
• duck sliders
• pulled duck
• pulled duck sliders

I remember the days when I hated beets. They were cloyingly sweet and mushy, and as far as I knew, they were born in a tin can. But one day I ate a fresh roasted beet and that all changed. The skies opened – or should I say the earth opened? -  and I discovered the understated joy of the root vegetable. One stop at the Farmers Market this month and you’ll find beets on almost every table. You can use the whole plant, too. The greens are high in anti-oxidants and saute up just like Swiss Chard or spinach. The simplest way to cook the beet bulb is to roast it in the oven. And a foil-packet roasting technique means no dirty dishes. You just can’t beet it. Ha (sorry).

• 4 large beets
• 1 small young onion, sliced very thinly
• 1 bunch arugula
• 1/2 cup bleu cheese
• 2 lemons
• extra virgin olive oil
• coarse sea salt
• black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375F. Remove the stems and leaves from your beets (reserve for another use, like sauteed beet greens), scrub the beets and pat dry.

Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with two tablespoons of olive oil. Wrap them into a tightly sealed but loose-fitting packet. Place the foil-wrapped beets directly on the oven grates and allow to roast for one hour.

Remove the beets from the oven and allow to stand at room temperature until cool enough to handle. Use your hands to firmly rub the skins off of the beets. Remove any stubborn skins with a paring knife. Drizzle the beets with a tablespoon of olive oil. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

To assemble the salad, wash and dry the arugula leaves. Gently pull any thick, bitter stems and veins from the arugula, leaving only tender leaves and stems. Arrange the leaves among plates. Dot each plate with two tablespoons of blue cheese. Cut the beets into halves or quarters for larger beets and arrange on the plates with the onions. Dust each salad with one or two strokes of lemon zest from a microplane.

For dressing, squeeze a half of a lemon over each plate, then follow with two tablespoons full of olive oil, an even dusting of coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

The first time I saw someone put hot sauce in their fried chicken eggwash I thought, “Oh no! Not everyone likes spicy stuff…” But she assured me no one would notice. And she was right, the heat fried out but left a terrific flavor. Problem is that my household DOES like it hot and spicy, so every time I make fried chicken, I up the ante a bit more on the heat ingredients. The recipe below uses oodles of spice and hot sauce, but the finished product is only about as hot as a Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich. It’s just enough kick for a crowd-pleasing hot chicken.

Hot Buttermilk Fried Chicken

• 1/2 to 1 gallon Vegetable Oil for frying
• 5 lb chicken pieces
• candy thermometer
• large paper bag
• cast iron skillet or fryer pan

Marinade

• 1 quart buttermilk
• 1/8 cup Habanero Tabasco sauce
• 1 tbsp smoked Spanish paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 + 1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Buffalo sauce, divided
• 1 yellow onion, sliced

Breading

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp Season-All

In a large, non-metal bowl, whisk together the first 4 marinade ingredients with 1/2 cup of the Frank’s Buffalo sauce. Stir in the sliced onions. Submerge the clean, dry chicken pieces into the buttermilk mixture, cover, and refrigerate at least overnight, or up to 48 hours.

To prepare the chicken, find a wide, flat, chicken-fryer style pan or large cast iron skillet. The pan must be nice and heavy to heat the oil evenly. Fill the pan with oil until it is about an inch and a half from the top of the pan. Affix the candy thermometer to the side and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 275F.

Preheat the oven to its lowest setting (that’s 170F on my oven). Prepare a cookie sheet by nesting a cooling rack inside it. This will keep your first batch of chicken warm and crisp while you finish any subsequent batches.

While the oil heats, remove the chicken pieces into a colander set in the sink and allow the buttermilk to drain. Meanwhile, find a large, sturdy paper bag and dump all of the dry breading ingredients into the bag. Stir the flour and spices to evenly mix.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of hot sauce over the chicken pieces in the colander. Allow the hot sauce to mix with the buttermilk and gently turn the chicken to coat evenly. Drop the saucy chicken pieces one at a time into your bag of flour. Fold over the top of the bag and gently shake and roll the bag to coat the chicken with the seasoned flour.

Once the oil is 275F, use tongs to gently remove the chicken from the bag and position it meaty-side down in the hot oil. If the chicken has any bare spots, use your fingers to press some residual flour so it is nicely covered. Work quickly to fill the pan without crowding too much. The chicken pieces should have enough room that there is some space for the oil to move between them. The process will require 2 or 3 batches.

Keep an eye on the candy thermometer. The temperature will have dropped when you added the chicken, which is ok. Focus on keeping the temperature steady around 250F for the frying process. You will need to adjust the flame occasionally to keep the temperature steady.

Let the chicken fry for 12 minutes at 250F. Then gently turn the chicken over and fry for an additional 1o minutes on the other side, again maintaining the 250F temperature.

Remove the chicken to your prepared drip rack and let rest in the oven while you repeat the frying process with the remaining chicken. Before serving, be sure all of the chicken pieces have had a chance to rest in the oven for at least 10 minutes. This will allow the chicken to crisp up and for your guests to avoid possible burns.

A photo tour of this year’s 4th of July goodies.

I managed to save the berries from our one urban-blueberry plant for a cool treat this summer. Cardamom and coriander have such an exciting aroma. Paired with a spicy gingered blueberry sauce and peaches, the ice cream pairings are limitless. Honey, vanilla, goat cheese, or lemon flavors would all work great, as would Jeni’s Backyard Mint seasonal ice cream.

• Your choice of frozen yogurt or ice cream
• Silpat or other silicone baking mat
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 + 1/8 tsp salt, divided
• 4 tbsp butter, cold and cut into 16 cubes
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 pint blueberries
• 2 ripe peaches, peeled and diced
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 tsp corn starch + 1 tsp water, mixed into a slurry

Make the Crumble

Spiced Peach & Berry Parfait

Preheat the oven to 350F. In a food processor, combine the brown sugar, oats, flour, spices, and 1/2 tsp salt. Pulse one or two times to blend. Add the butter and pulse several more times until crumbly. Place the silicone baking mat on a cookie sheet and spread the crumb mixture evenly on the mat. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the warm crisp with the remaining 1/8 tsp salt and then let it cool completely. Once cool, crumble into coarse chunks. Store in a zipper bag or airtight container.

Make the Sauce

Cook the fruit gently until their juices release and the sugar is dissolved.

Combine berries, peaches, sugar, ginger and lemon juice in a skillet. Over medium high heat, cook the fruit until the berries release their juices but are still plump. To the juice, add the corn starch slurry and stir until the sauce is thickened, about a minute. Pour the sauce into a bowl or gravy boat and let cool slightly.

To serve, spoon the warm berry mixture over ice cream. Top with crumble pieces.