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By Root 463 0

the northeastern part of Spain, along the Mediterranean coast. You can spread it on grilled bread, use it as a dip for roasted veg, or eat it right from the spoon. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the peppers listed below; if red bell peppers are all you get, this elixir, er sauce, will still make you swoon. A note on peppers: Ancho chiles are dried poblanos, which will yield a sweeter, almost raisin-y result; fresh roasted poblanos will deliver more smoke.

INGREDIENTS

1 (1-pound) loaf country-style

bread

¼ cup olive oil

2 red bell peppers, roasted,

peeled, and seeded (See page

194 for roasting tips.)

3 dried ancho chile peppers,

soaked for 1 hour, drained,

seeded, and roughly chopped,

or 2 fresh poblano chile

peppers, roasted, peeled, and

seeded (either is optional but

really nice)

1 small piece fresh serrano or

jalapeño pepper (½ to 1 inch

long), seeded and minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

½ cup almonds and/or hazelnuts,

roasted

2 to 3 plum tomatoes, peeled and

seeded (I use canned whole

plum tomatoes, drained)

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar or

lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

(optional; particularly useful in

absence of poblano or ancho

chile peppers)

HERE’S WHAT YOU DO:

In a skillet, fry one 1-inch slice of the bread (crusts removed) in 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to cool. Place all the peppers in the bowl of a food processor, along with the garlic, nuts, and the fried bread slice. Use the “pulse” button to insure that mixture does not overpuree; you want some texture.

Add the tomatoes, then the remaining oil and vinegar. The mixture will emulsify quickly. Add the salt and cayenne, and smoked paprika, if appropriate. If the mixture is too thick, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water. The mixture should be thick but also have a slightly liquidy quality. Taste for salt, heat, and acid and season accordingly.

Slice one to two pieces of the remaining bread per serving and grill or toast to serve with romesco. Gets better on the second and third day; keeps for about five days.

Makes about 2 cups

Susan’s Eggplant Stack ★ Minty Chickpeas

SUSAN’S EGGPLANT STACK

This is a souped-up version of the recipe that sparked the idea for this book project. One night, a few years ago, my mom (Susan) called me up, asking for advice on what to do with the eggplant and tomato she had picked up from the local farm stand earlier that day. She was hoping to cook something low-fat and yet satisfying for her longtime companion, the original Mister Sausage, who was recovering from a recent heart attack.

In years past, I had watched the dude lap up an entire stick of butter with his lobster tail in one sitting. If I was going to have anything to do with dinner on this particular night, the menu would be heavy on the veggies, hold the artery cloggers, please.

In response, I rattled off a few random thoughts about grilling the eggplant, slicing her beloved tomatoes, and layering the produce on top of each other to create a stack. She had basil and some feta, so they would be included, too. As I hung up, I thought how the old girl might just pull this off.

And she did. And Mikey—I mean Mister Sausage—liked it.

The version that follows is a triple-layer “club sandwich” of eggplant rounds, sliced tomato, and grilled onion, with basil pesto between each layer. Meaty enough to cut into with a steak knife, Susan’s stack works equally well tucked into a soft bun, for the best-looking Big Mac-like creation you ever did see.

KITCHEN NOTES: While the eggplant is leaching, make the pesto. While the eggplant is roasting, prep the other components of the stack.

Note on leaching: Sprinkling salt on sliced eggplant helps release its high water content, a process called leaching. For this dish, leaching helps dry out the eggplant and minimize the oil needed to lubricate it while cooking.

INGREDIENTS

Cooking spray, for greasing the

baking pan

2 medium-size globe eggplants