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5A Wednesday, August 21, 2013 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh The ultimate mac Vegetarian Recipe: Chiles Rellenos and cheese cookbook By Joe Yonan Post The Washington By Jackie Burrell Contra Costa Times Why mac and cheese? Asking Allison Arevalo and Erin Wade that question is a bit like asking someone why they like air or water. The chefs and owners behind Homeroom, an incredibly popular mac-and-cheese-centric restaurant in Oakland, Calif., are devotees of all things creamy, cheesy and macaroni-blessed. "Honestly, we just love mac and cheese," says Wade, a lawyer-turned-chef. "It brings smiles to people's faces." You can practically hear the chorus of agreement rising from the crowds that flock to their vintage school-themed restaurant every day or the throngs that queued up for Homeroom's Gilroy garlic-spiked mac and cheese at San Francisco's Outside Lands last weekend. What began as a chance meeting in an East Bay cafe several years ago has grown into a business partnership so successful that Wade and Arevalo are constructing a larger kitchen space down the street from Homeroom's tiny quarters. And it's partly thanks to the inadvertent assistance of an angry burger giant. Arevalo and Wade had planned to call their new restaurant Little Mac. They'd done the signage and branding and worked out the decor, when McDonald's issued a cease-and-desist order. "We had Little Mac all ready to go, and they were going to sue us," Arevalo says. "That ended up being a great thing for us." The spectacle of Big Mac going after Little Mac drew attention on a national scale. Soon word of the Goliath vs. David spat was everywhere. "It was so crazy," Wade says. "It went viral." Rather than risk a lawsuit, the pair launched a naming contest, drawing thousands of suggestions from around the world. Turns out, it's nearly impossible to come up with a macaroni and cheese-related name that does not contain the word "mac." They ended up with their own choice, a word, Arevalo says, that evokes "nostalgia, school and hanging out with friends." When Homeroom opened two years ago, everything about the place captured that retro spirit, from the chalkboard wall to the reclaimed wood from old bleacher seats. A card catalog holds loyal customers' records, with a gold star -- of course -- awarded for each mac and cheese purchase. That whimsical theme runs through the duo's new cookbook, "The Mac + Cheese Cookbook: 50 Simple Recipes from Homeroom, America's Favorite Mac and Cheese Restaurant" (Ten Speed Press, $16.99, 128 pages), as well. Recipe instructions are "lesson plans," veggies reside in the "extra credit" chapter and the retro desserts -- homemade Oreo-style cookies, peanut butter pie -- are, of course, "finals." It's a delicious collection of variations on the mac and cheese theme, all of which start with a basic sauce, Bechamel 101. From there, herbs, spices and cheese mixtures give each dish its own personality. The cheese blend is key. "We kept trying an all-cheddar mac," Wade says. "But when you use just one type of cheese, you get just one flavor. Use different cheeses and different flavors chime through." The basic mac uses a cheddar aged 18 months with pecorino for tang, while the Greek-inspired Macximus adds feta and Jack to the mix, and a Patatas Bravas version uses manchego. As for the famously fragrant Gilroy number, it's all about the Gouda, pecorino and, of course, the garlic. "We play with flavor," Arevalo says. "We had this amazing garlic butter on our Minty Peas and we thought, what would happen if we added it here?" Judging by the reaction at Outside Lands, where concertgoers consumed 5,000 pounds of Gilroy Garlic Mac and Cheese in two and a half days, Arevalo and Wade just scored an A+. Oh Snap! The Daily News wants your photos: Cute kids, Adorable pets, Inspirational sights, Any shot you think readers would enjoy You might just see it in the Daily News Send pictures to editor@redbluffdailynews.com or drop off at 545 Diamond Ave. in Red Bluff. Include a caption. For the longest time, my favorite dish in Mexican restaurants near and far was chile relleno: a poblano pepper stuffed with meat and cheese, battered, fried and slathered with sauce. It still ranks high on the list. But to make it at home? Oh, what a pain. You've got to peel the broiled and blackened poblanos very carefully, so they don't rip, and then cut an opening just big enough to get your fingers in (so you can pull the seeds out) yet small enough so that when you stuff the thing, it holds together for the frying. Toothpicks often come into play. And that's before you've even coated the peppers in batter or heated up the oil. At home, I make a more healthful version by roasting instead of frying, and of course it also happens to be much easier. You still have to peel carefully, but the pepper can be splayed open wide to fit in a lot of filling and doesn't need to close for its oven time. These days, naturally, there's no meat in my rellenos, just a combination of whatever seasonal roasted or sauteed vegetables I happen to have around, usually with some beans: black, pinto or garbanzo. While the chilies are roasting, I make a quick, chipotle-spiked avocadoand-yogurt sauce. After I drizzle it on the finished peppers, I sprinkle them with pumpkin seeds for a little crunch. I'd say it couldn't be simpler, but I'd be lying. It would be easier if I skipped the step of blackening and peeling the poblanos first, a shortcut I've been meaning to try as I think about the similarities between this dish and Italian-style stuffed red or green peppers. If you decide to give that technique a whirl, let me know how it goes. I'm always up for more streamlining. ROASTED CHILES RELLENOS WITH AVOCADO SAUCE Makes 4 servings Chiles rellenos don't have to be cheese-stuffed, battered and fried, especially when you're making them at home and want things to be a little bit quicker and a lot more healthful. This version packs them with vegetables (and, okay, a small amount of cheese), then tops them with a tangy, spicy sauce made from avocados, yogurt and a little adobo from canned chipotles. Feel free to substitute your favorite seasonal produce. If you have leftover filling, save it to eat over rice or pasta or on a salad another day. Serve the poblanos with rice. MAKE AHEAD: The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. For the chiles rellenos: 4 large poblano peppers 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ancho chili powder 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch chunks 1/2 pound thin green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 cup canned, no-saltadded chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 medium tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped 4 ounces (about 1 cup) Monterey Jack cheese, grat- carefully stuff the filling into the poblanos, packing them as full as possible and mounding the filling on top, if desired. Carefully transfer the stuffed poblanos to a roasting pan, cut sides up, leaving the filling exposed. Roast until the filling sizzles and the cheese has melted, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce: Use a fork to thoroughly mash the avocado flesh in a medium bowl. Whisk in the yogurt, adobo, lime juice and water to form a thick sauce, adding more water if you want to adjust the consistency. Divide the chiles rellenos among individual plates. Spoon some of the sauce on top of each, then sprinkle with the pumpkin seeds. NOTE: Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 to 4 minutes,. Cool completely. Pour the oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil starts to shimmer, sprinkle in the ancho chili powder and cook briefly, just until it foams and releases its aroma. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften. Stir in the zucchini and green beans, and cook until they have barely started to soften. Remove from the heat and stir in the chickpeas, tomatoes, olives and cheese. Season with salt to taste. Cool. When the poblanos are cool enough to handle, gently rub off their blackened skins, being careful to keep the stems and flesh intact. Cut a slit on one side of each poblano, starting near the stem and cutting most of the way down the side. Carefully reach in and remove the seeds. Use your hands to ed Kosher or sea salt For the sauce: Flesh of 1 ripe avocado 1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 teaspoon adobo (from canned chipotles) Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed 1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds, toasted (see NOTE) For the chiles rellenos: Position an oven rack 4 to 5 inches from the broiler element or flame; preheat the broiler. Arrange the poblanos on a pan. Broil, turning periodically, until the peppers are charred all over, a few minutes on each side. Transfer them to a heatproof bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a plate to steam as they cool. Turn off the broiler; preheat the oven to 400 degrees. WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS We appreciate your business - and we show it! 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