Last week we suggested Hatch chile peppers, with a limited season of August and September. Now, raise your hand if you want a slice of Hatch Chile Pepper & Pepperoni Pizza (photos #1 and #2).

Don’t worry if you can’t find fresh Hatch chile peppers: You can substitute Anaheim, Cubanelle or poblano chiles. A fresh chile pizza is delicious no matter which chile you use.

Comparing their heat on the Scoville Scale, the Scovile Heat Units (SHUs) are:

 
This recipe is from Melissa’s Produce, which sells fresh and dried Hatch chiles, as well as If you can’t find the Hatch chile powder used in the recipe, look for poblano chile powder. You could use red chile powder or paprika. The flavors are different, but they won’t alter your enjoyment of of the pizza.

This pizza complements the chiles with circles of pepperoni. If you don’t want pepperoni on your pizza, there are plant-based pepperoni using substitutes including seitan. Or, go veggie with mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers or halved cherry tomatoes.
 
 
RECIPE: HATCH CHILE PEPPER & PEPPERONI PIZZA

Prep time is 30 minutes (including making the crust), cook time is 30 minutes.
 
Ingredients

 
For The Pizza Dough

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pizza dough (skip to the next step if using a prepared crust). In a standing mixer, add 1 cup of the flour and the next 6 ingredients (yeast, sugar, garlic, oregano, olive oil, water) and mix.

Add the salt and more flour, as needed, until the dough is only slightly sticky. Flatten with a rolling pin into a circle.

2. PREHEAT the oven to 500°F. Place a pizza stone in the oven while It preheats.

3. SPREAD the marinara over the pizza dough. Sprinkle the Hatch chile and the rest of the ingredients over the pizza and place into the oven.

4. BAKE until the pizza is slightly charred all over, rotating it every few minutes so it cooks evenly. Cut and served. Makes about 4-6 servings.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILE PEPPERS
 
 
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*Green Hatch chile powder, unlike the red, is made from Hatch chiles that are picked and dried when green. It is made in both mild and hot varieties. The powder tastes zesty and fresh, and can be used just as you use pepper. You can also sprinkle it on cut fruits and vegetables (jicama, mango, papaya, watermelon) and snacks (crackers, nuts, popcorn). Try it as a rim for a Bloody Mary.

[1] This delicious Hatch chile pizza is equally yummy made with other chile peppers, like Anaheim, Cubanelle and poblano (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Melissa’s Produce).

[2] Close up on a slice.

[3] Melissa’s Hatch Chile Powder is made in both mild and hot varieties.

[4] If you don’t want pepperoni, substitute a topping of choice, including other veggies such as onions, mushrooms or red bell peppers (photo © DeLaurenti | Seattle).

[5] Shredded mozzarella cheese (photo © Kiboka | Panther Media).

[1] Fluffy blueberry ricotta pancakes for brunch (photo © California Wine Institute).

[2] It’s blueberry season now, but in other months you can use frozen blueberries (photo © Elena Mozhvilo | Unsplash).

[3] Did you know that you can make ricotta cheese at home? Here’s the recipe (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Maple syrup adds more depth of flavor to the blueberry sauce than granulated sugar (photo © Nadine Primeau | Unsplash).

[5] For a savory pancake dish, how about these BLT & Quark Pancakes with Chipotle Bourbon Dressing? Here’s the recipe (photo © Tiegen Gerard | Half Baked Harvest).

Pancakes are at the top of the list of favorite brunch foods. They can be as simple to make as combining a box mix with milk or water.

But for foodies who’d like a bit more, there are more complex pancake recipes like the one below, served with homemade blueberry sauce instead of maple syrup (you can make the blueberry sauce the night before and reheat it when you’re ready to serve).

Adding ricotta to the batter is a magical touch: The pancakes don’t taste like ricotta cheese, but rather, the ricotta adds a rich and creamy taste.

As opposed to buttermilk pancakes, ricotta pancakes are taller and more custard-like on the inside. Beaten egg whites make these pancakes extra fluffy, almost soufflé-like. Treat yourself to a yummy brunch.

There are links to more pancake recipes below.
 
 
RECIPE: FLUFFY BLUEBERRY RICOTTA PANCAKES

This recipe makes about 12 three-to-four-inch pancakes, but you can make them any size you choose. When blueberries are out of season, you can use frozen blueberries.

Tip: Mix the batter lightly. Over-beating the batter, can make the pancakes tough and rubbery.
 
Ingredients For The Blueberry sauce

 
For The Pancakes

 
Preparation

1. PREPARE the blueberry sauce: Set aside ½ cup of the blueberries. Put the remaining berries in a small saucepan with the maple syrup and ¼ cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cover and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer.

2. COOK, stirring occasionally, until the berries completely collapse, about 10 minutes. The mixture will still be thin. Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved ½ cup berries. Let cool to room temperature; the sauce will thicken as it cools. Refrigerate for up to one week. Rewarm gently to serve.

3. PREPARE the pancakes: Preheat a griddle or large skillet to medium-low. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, salt and vanilla until pale and thick. Whisk in the milk, then the ricotta, whisking until smooth. Add the flour, whisking just until blended.

4. BEAT the egg whites in another bowl, by hand or with an electric mixer, beat the egg whites to firm peaks. Gently fold them into the batter.

5. LIGHTLY BRUSH the griddle with melted butter in the spots where you intend to make pancakes. Spoon the batter onto the griddle in desired amounts; ¼ cup batter will make about a 4-inch pancake. Dot the top with blueberries. Cook until nicely browned on the bottom, then turn with an offset spatula and cook on the second side until nicely browned, about 2 minutes per side.

6. TRANSFER the pancakes to serving plates as they are done. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and spoon warm blueberry sauce over and around them. Serve immediately, with butter if desired.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PANCAKES & WAFFLES
 
> THE HISTORY OF PANCAKES

 
MORE PANCAKE RECIPES

Sweet Pancakes

 
Savory Pancakes

 
Seasonal Pancake Recipes

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

August is National Sandwich Month. While we’ve published many delicious sandwich recipes, we’d like to share a variation on the classic tuna salad sandwich.

It’s not just any variation: It’s Julia Child’s recipe.

Cookbook author Dorie Greenspan published the recipe in The New York Times last year, sharing that it was one of Julia Child’s lunchtime favorites.

Since Julia was on the road much of the time, being fed rich foods, when she returned home she preferred simple foods.

Here’s Dorie’s charming story.

And a charming fact: Julia Child’s birthday August 15th, right in the middle of National Sandwich Month.
 
 
MAKE JULIA’S TUNA SALAD SANDWICH

Here’s Julia’s recipe as adapted by Dorie Greenspan.

For her tuna salad, Julia required:

 
Julia would serve the sandwich on white bread, or open-face on a Bays English muffin (photo #2).

This tuna salad recipe is great with us. Not to challenge an icon, but personally:

 
Of course, you don’t need to make a sandwich.

 
What beverage should you serve?

The beverage that might have been served in Julia’s kitchen with the tuna sandwich was not recorded in the article. But we’d go for an iced tea.

A squeeze of lemon or lime would not only brighten the tea, but also the tuna flavors.
 
 
> CREATIVE SANDWICHES WITH GLOBAL INFLUENCES (SERVED ON AREPA, BAO, DOSA, ROTI & MORE)
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF THE SANDWICH
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SANDWICHES
 
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*In French cooking, white pepper is used to season light-colored food. The idea is to avoid black specks on the food. Today, rules are more relaxed—and most people enjoy the black specks, or don’t notice them.

†Butterhead is a soft leaf lettuce, such as bibb or Boston. The different types of lettuce.

‡Ficelle is a long loaf that’s thinner than a baguette—1″ to 2″ wide. The word is French for “string.”

[1] An adaption of Julia Child’s signature tuna salad sandwich. Here’s the recipe from Dorie Greenspan and The New York Times (photo Heami Lee © New York Times, Food Stylist Maggie Ruggiero, Prop Stylist: Rebecca Bartoshesky).

[2] Use tuna in oil, preferably olive oil. The oil makes the tuna more flavorful (photo © Vital Choice).

[3] Bay’s was Julia’s English muffin of choice (photo © Bays).

[4] Capers are a great garnish for so many dishes. Capers are the flower bud of the plant; the larger caperberries are the fruit with seeds inside. Both are brined before jarring, and thus contribute tangy saltiness as well as flavor to dishes (photo © Good Eggs).