Aloha. A good chunk of the Putney Farm crew are on the road this week, so we will be posting from the tropics. (Jeni and friends will be holding down the fort and eating all the bacon, a nice consolation.) And since we are in the tropics, we will be sticking with the theme. Expect some tiki cocktail recipes soon, after some “testing”. But for now, let’s start with breakfast.

As you may know, Carolyn makes homemade granola on a regular basis. The boys and I can’t get enough of it- the boys even sell it at school events. But as it is spring and we are in warmer climes, Carolyn developed a tropical version of the recipe, and it’s great.

Carolyn took the base granola recipe and added macadamia nuts, sesame seeds, nutmeg, ginger, dried mango and dried pineapple. What you get is a sweet and slightly spicy (from the ginger) version of granola. We also use olive oil in our granola, it adds a distinctive savory note (along with some salt) that rounds out the flavor. If you want a lighter flavor, basic vegetable oil will also work, but try it with the olive oil- you may never go back.

A final note on how to manage the texture of the granola- if you want big chunks press down firmly on the granola with a spatula before you put the baking sheet in the oven. If you like a more crumbly granola, skip this step.

Tropical Granola:

Notes Before You Start:

• If you do not have dried mango or pineapple you can substitute other sweet dried fruits. The granola may be less “tropical” but it will still be good.

What You Get: Tasty, easy granola with a fruity, spicy flavor profile.

What You Need: The only “special” equipment required is a medium-to- large, rimmed baking sheet.

How Long? About 2 hours, with less than 10 minutes of active time. Expect about 40 minutes of baking and an hour of cooling time.

Ingredients:

(Makes 7 cups)

• 3 Cups of rolled oats
• 1 Cup unsweetened coconut
• 1 Cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped
• ½ Cup maple syrup
• ½ Cup extra virgin olive oil (or vegetable oil)
• ½ Cup light brown sugar
• ¼ Cup sesame seeds
• 1 Teaspoon of kosher salt
• ¾ Teaspoon of grated nutmeg
• 1 and ½ Teaspoons of ground ginger
• ¾ Cup dried mango, roughly chopped
• ¾ Cup dried pineapple, roughly chopped

 Assemble:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix all ingredients, except dried fruit, in a large bowl.
3. Spray a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray (or grease it with butter). Spread the granola mixture on the baking sheet and press down with a spatula. Place granola in the oven and bake for 40 minutes, rotate the sheet after 20 minutes.
4. Remove the granola from the oven and let cool for 1 hour. Break the granola into chunks, then mix in the dried fruit. Serve.