BLACK WIDOW SPIDER BITES or TURDS AND POO - Your Choice!

This is a great Halloween Party recipe. You can either make the black widow spider version seen picured here - hint; the eggplant abdomen holds quite a bit of dip so be sure to make extra legs to go around.


Or you can made "DRIED TURDS with GOOEY POO DIP" - Same recipe/instructions, omit eggplant, add sprinkle of garlic and rosemary, or basil and sundried tomato to the bread strips prior to the 'painting' step. Fun option - add a few corn kernels for texture.  Form smaller twists, being as anotomically correct as you can stomach. Bake as instructed. Serve on platter with a 'pile' of poo dip in the middle. Hilariously delicious!

Be sure to add labels to your Gross-Gourmet dishes for maximum effect!

BLACK WIDOW SPIDER BITES

1, medium eggplant
1, 16 ounce can refried black beans
1, 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
8 ounces prepared hummus, roasted red pepper flavored
1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 red pepper, divided
1/4 cup dry onion soup mix
Lemon juice
green olive with pimento stuffing
1, 13 ounce tube refrigerated Pillsbury Pizza dough
1 cup, parmesan cheese, grated
Black food color (or combine red & blue food coloring to get near black)

When you purchase your eggplant, try to find one that will sit nice and flat on a serving platter, and also resembles the abdomen of a spider in shape. For this dish I use the egg plant solely as a vessel to serve the dip in. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise. Run a paring knife around the edge of each half, approximately 1/4 inch from the skin, to carve out the flesh. You want to leave at least 1/4 inch thickness so that the shell will be firm enough to use as a bowl.

Cut an X between fresh-cut edges and scoop out each quarter section until each half resembles a bowl. Discard eggplant flesh. Rub lemon juice over the cut edges to prevent browning and place into re-sealable baggie in refrigerator until ready to use.

Meanwhile, set aside 1/3 can of the drained, rinsed black beans and put the remaining 2/3 can into a medium bowl, mix with refried beans, hummus, garlic, cumin, onion soup mix, and red pepper, and mash with potato masher. Stir in equal amounts of red and blue food colors until you get a dark black-ish hue. Gently stir in 1/3 can whole black beans. Refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight to let flavors meld together.

Put grated parmesan cheese in re-sealable baggie and add 4 to 6 drops each of red and blue food coloring. Let the air out of the bag and seal. Smoosh the cheese and food coloring around inside the baggie until thoroughly mixed and color is even. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 425-degrees F. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a very small glass bowl (plastic as it may stain) combine approximately 1 tablespoon each of red and blue food colors. Open tube of pizza dough and roll out to an approximate 16” X 8” rectangle. Using a pizza slicer, cut into fourths, lengthwise so that you have 4, 16” X 2” rectangles. Then cut each of those rectangles in half so that you end up with 8, 8” X 2” strips. Using a pastry brush, paint top side of each strip of dough with “black” food color. Carefully lift strips, one at a time, flip over and fold in half lengthwise so that the black is on the outside and the uncolored dough is on the inside. Pour grated and colored parmesan into a flat bottom bowl. Take each 8” X 1” piece of dough, one at a time, and place into grated cheese. Sprinkle cheese on top of dough as well, and press all sides so that cheese adheres. Now gently, grab each end of the cheese covered dough strip, letting the center rest in the cheese bowl so that you don’t over stretch it - twist. If there are portions of “uncolored” dough showing, don’t worry – this is not supposed to be pretty. Place twisted, coated strips on prepared baking sheet and continue process until all 8 strips are done. Once they are all on the baking sheet, shape each into a spider legs – 4 bending to the right and 4 bending to the left. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. Remove and let cool.

To assemble spider, first prepare eggplant abdomen. Choose which side will be the top and which will be the bottom. Cut a small sliver from the bottom of the eggplant that will be sitting on the tray, if necessary, to stabilize. Cut an hourglass shape from the top piece to resemble that of a black widow spider marking. Using the same pastry brush, rinsed of course, paint red food color on the inside rim of the cut hour glass shape.

Place bottom of ‘abdomen’ on large tray. Fill with black bean dip. Place top with hour glass cut-out over dip and arrange ‘bread legs’ around the ‘abdomen’. Garnish with olive halves for eyes. Guests can break off bits of leg to use in dip. Creepy Good Stuff!