No one puts as much time, care and thought into Bloody Marys as Mira Castillo, daytime bartender at Daly's Pub in Astoria. Having spent the better part of a decade perfecting her tomato-based libations, Castillo serves up three kinds of $8 Bloody Marys, all made with love and attention by the understated tattooed mixologist. For those with an aversion to piquancy, she makes a Hail Mary that features homemade vodka-infused sun-dried tomatoes. Her medium blend, the Something About Mary, maintains a bold, tangy flavor that lingers on the palate. And her fiery Bloody Maria, made with tequila instead of vodka and garnished with a giant shrimp, will clear the sinuses. But the best part of Castillo's concoctions are their Sunday prices — buy two and get your third free. Treat Castillo well and she'll even throw in a bagel...

Best Bloody Mary found at Daly's Pub in Astoria

A layer cocktail with cinnamon as the main attack on the palate, we’re mixing a layered shooter with 1/2 oz. Midori, 1/2 oz. Aftershock and 1/2 oz. Blue Curacao.

How To Make The Amaru

We’re mixing up a cocktail we’ve put off for years, the Bloody Mary. It just seems like an odd series of ingredients to call it a “cocktail.” Here we go: 1 1/2 oz. Vodka, 2 1/2 oz. Tomato Juice, 1 dash Worchester Sauce, 1 Tablespoon of Lime Juice, 1/2 Teaspoon Tabasco and a celery stalk.

How To Make The Bloody Mary

1 tablespoon butter 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 teaspoon minced garlic 2 to 3 medium zucchini, grated Salt and freshly ground black pepper 6 eggs, separated 8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated 1/4 cup parsley, chopped. 1. Butter four 1 1/2 -cup ramekins or one 6-cup soufflé dish. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Put the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; when it’s hot, add the onion and garlic and cook until soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the zucchini, season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until very tender, another 10 to 12 minutes. If you prefer, substitute a 10-ounce bag of spinach, chopped and cooked the same way. Drain the vegetables if there is excess liquid, and let cool. 2. In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and cheese with some salt and pepper. Add the vegetables and parsley and stir. In a clean, dry bowl, beat the egg whites until they are light and fluffy and just hold soft peaks; stir about a third of the whites into the yolk mixture to lighten it, then gently fold in the remaining whites, trying not to deflate them much. 3. Pour the soufflé mixture into the ramekins or dish. Bake until golden and puffy, 30 to 35 minutes, and serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.

Recipe: Zucchini Soufflé

Roasting a turkey in a brown paper grocery bag creates a steamy environment that cooks the turkey quickly and produces extremely moist, flavourful meat. Bonus: No basting required. Ingredients 1 10-lb fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed, washed and patted dry 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened, plus 3 tablespoons for gravy 1 plain brown grocery bag large enough to accommodate turkey 2 medium carrots, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 2 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces 1 small onion, quartered 1 bay leaf 1 tsp kosher salt 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 6 cloves garlic, smashed 12 sprigs fresh thyme 6 fresh sage leaves 1 lemon, peeled with a vegetable peeler (reserve peel) 3 tbsp all-purpose flour Instructions 1. Remove turkey from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking to ensure even roasting. 2. Place rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 325 F. 3. Melt 1/4 cup butter and apply to grocery bag using a pastry brush. It’s very important that bag is thoroughly greased and translucent as this will seal in steam. Place bag on its side on a rimmed baking sheet, with seams facing up. Place carrot, celery, onion and bay leaf inside bag and set aside. 4. Place 2 tablespoons butter inside cavity of turkey and rub remaining butter over skin. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Place 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 of thyme, sage and lemon peel inside cavity. Fold wing tips under turkey and tie legs closed. Place remaining herbs and garlic inside paper bag and set turkey on top, breast-side up. Double fold bag’s opening and staple or paper clip closed. Roast for 2 hours, undisturbed. Tip: Figure about 12 minutes per pound, up to 14 lb. 5. Remove from oven, open bag; be careful of steam inside bag. Turkey should read 170 F on an instant read thermometer. If needed, return to oven until this temperature is achieved. When finished, remove turkey from bag, place on platter and cover with foil. Let rest 20 minutes before carving. The turkey can also be returned to a baking sheet, before resting, and placed under a preheated broiler to darken skin, if desired. 6. While turkey rests, pour drippings from bag into a measuring cup, about 3 cups. Top up with water or chicken stock if necessary. Let drippings sit 5 minutes to allow fat to separate. Mash 2 cloves roasted garlic with a fork. Set aside. In a pot, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Blend in flour and stir until mixture is golden. Discard top layer of fat from measuring cup and pour remaining drippings into flour mixture, whisking constantly. Add reserved garlic and continue to whisk until gravy thickens. Pour through a fine mesh strainer and serve immediately. Nutrition Info Per serving (1/8 recipe): about 620 calories, 38 g fat, 62 g protein, 6 g carbs, 1g fibre, 532 mg sodium. Excellent source of iron.

Trick to an 'extremely' moist, quick turkey

About a month ago, we asked you to send us your burning barbecue questions with the promise that the five best would be personally answered by grilling expert Steven Raichlen. The readers who asked those five questions also win an autographed copy of his new book Planet Barbecue! We picked our favorites, and we're posting them--along with Raichlen's answers--every day this week. So far, we've learned the best way to grill chicken and what wood chip flavors are best for what meats. Today, cdziuba's question: Is it ever OK to use spray on the grill, like PAM, or Olive Oil PAM? How do you keep foods from sticking to the grill? We received a handful of questions similar to this one. It seems many home cooks (ourselves included) have trouble keeping meats intact when grilling them outdoors. Congrats, cdziuba! Your book will be on its way to you soon. Here is grillmaster Steven Raichlen's answer: In my experience, commercial grill sprays can cause flare-ups when you spray them on the grill grate. I prefer to dip a folded paper towel in vegetable or olive oil, and holding it with tongs, draw it evenly across the bars of the hot grill grate just prior to cooking. If you like the convenience of a spray, invest in an environmentally-friendly oil mister (it doesn't rely on propellants and is reusable). Here are some tips for preventing food from sticking to the grill grate: * Preheat the grill grate, brush with a stiff-bristled wire grill brush, and oil well before cooking. Repeat at the end of the grill session while the grate is still hot. * Resist the urge to turn the food prematurely, i.e., before the proteins have firmed up and are ready to release easily. * Turn food only once with a thin-bladed spatula. * Limit your use of sauces and marinades with a high sugar content; they will cause food to stick as they caramelize. * Adopt my mantra for the grill grate: "Keep it hot, keep it clean, keep it lubricated."

How Do You Keep Food from Sticking to the Grill?

Barbequing is definitely part of our culture and with the summer here, more and more people are firing up their barbeques. Whether your preference is charcoal or gas, the rules for food safety and cooking are the same. Every time you burn or blacken protein like meat, fish or poultry you are producing carcinogens. It's not exclusive to grilling, frying and roasting produce carcinogens as well. The solution is to marinate. Marinating has several functions. It tenderizes, adds flavour, and reduces the total amount of carcinogens produced. Choosing high antioxidant foods like lemon juice; herbs & spices like garlic, rosemary, oregano and basil; plus heat tolerant canola oil to make up your marinade, will reduce the amount of carcinogens formed while grilling. When making homemade burgers, adding garlic, rosemary, oregano or basil will reduce the amount of carcinogens formed as well. Depending on the cut, marinate meat and poultry anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Fish is the exception. This delicate protein shouldn't be marinated for longer than one hour depending on the ingredients in the marinade. Marinate fish too long, and it will fall apart on the grill. Use a non metallic shallow dish or a resealable plastic bag to marinate in. Make sure that the marinade coats all of the meat, fish or poultry and place in the fridge for the desired length of time. When it's time to start cooking, preheat your barbeque on high for at least 5 minutes and make sure that any residue from the last barbeque has been burned off. Starting with a clean grill will help prevent most food from sticking. Take the meat out of the fridge, remove from the marinade, and place the meat on a clean plate. Discard the marinade. Never use the marinade that the raw food was marinating in, to baste the food. This marinade may contain high levels of bacteria like E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria that aren't destroyed during the grilling process. The elderly, young children or people with compromised immune systems are more at risk for foodborne illnesses. Health recommends that a safer choice is to reserve some of the marinade before you add it to the meat. Store this separately in the fridge and use it for basting or as a dipping sauce. The food safety rule of thumb is - always discard any marinade that was coating the meat. Place meat on the grill, reduce heat to medium, and cook flipping often. Chefs worldwide will disagree, but from a health standpoint reducing or avoiding the blackened grill marks is the way to go. Barbeque with the lid down, barbeques are really outdoor ovens that work best with the lid closed. Test for doneness using a meat thermometer. Take the meat off the grill and place it in a clean plate. Insert the food thermometer through the thickest part of the meat. For hamburgers, you should insert the food thermometer through the side of the patty, all the way to the middle. Here are the temperatures for doneness: Beef, veal and lamb (pieces and whole cuts) Medium-rare 63°C (145°F) Medium 71°C (160°F) Well done 77°C (170°F) Pork (pieces and whole cuts) 71°C (160°F) Poultry (e.g. chicken, turkey, duck) Pieces 74°C (165°F) Whole 85°C (185°F) Ground meat and meat mixtures (e.g. burgers, sausages, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles) Beef, veal, lamb and pork 71°C (160°F) Ground Poultry 74°C (165°F) Once cooked remove from grill and place the meat on a clean plate, let it sit for at least five minutes before carving or serving. This allows the juices to redistribute and gives you a more tender and juicy piece of meat.

Grilling tips for health and food safety