Traditionally, rillettes are made from a confit that has been pounded in a mortar to a smooth paste.  Confit is one of the oldest methods of preserving meats, fish and poultry.  First the meat is cured with salt and then slow cooked in fat or oil.  Finally it is packed in a crock and sealed from the air with a layer of fat.  If you are uncomfortable using this quantity of duck fat, olive oil may be substituted though the results won’t be exactly the same.

Ingredients –
3 pounds whole chicken wings, wing tips removed wings cut at joint (reserve the tips for another use or simply buy chicken wing “drumettes”)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons (or to taste) Srichacha Chili Sauce
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cloves garlic, finely minced

Method:
1. If you are using frozen chicken wings first drain them of any excess liquid. Then place
the chicken in stainless, glass or ceramic bowl.
2. Combine honey, molasses, chili sauce, ginger, and garlic.
3. Pour sauce over wings, cover and refrigerate at least one hour.
4. Preheat oven to 375 F.
5. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade.
6. Spread chicken wings evenly on well oiled broiler pan.
7. Bake wings 25 minutes. Brush occasionally with marinade. Turn wings.
8. Bake additional 25 minutes.
9. Discard marinade.

Chef’s Notes: I found that the marinade became too watery during the marinade process so I put the reserved marinade into a sauce pan and reduced it by about one third.  Be careful doing this as it can easily burn if left unattended.  The chicken wings should caramelize very nicely after 50 minutes in the oven– but if they have not then turn the oven up to 400 deg and toss them in the sauce. Again, be careful not to burn them.
Remove them from the oven when they are dark mahogany color.  His recipe can be scaled up proportionally but be careful with the srichacha chili sauce.

Recipe adapted from:  “Chicken Wing Recipes”

http://www.chickenwingrecipes.net/Recipes/MahoganyChickenWings.htm

Ingredients:
3 large red bell peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
¼ t red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1 cup toasted walnuts
2 T pomegranate molasses (or to taste)
½ t ground cumin
2 T olive oil
Pinch of sugar
Salt to taste
Lemon juice

Procedure:
Place the peppers, red pepper flakes, walnuts, pomegranate molasses, and cumin in a food processer and run until you have a smooth paste. With the motor running drizzle in the olive oil, sugar and salt, then add lemon juice to taste.

Chef’s Notes:
This sauce is similar to the classic Spanish Romesco sauce. Romesco is generally made with roasted tomatoes, roasted red bell peppers, and garlic and then thickened with ground almonds or hazelnuts. Since tomatoes came on the European scene rather late, I would bet that they share the same Moorish roots.
My preference with this easy to make sauce is add a bit more molasses and red pepper flakes than are called for. In a pinch, roasted red bells in a tin or jar can be used but will not have the same intense smoky flavor of the fresh roasted. This sauce can be used in much the same way as the Romesco (with salmon, seafood, grilled meats and vegetables or even on a sandwich) and it is different enough to be noticed. Enjoy!

Ajo Blanco (Chilled Almond Soup)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
• 6 ounces (1 small to medium loaf) of day-old good quality French or Italian bread
crust removed and pulled apart and shredded by hand into small (no larger than
one inch) pieces
• 1 c whole blanched almonds
• 4 crushed garlic cloves
• 1/2 c of Spanish (preferably) extra-virgin olive oil + 2 Tbsp
• 1/3 c sherry vinegar
• 1 1/2c good quality chicken stock
• 1 c seedless green grapes
• 1 cup of French or Italian bread crust removed and cut into 1 inch cubes

Directions
1. Soak 6 oz. of bread in cold water for 5 minutes, and squeeze to remove excess
moisture.
2. Blanch the almonds by dropping them into boiling water for 30 seconds or until
the skins feel loose. Remove the skins by pinching the almonds.
3. Put almonds and garlic in a food processor and process until well ground.
4. With the motor running, add the 1/2 c of olive oil in a smooth slow steady stream.
5. Slowly add the sherry vinegar and the stock.
6. Add the bread a bit at a time and continue to process until the mix has reached the
desired consistency.
7. Blend for 1 minute.
8. Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours. The soup thickens a bit while refrigerated.
Add more stock or water to get the right consistency.
9. Meanwhile make the croutons: heat the other 2 Tbsp of oil in a large pan and toss
the 1 cup of bread over medium heat until evenly golden brown.
10. Place the croutons on paper towels to absorb excess oil.
11. Serve the soup cold, garnished with the croutons, grapes and (perhaps) a small
splash of aged sherry vinegar.
Based on a recipe I found in The Foods of Spain by Vicky Harris et al.

3 lbs. boneless short ribs
2 T. vegetable oil
1 carrot, diced
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 T. tomato paste
2 c. red wine
2 c. beef broth
1 piece star anise
3 strips orange zest
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper

Method:
Season the short ribs with salt and pepper. In a wide, heavy bottom stainless steel
saucepan, brown short ribs over medium high heat with vegetable oil, until brown on all
sides. Remove from the pan; add the vegetables and sauté for 5 minutes to caramelize.
Stir in the tomato paste. Deglaze with the red wine and reduce by half. Add the beef
broth, star anise, orange zest and bay leaves. Return the short ribs to the pan, lower the
heat to a simmer, cover and place in the middle of the oven. Cook for 3 hours or until
beef is fork tender. Remove beef and strain broth into a
saucepan. Skim the top of broth of fat and reduce to a light sauce consistency. Pour the
sauce back over the short ribs and serve with potato puree, noodles or your favorite
accompaniment.

Chefs notes: Recipe from Cakebread Cellars

¾ cup (12 oz. or 1 ½sticks) unsalted butter
8 oz. 70% cocoa (or higher) chocolate
3 large eggs plus 3 large egg yolks
1/3 cup of granulated sugar
3 T flour
Pinch of salt

Method:
In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water melt the butter and the chocolate. After they have
melted, gently mix the butter and chocolate until well combined.

Meanwhile in a medium mixing bowl blend together the eggs, yolks, sugar, flour and the pinch of salt. Add
the butter and chocolate mixture to the bowl.

Spray the cupcake tin (see note below) with cooking oil and fill each cup about half full with the egg and
chocolate mixture. Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. The edges should be cooked but the center of each
cupcake should be smooth and shiny. Let the cupcakes cool for about 10 minutes then using a small knife,
cut around the each. Place a greased cookie sheet over the cupcake tin and invert. With any luck, the
cupcakes will fall out onto the cookie sheet. If not, they can be coaxed out with the small knife.

Chef’s notes:
The cupcake tin I use for this recipe has cups that measure about 2 ¾ inches in diameter at the top and a
depth of about 1 1/8 inches deep. The volume of each cup is about 2 2/3 fl. oz.

To finish the dish, I like to put each cupcake in the middle of a small plate and garnish with chocolate syrup
(or ganache), fresh raspberries and some cocoa powder. Enjoy!