Recipe: Smokey Bacon and Corn Chowder

By popular demand, this is the most requested recipe from the last Women Tasting Wine Seminar.

Turkey Rillettes

Here is the most requested recipe from the last Women Tasting Wine seminar.

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.

Muhammara Sauce

Yield: 6-8 servings

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!