« Pacific Northwest: Taste

ROUILLE

From Chef Charlie Durham of Cassis

3 red bell peppers 1 cup olive oil 6 cloves garlic, minced 5 dried ancho chilies 2 small, hot dried chilies, such as pequin 3 slices good white bread, crusts removed 1 tablespoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar Salt and pepper 1. Roast the bell peppers over an open flame until the skins blacken. Place the peppers in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until cool. When cool, gently peel the blackened skin from the peppers, remove the seeds, and set aside. 2. Heat the olive oil and the garlic together over low heat until the garlic just starts to color. Remove from the heat and set aside. The garlic will continue to cook. If it becomes fully browned stop the cooking by straining the garlic out of the oil. 3. Lightly toast both kinds of dried chilies in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water to the skillet and cover for 30 minutes to soften the chilies. Remove the chilies from the water, but reserve the water. Purée the bell peppers and chilies in a food processor, adding a little of the reserved water from the chilies to make the purée more smooth. With the machine running, add the bread and continue to process until fully incorporated. Drizzle in the olive oil and garlic in a thin stream to emulsify. Remove the rouille from the food processor and mix in the thyme and vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to use.

 

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