rumaki!

bacon! this is a wonderful appetizer in time for the SUPER BOWL! i made them yesterday for a birthday party celebrating one of my most favorite people...

this is a retro appetizer and i have never had authentic housewife rumaki- but this is how i imagine based on my research of the topic..

the first step is marinating water chestnuts in the special sauce. i do some garlic and ginger in a liberal amount of a lighter oil: vegetable, canola, salad oil. to that, i add about a cup of soy sauce, and a cup of red wine vinegar. from here, you can go a few ways based on how sweet/savory/spicy you want things to go. i added about 6 tbsp. brown sugar, 4 tbsp. ketchup, 4 tbsp. sriracha, 2 tbsp. chili paste, salt and pepper. this gives a sweet heat.

then i cut bacon in half and cook at 350 on a sheet pan for a few minutes. soft enough to work with, but getting the cooking started. maybe 5, 7 minutes? when it cools a bit, i put the water chestnut in the middle, wrap the bacon around both sides and stab with a toothpick through the center. i place these bundles on the sheet tray and sprinkle with brown sugar and bake at 400 until crispy.

meanwhile, put the sauce/marinade on the stove and cook it down a bit. this thickens the sauce, intensifying the flavo flave.

for serving, you could have the rumaki on a tray and dip in the sauce OR put everything together, which is what i did last night. smokey crisp bacon, crunchy water chestnut and a sauce that starts a warm burn on the way down.