Turkey Scrapple With Garlic Aioli Paired with 2010 Cristobal 1492 Mendoza Verdelho

Since beginning my adventures in the kitchen and the wine rack, one of my occasional pleasures is recreating a fond food memory from my childhood.  Growing up in the Midwest U.S., fine dining was not part of our vocabulary.  Quite honestly, dining was more homespun; hamburger helper, canned cream of mushroom soup combined with everything, and the occasional exotic La Choy Chow Mein that came in two cans.  Although I was not raised in the midst of a grand culinary tradition, there were some gems (and the ever present pies and cakes).

One of my fond gastronomic memories was oatmeal scrapple.  For the the uninitiated, oatmeal scrapple is a combination of oatmeal and pork parts that don’t make it into sausage.  In other words, it is made from all the stuff that can’t be made into anything else – the last bits and pieces that have not yet found a more productive use.  While growing up in Michigan, oatmeal scrapple was a common breakfast food prepared by pan frying the scrapple in butter, placing the scrapple on a slice of toasted white bread, and topping with bread and butter pickles.

Oatmeal scrapple came rushing back to my consciousness recently when Formerly of Austin Dawn gave me a jar of bread and butter pickles she made fresh from her garden.  With this memory cue, my thoughts quickly shifted to exploring how I might update this childhood favorite.  My adult version started with cutting a loaf of French bread on the diagonal and toasting under the broiler with a pad of butter.  To this I added a slice of turkey scrapple prepared in the traditional method – sautéed in butter.  I then added thinly sliced red onion, garlic aioli, and bread and butter pickles.

When sautéed, the scrapple becomes a warm, rich, soft pâté and a wonderful textural contrast to the toasted French bread and onions.  Bread an butter pickles are not terribly firm, and add another layer textural pleasure.  I was happy to find the reincarnation well balanced and a well constructed update to my childhood memory.  But you don’t have to take my word for it.  Just ask Golf Buddy Steve – a fellow Midwesterner – who made several trips to the plate in an attempt to satisfy his own childhood fondness for these memorable flavors.

Paired with this healthy alternative to pork belly, I went to the opposing hemisphere and selected a 2010 Cristobal 1492 Mendoza Verdelho.  I selected this wine because I had recently sampled it, enjoyed the fruit features, and it was fresh in my memory.  The 2010 Cristobal 1492 Mendoza Verdelho is light straw yellow in color with greenish hues. It is a well balanced crisp and dry wine showing an intense fruity and floral bouquet with aromas of tropical fruits and peach. The refreshing palate exudes flavors of pear, tropical fruits as well as guava, peach and spice.  The refreshing fruit flavors were a delightful contrast to the deeper darker umami flavors of the turkey scrapple and complimented the sweetness of the bread and butter pickles quite nicely.  At $10, this wine is a great value and would pair well with a broad range of fish and chicken dishes.

If you ever find yourself in the mood to take a trip down memory lane, and that lane has scrapple in it, this is a fun and thoroughly enjoyable trip to take.

In vino veritas, buen provecho.

Craig