Hello Cooks and welcome to the Enlightened Cook’s first blog post!!
I thought I’d kick off with something timely like Superbowl Wings!
The Wing Story
One of my dearest friends, Vicent Grupi, whose since passed on, told me he had fabulous chicken wings at a party, and he was told they were made with yogurt. He remarked that it seemed a very strange combination, yet they were the best wings he’d ever tasted. I wondered how anyone, especially Vinny, could get that excited about chicken wings. To me they were greasy junk food with little culinary merit. Yet somehow the thought of deriving a recipe from that one piece of information, stuck in my mind for 15 years. By then I knew marinating in yogurt was part of India’s Tandoori tradition, in which foods are slow-cooked in an oven for a long time.
Finally, when I looked down at the meat counter one day I saw a package of the plumpest wings I’d ever seen. They were hormone/antibiotic-free, organic chicken wings and still very inexpensive, and that was a great place to start. So I decided to do what I often do when I cook; I “winged it.” I dreamed up what I thought would taste good and marinated these wings for 3 days, before bringing them raw and swimming in sauce to Candy and Will’s Labor Day BBQ. Being from Texas, Will’s a master griller and knew to cook them slowly on a cooler part of the grill. My rock star date, who I’m sure prefers to go nameless, was licking his fingers with delight over them and our drummer friend, was stomping his foot with speechless appreciation. Everyone at the party said they were the plumpest, most succulent wings they’d ever had, except Will. Unfortunately, the wings were all gobbled up before he got one. Sorry, Will!
Try to plan ahead on this one, so you can marinate for the full 3 days. I think you’ll be amazed at the result. And please, save one for the host!
SUPERBOWL WINGS
4 lbs chicken wings
1 quart plain yogurt
3 oz. beer
Juice of 2 limes
1 1/2” ginger root- coarse chopped
2 t. dried thyme
1 t. dried lavender
1 t. black pepper
3/4 t. sea salt
Rinse and poke holes into the wings with a sharp knife, so the sauce penetrates the flesh of the chicken. Mix all the ingredients together and marinate 1-3 days. Stir the mixture twice a day.
Grill very slowly on the BBQ or bake on a lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven at 325º for 45 minutes. Goes good with a beer. Enjoy!
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