Let's Eat!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

It all starts with wings...

Some Wings We Like

We are fortunate to live in a time of indisputable bounty when it comes to an endless variety of foods, delicious dishes, and access to ingredients from every corner of the globe. So much food, so many recipes, and so little time – it left us wondering where to start when it came to a food blog.

At last, we decided we should begin in our own backyard  - Western New York where we both grew up. It seemed appropriate to pay homage to our roots with the terrific “regular guy food” so beloved by the hard working people of this area – food that, in many cases, was introduced by immigrants who brought their foodways from their homelands, creating a legion of legacy dishes served up in local eating establishments and home kitchens.

Buffalo and Western New York have not made the successful economic comeback that one sees in Baltimore and Cleveland. Buffalo, still sporting the old moniker of “the Queen City” bestowed in the 1840s, now looks like an old dowager who has fallen on hard times. A drive through once affluent neighborhoods, many of which are now decrepit and ramshackle, is shocking. Sadly, wonderful restaurants, taverns, and neighborhood bars serving local specialties are long gone. But despite the deplorable political infighting responsible for the decay and the continued depressed economy of Buffalo, the populace perseveres in its celebration of the culinary traditions that have taken root over the years. As we present favorite dishes and recipes, you’ll learn about our history, the evolution of our favorite foods, and the innovative ways folks prepare them. Of course, we’ll venture much further a field to other parts of the United States and, indeed, into international cuisines, but this, we decided, was our starting point.

From a culinary perspective, Buffalo is best known for chicken wings. The story of how Buffalo wings were created by Teressa Bellisimo, co-owner of the Anchor Bar, has been related over and over again, and we won’t repeat it here. (For anyone unfamiliar, the story, as well as the original recipe, is easily located via an online Internet search.) Locals and visitors continue to flock to the Anchor Bar where wings are the specialty of the house. The size of those wings has increased over the years and today, they resemble the appendages of a flock of awesome birds of prey who flew off course, ending up in the Anchor Bar deep fryer. The popularity of Buffalo wings has continued to grow, and they are featured on the menus of nearly every self-respecting eating establishment in Western New York to say nothing of innumerable restaurants across the country. Folks make them at home and now, there’s even an annual Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival that, according to festival officials, attracts more than 70,000 devotees from all fifty states, some 36 countries, and every continent except Antarctica.

Over the years, a g-zillion different sauces and ways to prepare chicken wings have been created, ranging from mild to tongue-searing hot. Creativity has taken flight, and everyone, it seems, has a favorite way to prepare wings – or at least an opinion.

Below are a couple of our favorite wing recipes. Note that a single serving of wings is typically ten, but for those with hearty appetites, don’t consider anything less than a double order of twenty.
Chef Rob’s Mustard Wing Sauce

This sauce contains ground coriander, produced from the dried seeds of the cilantro plant. The Kitchen Dictionary describes coriander as having “a flavor similar to a blend of lemon, sage, and caraway.”

Sauce:
¼ cup regular Dijon mustard
¼ cup whole grain Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce
½ teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Approximately 2 ½ pounds chicken wings, tips removed and drumettes separated from the double bone parts to produce about 20 wing pieces 

Combine all sauce ingredients, stirring to mix well. Reserve half of the sauce mixture; cover and refrigerate. Toss the remainder of the sauce with the wings and marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours.

Pre-heat an outdoor grill on high. Lower the heat to medium and grill the marinated wings until golden brown and cooked throughout, about 35 – 40 minutes, turning often. Remove wings from the grill to a bowl, add the reserved sauce, and toss to coat well. Serve immediately. Serves 2.


Our friend Kam Steele is a barbecue guy extraordinaire. On summer weekends, as well as any other weekend with even remotely tolerable weather conditions, Kam can be found in his backyard in Queens barbecuing and grilling up a storm. Because friends and relatives know what to expect, they arrive in droves for chicken and ribs, often supplemented by innumerable other varieties and cuts of meat, fish, and fowl that Kam may decide to serve in awesome quantities and mouth-watering deliciousness. Kam recently created a new wing recipe and sent it along with a note that it was a big hit. At the time, Becky was frantically searching for a new sauce to use in the annual summer wing contest held on our lake here in the foothills of the Allegany Mountains. A quick test confirmed that Kam was being overly modest – this was a sure-fire hit and, indeed, resulted in a first-place award. Kam gave us permission to share his masterly concoction.

Kam King of Wings Winning Chicken Wings

40 chicken wings
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

1 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce (the original version, not the special flavored types)
2 tablespoons Oriental/That chili garlic sauce *
3 tablespoons spicy Thai chili sauce *

Toss the wings lightly in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill over medium heat until crispy and well cooked, 40 – 50 minutes.

Combine Sweet Baby Rays Barbecue Sauce, chili garlic sauce, and Thai chili sauce, mixing well. Toss the hot grilled wings in the sauce and serve immediately.

* Note: With the numerous brands of products on the market today, it’s no surprise that some are way better than others. We recommend the Lee Kum Kee Food Co. Ltd. Chili Garlic Sauce ( HYPERLINK "http://usa.lkk.com" http://usa.lkk.com). We also recommend Thai Kitchen Spicy Thai Chili for best overall flavor in this particular recipe, and it’s widely available throughout the country ( HYPERLINK "http://www.thaikitchen.com" http://www.thaikitchen.com). Both web sites include an extensive product listing, a store locator, and recipes.

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