Projo Football Food & Spirits

The family wants to be traditional. The requests were wings and super nachos.

So I'm buying wings and drummettes today to marinate overnight two ways. The first is essentially a homemade barbecue sauce, the second is Teriyaki-style. (Most of us don't like hot wings, and I find Buffalo bitter.) Both recipes come from readers at RecipeZaar's Super Bowl Chicken Wings category:

Wing Dings
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup catsup
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2 1/2 lbs chicken drummettes

Combine all ingredients except chicken in saucepan. Bring to boil, and simmer 5 minute Cool.

Place drummettes in bowl, or zippered plastic bag. Add cooled Sauce. Coat chicken evenly and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Place drummettes, skin side up, on FOIL-LINED rimmed baking sheet. Spoon leftover Sauce over them.

Bake 45-50 minutes at 400º, until done, basting with sauce occasionally.

Serves 4-6

Baked Teriyaki Style Chicken Wings
25-30 chicken wings
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 cup sherry wine

Combine all ingredients except the wings in a large pitcher. Mix well.

Place chicken wings in single layer in a 9" x 13" pan.

Pour the liquid mixture over the wings.

Marinate at least 2 hours, flipping wings once. Keep wings refrigerated while marinating.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Flip once during baking.

Note: I won't have space in my fridge tomorrow for a flat pan of wings -- these will go in a plastic bag with their marinade, like the first recipe.

One recipe calls for a 400 degree oven, the other is at 350. I may split the difference and bake them on different racks at 375 degrees. Since I don't know how the double quantity will affect cooking time, I'll start checking them after an hour and every 10 minutes after that, if more time is needed.

I'll let you know Monday how it went.

I am now subscribing to Stephen Linn's weekly Ultimate Tailgate recipes. He offered three winners last week but since the Pats were away I held them until this week when the parking lot in Foxboro will be full when Cleveland comes to town.

The recipes are for Jerked Wings, Grilled Potatoes, Beggar's Hot Beef Chili.
For the Jerked Wings, the spices are not what you usually find but these seasonal spices.

Do your shopping early and add these to your menu.

Jerked Wings
15 chicken wings
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup onion
¼ teaspoon curry powder.
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground red pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
⅛ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon allspice
2 cloves garlic minced

Mix all ingredients except wings in blender. Put wings in 1-gallon ziplock bag and pour in mixture. Marinate 4 hours, or overnight, and then place on hot grill. Cook until juices run clear when pierced. These are especially good on a cool fall day.
Yields 15 wings, or 5 servings

Grilled Potatoes
1/3 cup Miracle Whip salad dressing
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
3 baking potatoes cut into ¼-inch slices
1 large onion, red or white

Mix salad dressing and seasonings in large bowl until well blended. Stir in potatoes and onions to coat. Divide potato mixture evenly among 12-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Seal each to form a packet. Place foil packets on grill over medium-hot coals. Grill 25 to 30 minutes, or until tender.
Yields 6 servings

Beggar's Hot Beef Chili
2 pounds beef stew meat
3 cups coarsely chopped onions
1 ½ cups jalapeños
2 (14-ounce) cans tomatoes
½ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons dried oregano leaves
2 tablespoons ground cumin seed
2 (14-ounce) cans kidney beans

Combine all ingredients except kidney beans in a 10-gallon pot; mix well. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover pot and simmer, stirring frequently for 3 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender. Add beans and simmer another hour.
Yields 14 - 16 servings

With the Buffalo Bills playing the Patriots this Sunday, I've a hankering for hot spicy wings. Here are two recipes. One is for the deep-fried original while the second calls for the healthier version, cooked on the grill

BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS
20 chicken wings
Peanut oil for deep frying
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons bottled red hot pepper sauce
To taste salt and pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
Celery sticks

Deep-fry chicken wings in peanut oil for about 10 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

Melt butter in a saucepan and add bottled red-hot pepper sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste, and cayenne pepper. Pour over the wings.

Serve chicken wings with celery sticks and the dressing. Or go for low-fat ranch for a less caloric option.

Blue Cheese Dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 cup blue cheese

Blend mayonnaise with onion, garlic, sour cream, white vinegar and blue cheese.

This grilled version comes from The Tailgating Cookbook by Bob Sloan.

GRILLED TAILGATE BUFFALO WINGS
3 pounds chicken wings, tips removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 stick butter
3 tablespoons Louisiana hot sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Place the wings in a large bowl, add the olive oil and salt, and toss so the wings are lightly coated. Transfer to a sealable container and refrigerate until ready to cook.
In a separate bowl or bag, assemble the butter, hot sauce, vinegar, celery seed, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper and Worcestershire sauce and refrigerate until wings are cooking when you'll warm it up in saucepan nice and hot.

Prepare coals for a medium-hot fire.

When the coals are ready, grill the wings, turning them every 6 minutes or so, until they are crispy and cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the wings to a platter, stir the sauce well and pour it over the wings. Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

My colleague Donna McGarry recommends this chicken wing recipe from Frank's RedHot sauce. You can make these Buffalo-style or use regular hot sauce mixed with butter.

"You bake them on high, they get crispy and all the fat burns off," she says.

2 1/2 lbs. chicken wing pieces
3/4 cup Frank's RedHot Buffalo Wing Sauce

Bake wings in foil-lined pan at 500 degrees on lowest oven rack for 20 to 25 minutes until crispy, turning once.

Toss wings in Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Tip: You may substitute 1/2 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce mixed with 1/3 cup melted butter for the Buffalo Wing Sauce.

Alternate Cooking Directions:

Deep-fry at 375°F for 10 minutes.
Broil 6-inches from heat 15 to 20 minutes, turning once.
Grill over medium heat 20 to 25 minutes, turning often.

Flavorful and simple.

Charcoal-Grilled Chicken Wings With Lemon And Pepper
3 lemons
6 to 8 cloves garlic
About 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
18 chicken wings
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
Salt

Thinly slice lemons and slightly flatten unpeeled garlic. Using a mortar and pestle, crack the peppercorns. Toss chicken wings with olive oil in a shallow dish and mix in lemon slices, garlic and pepper. Marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours, turning five or six times.

Prepare a medium-hot wood charcoal fire. With a sharp paring knife, make a small horizontal cut in the skin of the large muscle of each wing, about halfway between the joints. Work the tips of each small part of the wings firmly into the incisions. Pat the wings free of excess marinade and salt them lightly.

Put wings on the grill with cut sides up and baste lightly with the marinade. Grill wings for 4 minutes, then turn them and baste again. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes, then check for doneness by pressing the fleshy part of the wings lightly with a finger. Wings are done when the flesh is firm yet springy. Remove to a rack to cool, or serve hot. Serves 6.

- From Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook ($16.95, Random House)