02 August 2011

Honey-glazed wings and shredded squash

Walt cooked a small batch of chicken wings yesterday. He was inspired by a recipe that our American friend K., who lives a couple of miles down the road from us, found in the Guardian newspaper (a British daily). It was in an article written by a man named Nigel Slater.

I thought these wings were excellent. You could cook drumsticks or thighs the same way. It's funny, though, that Slater calls them "thyme and garlic" wings, because the dominant flavors are definitely honey and lemon. I think it's the lemon zest that makes them especially flavorful.

Here's my version of the recipe:

Lemony honey-glazed chicken wings

4 Tbsp. honey
2 large cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
1 large lemon, zested and juiced
2 Tbsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1 Tbsp. dried thyme)
2 or 3 pinches hot red pepper flakes (or hot sauce to taste)
2 to 2½ lbs. chicken wings
Strip the leaves and flowers off the thyme sprigs, if using fresh thyme (or use dried thyme). Put it into the bowl of a food processor (or use a stick blender) with the peeled garlic cloves, along with a generous grind of black pepper, the honey, the hot red pepper flakes or sauce, the grated lemon zest, and the lemon juice. Process or blend for a few seconds to make a sauce and marinate the chicken pieces in it for several hours (if you have time).

Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Arrange the wings on a baking sheet so that they are not touching and salt them. Bake them for 40 minutes, turning them over two or three times as they cook, basting them each time with the remaining marinade. The honey will caramelize and give the chicken a nice golden color.

Serve hot or warm. Squeeze lemon juice over the wings at the table if you want to, and of course eat them with your fingers.
Honey-glazed wings with grated zucchini
"stewed" in butter and cream


To go with the wings, Walt made a Julia Child recipe (from the book The Way to Cook) using grated summer squash (round green squash in this case). To make it, coarsely shred two or three whole fresh squash, skin and all — it's easy and quick using the food processor. Put the shredded squash in a colander or strainer, sprinkle a teaspoon or two of salt over it, mix the salt in, and let the squash exude water for 30 minutes.

Rinse the shredded squash and dump it into a clean kitchen towel. Squeeze out the remaining water over the sink. Then finely slice a medium onion, a couple of shallots, or a couple of cloves of garlic. "Stew" the shredded squash flesh and the onion or garlic in butter on medium heat in a frying pan for about 10 minutes. Add a tablespoon or two of cream, some salt and pepper, and keep cooking it until the cream is mostly absorbed and starts to thicken. Serve hot.

10 comments:

  1. Hi Ken,
    Try this simple lunch from one of Nigel's recipes. It's delicious.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chilli_feta_17732

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  2. Yum yum, will try this with turkey wings as well. Diane

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  3. Ken ~ the "man named Nigel Slater" is a famous English cook with tv programmes, magazine and newspaper columns and some wonderful cookery books in his name.
    He has a style that marries simplicity of wholesome ingredients with a little flair and produces great food. He did a programme on leftovers not long ago ~ a cook to be reckoned with!!

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  4. Nigel Slater is the British-working-woman-who-cooks best friend.

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  5. Ken and Walt, will you consider visiting chez moi a Barbade for about a month or two? I need some inspiration and someone to show me how to make this delicious food you tempt us with.

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  6. Oh, my, I've never thought to cook squash that way. Thanks, Julia, Walt, and Ken! :) I'll have to try this!

    Judy

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  7. Hi Ken,I've copied your recipe and I'll be making it soon, looks amazing. Your vegetable garden is looking good.
    Patricia

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  8. If Delia Smith gives you reliable instructions for just about everything, Nigel Slater gives you some great ideas and encourages improvisation (and his last series of Simple Suppers drew a lot on what he can find in his vegetable patch): check out the clips on Youtube (and he's written beautifully about his childhood).

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  9. Oh my, that looks delicious. On my "to cook" list for Summer 2011.

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  10. Thanks for this Nigel Slater's recipe. I like lemon, honey and thyme...

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