Flying High

I am elated about chicken wings. If I was the kind of person who believed in emphasizing elation with a series of exuberant exclamation marks, I'd punctuate that sentence with at least seven of them, maybe eight.


We're talking your typical budget-friendly wings, battered and deep fried and slightly, just slightly, reminiscent of the "buffalo" wings from my childhood. So you might wonder what's the big deal - especially since I just compared these wings to that ubiquitous Red Robin staple.


Well, for one, these wings don't come with ranch sauce on the side or a dipping sauce at all. Instead, you serve them slicked with an addictive sweet-sour-spicy sauce made with honey, lime juice and ichimi togarashi (or red pepper flakes if, like me, you didn't make any effort to obtain the Japanese stuff). 


Then there's the rice flour batter, gone crispy and golden after a dip in hot, bubbly oil, and the impressively tender meat within. The final touch - and the one I think makes these wings so good is a garnish of cooling mint and cilantro. That bright finish, plus a crispy shell and swoon-worthy sauce, makes for wings worth getting excited about.


Honey-Lime Chicken Wings

I lucked out and got assigned a story on these wings for a publication called TastingTable.com. Otherwise, being a health-food fan, I probably wouldn't have given them a passing glance. Don't make the same mistake. 

Serves 4

Wings

2 1/2 pounds whole chicken wings, separated at the joint

2 cups buttermilk

1 cup rice flour, such as Bob's Red Mill brand

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying

Sauce

3/4 cup honey

3/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fish sauce

1/4 cup scallion, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced

1/4 cup thinly sliced serrano chile, with or without seeds

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or ichimi togarashi

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves, torn

In a large bowl, mix the chicken wings with the buttermilk. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12 hours.

Place the wings in a strainer and drain for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, whisk the rice flour with the cornstarch, flour and salt; toss the wings in the rice-flour mixture until well coated. Bake the wings on the prepared baking sheets until they are cooked through and the rice-flour breading is dry, about 20 to 25 minutes. Discard the remaining flour.

In a large bowl, whisk the honey with the lime juice, fish sauce, scallion, serrano chile, salt, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Set aside.

In a deep fryer or deep, heavy pot, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees. Working in batches, fry the wings until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes per batch. Transfer the wings to a paper-towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Toss the wings in the honey-lime sauce and transfer to a serving dish. Garnish with the herbs and any sauce that remains in the bowl. Serve immediately.

-From Chef Nick Balla of Nombe and TastingTable.com

An Oft-Requested Vinaigrette

A sure sign you've found a good recipe is, I think, when a dinner guest pulls you aside toward an evening's end and whispers a request for a recipe you've just served them. And so too do I believe that when mothers and sisters and in-laws and family friends and party guest after party guest asks you to share a recipe, it's a keeper, a classic to tuck into your recipe box and tug out again and again and again.

This vinaigrette is such a recipe.

I'm ashamed to say that I've made nary another vinaigrette in the past three years. And I'm embarrassed to admit that because my track record will make you think this recipe is something really special, something that spins vinaigrette anew or, in the least, tips you off to a secret  ingredient that will make your next scratch-made salad dressing truly shine. 

This recipe is nothing of the sort. It is superbly simple, and made from ingredients you probably have sitting in your fridge right now. But lest it seem like I'm underselling my most-requested recipe, let me also say this: this vinaigrette is also extremely likable and, I believe, the only one you really need should you, like me, prefer to stand by one recipe for all time.

I discovered this humble vinaigrette during a morning date with Jamie Oliver, back when his show Jamie at Home ran around 7am. I don't recall what the show was about or what he did with the dressing but I do remember that by noon, I was mixing this mustard-spiked vinaigrette in a cast aside Mason jar and drizzling it over spring greens for lunch.

It was at once sweet and tangy, the tart lemon juice and bracing mustard made more likable by a splash of fruity olive oil and a drizzle of honey. The honey adds depth and a sweetness so subtle you wouldn't know it existed unless you spooned it in yourself. It is, I suppose, the secret ingredient in this oft-requested vinaigrette.

Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette
I like this zippy dressing best on a baby romaine salad tossed with homemade croutons, crumbled parmesan cheese and grilled asparagus. For the olive oil, choose something grassy and fruity; I like Trader Joe's Spanish olive oil. And please, use fresh lemon juice not something squeezed out of a bottle shaped like a lemon. Fresh juice makes all the difference here.

Makes about 1/2 cup  

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Juice from 1 lemon
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon honey
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

Pour the olive oil, lemon juice, whole grain mustard and honey into a small jar. Place the lid on the jar and shake until well blended. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Use the dressing immediately or store it in the refrigerator until ready to use. Kept covered in the refrigerator, the dressing will last for about 1 week.

 -Adapted from Jamie Oliver