Volume 8, Issue 022 - February 1, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

First, I need to make a correction to yesterday's Recipe Club. I got the Roman numerals wrong for this year's game. The correct Roman numeral should have been XXXIX. If any of you out there thought that I was a Roman guy, now you know better!

I heard on TV last night that Americans will eat over 58 million pounds of snack food on Super Bowl weekend. I also heard that one popular pizza chain plans on selling over 1 million pizzas during the game. Those are amazing numbers to me.

Today's recipes are for chicken wings, a very popular item for the Super Bowl. I will give you a great recipe for a Gorgonzola dip for your hot wings. Everyone has their favorite recipe for hot wings so I did not include one. I did however include one of my favorite recipes using wasabi, a spicy Japanese horseradish. And I will share one of Dana Carpender's low-carb wing recipes for those of you on that type of diet.

Will you be Winging It?

Cedar Hill Seasonings Freshly picked herbs and spices blended into healthy gourmet seasonings with no salt, MSG, sugar or preservatives added.

Creamy Gorgonzola Dressing

If you are making traditional spicy Hot Wings, make your own Gorgonzola Dressing for dipping the wings.

Ingredients:

2/3 cup quality mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Preparation:

Combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice and garlic until thoroughly combined and then fold in the Gorgonzola cheese. It is best to make ahead of time so the dressing flavors can develop.

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Wasabi and Sesame Grilled Chicken Wings

Just a mouthful of flavors. Lemon, soy sauce, sesame and wasabi combine to overwhelm your taste buds and clear your sinuses.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken wings, sectioned
Sesame Marinade (recipe follows)
3/4 cup Wasabi Sesame Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation:

Prepare the marinade according to the recipe. Marinate the chicken wings in enough of the marinade to cover (refrigerate the rest) for 1 hour under refrigeration. Stir occasionally. Once the chicken is in the marinade, prepare the Wasabi Sesame Sauce.

I prefer to grill my wings over low heat until browned and the meat is firm, about 40 minutes. You might choose to cook yours in the oven. Baste the wings a few times during the cooking process. Make sure that the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees F. before serving them.

Serve the wings on a large warm platter. Drizzle a little of the sauce over the chicken and serve some on small plates or in a small dipping bowls on the side.

Sesame Marinade

Ingredients:

1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup peanut oil
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon Mirin (sweet rice cooking wine)
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon cracked peppercorns
1 tablespoon fresh garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, grated
2 scallions, chopped

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir to incorporate. This marinade can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator.

For whole birds, like chicken or pheasant, allow at least 3 hours marinade time. For red meat steaks, allow 45 to 60 minutes.

Use the marinade to baste meats on the grill for a moist, more flavorful product.

Wasabi Sesame Dipping Sauce

You can adjust the heat of this sauce simply by adding or subtracting the Wasabi paste.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons Wasabi or Japanese Horseradish Powder
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

Mix the Wasabi powder with enough cold water to make a stiff paste. Let it mature for 30 minutes to develop its heat. Whisk in the soy sauce, oil, and lemon juice. Add the sesame seeds just before serving. Serve the sauce on flat plates so your guests can roll their food in it, Japanese style.

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Dana Carpender's Heroin Wings

Once you try these, you will understand the name—they're utterly, totally addictive! These are a bit messy and time-consuming to make, but they are worth every minute. They will impress the heck out of your friends, too, and you will wish you had made more of them. They also taste great the next day.

Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken wings
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup butter

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the wings into drumsticks, saving the pointy tips. (Not sure what to do with those wingtips? Freeze them for soup—they make great broth).

Combine the Parmesan cheese and the parsley, oregano, paprika, salt and pepper in a bowl.

Line a shallow baking pan with foil. (Do not omit this step, or you will still be scrubbing the pan a week later.)

Melt the butter in a shallow bowl or pan.

Dip each drumstick in butter, roll in the cheese and seasoning mixture, and arrange in the foil-lined pan.

Bake for 1 hour, and kick yourself for not having made a double recipe!

Yield: About 50 pieces, each with only a trace of carbohydrates, a trace of fiber, and 4 grams of protein.