Spicy Sriracha Wings

Anyone who has spoken to me in the past week knows that I have developed an obsession with sriracha, the absolutely delicious traditional Thai hot sauce that was brought overseas to the USA, refined and popularized by a Vietnam-born entrepreneur of Chinese descent named David Tran whom you can read about here. So, instead of introducing this with a wordy pre-amble. I will say just one word: YUM.

Go forth. Below is a recipe that I adapted from four different recipes that I found in the internet. I'm still playing with the ratios of the sauce to refine the final product, but what follows is pretty darned close to amazing. So good, these will make you want to crow like a rooster. teehee.

Image originally from White on Rice Couple

Spicy Sriracha Wings
Serves 2 - 3 (but in this case, just me)
My take on sriracha chicken wing recipes featured in: Food & Wine, White on Rice Couple, Serious Eats and Mike's Table.


Ingredients:


5 cups Canola or vegetable oil (approximately)
3 to 5 lbs of chicken wingettes, separated
1/2 cup flour
1 tbsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup Sriracha Rooster Sauce
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. soy sauce
Cilantro (a frozen cube from Trader Joe's trays)
Cumin (a dash)
Fried garlic flakes (a pinch)
Juice from 1 lime
3 - 4 celery stalks
3 - 4 carrots
Marie's premium super blue cheese dressing


Prior to cooking, read all four recipes and conclude that the one author who truly understands the joy of Buffalo wings is Mike from Mike's Table.  Why? Because the other three suggest BAKING the wings and then pan frying them. What?!?! I attended the University at Buffalo for two years... if I learned one thing from those two years, it was that Buffalo wings are NOT baked. They are DEEP FRIED.


1. Heat oil in a deep pot so that wingettes can be submerged and deep fried (yeah, baby).  Allow oil to boil rapidly for 10 minutes so that the temperature is even throughout.
2. Rinse wingettes and pat dry with paper towel.  In a dry bowl, mix together flour, pepper and seasoned salt.
3. Coat wings with flour mixture, in batches.  Once fully coated, gently lower wings into the hot oil using tongs. Long tongs... as long and as sturdy as possible. Hot oil is no joke.
4. Let the wings fry for about 3 to 5 minutes or until fully cooked through. Fish one out and cut it through to the bone to check it's done-ness. Meat should be white and separate easily from the bone.
5. While wings are frying, rinse and peel carrots and celery.  Munch on carrots and celery sticks and dip them into Marie's blue cheese sauce, which is absolutely divine.
6. Swap batches as necessary. Coating and frying, batch by batch. Drain wings on paper towels. Resist the temptation to taste them before the entire batch is cooked.
7. In a large bowl, mix together ingredients for the mind-blowing sriracha concoction that will coat the wings. Combine sriracha, melted butter, cider vinegar, soy sauce, cilantro, cumin, garlic flakes and lime juice. Feel free to pop concoction into the microwave for 30 seconds to melt together all ingredients (that is what I did).
8. Once all of the wings have been cooked, toss them in the sauce.  Upon a taste test, the wings/sauce should be spicy, garlicky, vinegary and yummy all at once.
9. Serve wings with blue cheese, celery and carrot sticks..


YUM. Eat leftovers for lunch the next day.

Photo credit: ilovememphis

I made quiche, capiche?

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm currently in a period of great opportunity and change and insane busy-ness. It is crazy. And scary. And requires a lot of work. And focus. And dedication. And excellence. Everyday. All of the time.


I spent a small part of the evening feeling exhausted by things I could not control and awaited news about an event with which I had no involvement. I questioned whether or not I was investing my time doing the right things, whether I was taking the right steps, whether I am on the right path. I made phone calls and listened to the voicemail greetings of those who didn't pick up. I sent text messages but never knew if they were delivered. I searched the internet for answers, but even Google could not assure me that all would be right.


My approach wasn't very productive or helpful. So, in order to change my mindset completely, I decided to distract myself by spending time in my spotless kitchen (thanks to Today's Maid, my beloved cleaning service).


I made an old fall-back recipe that I can do with my eyes closed. I made quiche. Two to be exact. Becoming reacquainted with an old recipe, one that I was able to re-create with just the ingredients I had at my fingertips, brought me comfort in knowing that when all else changes, there will always be quiche.


Fall-Back Quiches (and Brussels Sprouts)
My take on Mushroom & Spinach Quiche from Vegetarian Times.

Ingredient List

Each quiche serves 8, this recipe serves 16

Pie Crust:

• Two frozen deep dish pie crusts (or you can choose to make the crusts from scratch, by why bother?)

Filling:

• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 strips bacon (nature's best creation)
• 5 new potatoes, diced
• 3 cups greens, maybe kale (these were from my farm share so I am never sure)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 tsp.)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 can evaporated milk (or 1.5 cups regular milk)
• 1.5 tsp. Dijon mustard from France (yum!!)
• 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 cups grated Gruyère cheese

Snack for munching while cooking:

• 1 stalk Brussels sprouts, florets rinsed and halved
• Fried garlic flakes

Directions:

1. Decide to make a mushroom and spinach quiche. Notice that you have neither mushrooms nor spinach nor milk. Preheat oven to 400F and do it anyway.
2. Start with bacon because everything starts with bacon. Heat bacon in a large skillet. Allow to snap, crackle and get golden, about 5 minutes. Flip. cook for another 3 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels.
3. Add Brussels sprouts to the bacon grease, cut side down (total detour - note that you are making a quick snack to munch on as you are making quiche); cook 3 to 4 minutes, checking occasionally until the cut side is slightly charred. Saute and stir, 5 minutes or until the sprouts are a bright green and soft to touch. Remove sprouts, place in bowl, sprinkle friend garlic slices over it and eat with fingers. The sprouts will taste like bacon...um, I mean, heaven.
4. Place greens and garlic in skillet; cover, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, or until greens are wilted. Add diced potatoes and continue to saute for a few minutes. Remove from heat. See that the filling will be enough for two quiches. Decide that you can have everything you want in life... and then some.
5. Search for a viable milk substitute. Taste soy milk. Too sweet. Consider whipped cream. No way. Find can of evaporated milk and read on label "the baking milk." Score!
6. Use your amazing mathematical skills to adjust the rest of the recipe to accommodate the 12oz of evaporated milk. Manhattan GMAT, you'd be proud.
7. Lightly whisk four eggs in mixing bowl. Whisk in evaporated milk, Dijon mustard, pepper and salt.
8. Sprinkle 1/4 cup grated cheese over bottom of pastry. Bake 2 to 3 minutes to melt cheese. Eat Brussels sprouts.
9. Spread vegetable mixture in pastry shell. Sprinkle with half of remaining cheese. Slowly pour in egg mixture, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 30 - 35 minutes, or until golden brown and slightly puffy. Transfer to wire rack, and let cool 15 minutes before serving. Catch up on Mad Men episodes, while munching on Brussels sprouts.

For whatever reason, completely forget about the quiches and allow them to sit in your kitchen for a few hours until you realize that you're about to post to your blog without even tasting your good work. Cut a slice and be completely amazed at how the savory flavors of the bacon and Gruyère dance on your tongue. Come to realize that your fall-back recipe has been perfected through years of practice and familiarity. Tonight, your own ability to completely change the ingredients resulted in a masterpiece, illustrating that progress is impossible without change. And with that lesson, you forge on.