Here is another “Superbowl Weekend” food adventure: Hot Wings! Did you know that Americans eat 1.6 BILLION chicken wings on average, on Superbowl weekend? Crazy, right? These are with a homemade Berbere paste, which is an Ethiopian spice. Plus roasted peppers, onions, garlic and other spices. The wing sauce from that has a little bit of honey in it, so while they are spicy, they aren’t “blow your head off” spicy. The paste can also be used for meats (beef, pork, chicken or even fish) or a little bit could be put in a vinaigrette. Pleased with the result!
Ingredients
3-4 pounds chicken wings and drumettes
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
3 Tablespoons berbere paste (recipe below, make this first!)
1 Tablespoon honey
3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
Directions
Preheat your oven to 400F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and place an oven safe baking rack on top.
In a large bowl, toss the raw wings and drumettes with the vegetable oil.Add the salt and pepper and toss to coat. Place the chicken in a single layer on the prepared baking rack and bake at 400F for 35-40 minutes, until just starting to brown, turning every 10-12 minutes.
While the wings are baking, make the sauce. In a large bowl, whisk together the berbere paste, honey, and apple cider vinegar. When the wings are just baked, remove them from the oven and immediately toss the hot wings in the harissa sauce, mixing well to coat. Return the wings to the baking sheet and place them back in the oven, baking for an additional 8-10 minutes until crispy. Serve immediately.
Berbere Paste
Ingredients
2 red peppers
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground caraway
2 tablespoons ground berbere spice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, coarsely chopped (about 2/3 cup total)
5 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Place the peppers under a very hot broiler, turning occasionally for about 25 minutes, until blackened on the outside and completely soft. Alternatively, you can hold the peppers with thongs over an open flame until charred. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool. Peel the pepper and discard its skin and seeds.
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, and sauté the onion and garlic for 10 to 12 minutes, until a dark smoky color and almost caramelized. Remove to a work bowl and set aside. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil. Bloom the spices in the oil. Add the tomato paste and cook until a dark red. Let cool.
Now use a blender or a food processor to blitz the peppers, the onion-garlic mix, the tomato-spice mix and the lemon juice together until smooth, adding a little more oil if needed. Makes about 1 1/4 cups. Store in a sterilized jar in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks or even longer.
Print/PDF Version of the Berbere Paste
Pring/PDF Version of the Chicken Wings
