Buffalo Wings (and Barbecue too!)

Buffalo is built on wings, I mean when the President visited I had no idea what he was here for, all people were talking about was that he was going to Duffs, not the Anchorbar.

Whenever a relative visits we have some wings delivered, but lately my dad hasn't been satisfied with the wings we've been getting. 20 wings for $10, isn't exactly a good deal.
However, you can buy a bag of 100 frozen wings for $16, even with the cost of hot sauce, barbecue sauce, and butter, when you sit down and do the math, you make out pretty good.

Besides they're crazy easy to make!
The ratio of hot sauce to butter is really up to you, I like my wings medium, but if you like them hotter, add more hot sauce. You could also add a dash of garlic powder or red chili flakes, but I wanted to keep mine as simple and classic as possible.


Medium Buffalo Wings
15 wings
1/4 cup of melted butter
1/3 cup Franks hot sauce

Preheat your fryer to to 385 degrees (that's as high as mine will go).
My fryer basket holds 15 wings, so that's how many I make per batch.

(Note: If you don't have a fryer, a pot full of vegetable oil on the stove with a cooking thermometer will work fine. Just be careful not to overfill it and watch for splattering oil.)

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Fry the wings for 12 minutes, or to desired crispiness. 12 minutes gets them crispy on the outside and moist inside.

Mix the melted butter and hot sauce.

Once the wings are done, give them a good shake and place in a big bowl, pour sauce over the top and toss to coat.

Barbecue Wings
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
15 wings

For authentic barbecue wings, you should grill them, but if you're short on time lazy, or busy making other flavors, it works pretty well to just thicken the barbecue sauce and then coat the wings. To thicken the sauce, pour it into a saucepan, heat on the stove at about medium heat, stir occasionally until reduced.

Fry the wings at 385 degrees for 12 minutes, give them a good shake and place in a big bowl, pour thickened barbecue sauce over the them and toss to coat.

Serve your wings with carrots, celery and blue cheese dressing. Be prepared to make these all the time once your family realizes how cheap, easy and delicious they are.

Salsa Verde

Admittedly, I'm not a big salsa fan. Salsa Verde it seems is an exception though. I tried it a few weeks ago at a party and immediately needed to recreate it.
I never got the recipe from Hans, so I looked at a couple of recipes and incorporated in what I saw Hans doing. What I created came pretty close to what I'd had at the party.
This salsa is tasty and refreshing.

(Salsa Verde just means 'Green Sauce')
Salsa Verde
2 lbs tomatillos
1 onion, peeled and cut in half
1 jalapeno pepper
2-3 garlic cloves
juice of half a lime
1 poblano pepper roasted
olive oil
salt/pepper to taste

Peel the tomatillos (if they have their husks on when you buy them) and soak them in warm water.

Cut the larger tomatillos in half.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a pan. Add the tomatillos, onion, jalapeno, and garlic. Fry them until they brown and smell delicious.
Let everything cool and then roughly cut the onion and jalapeno (wear plastic gloves while you do it).

Put everything in the blender, including the poblano and lime juice, then blend to desired chunkiness.

Find some chips and enjoy!

Poached Eggs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (Shakshuka)

In my effort to look into more savory and healthier recipes, I've been thinking a lot about alternatives to meat.
I tried this recipe a few months ago and liked it, but it wasn't filling enough for me. This time I added lentils and it was perfect.

I also modified the recipe to scale it down a little so that it was just enough for two people, since it doesn't really work as leftovers, and I blended the sauce up, because chunks of cooked tomatoes just weird me out. Feel free to leave it unblended.

Poached Eggs in a Spicy Tomato Sauce (Shakshuka)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon paprika
1 14 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
4 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Saute the onions and garlic in oil till the onions are translucent. Add jalapeños and tomatoes and let simmer till thick, about 7-10 minutes. Add the paprika and cumin, and season with salt and pepper.

(I blend it at this point.) Carefully add the eggs, don't crowd them. Then cover the pan, let simmer till the yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve over lentils (prepared basically by the recipe on the back of the bag) with toasted pitas and lots of crumbled feta cheese on top.