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Grilled Basque Wings

4.3

(5)

These wings are great to gnaw on while you're diligently grilling the main course and sipping a cold one, as my Basque friend Juan Riesco often demonstrated to me. The level of heat is up to you—the Tabasco is your fuel.

Serving Suggestions:
These are excellent "tapas"-style appetizers. Serve them at a large cocktail party along with some other Mediterranean-inspired appetizers.

Kitchen Tip:

When separating chicken wings, at first you will probably want to use a cleaver. With a little practice, however, you will easily find the weak spot in the joint every time and can graduate to using a sharp knife.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

3 large garlic cloves, chopped
8 tablespoons lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
5 to 15 dashes of Tabasco sauce, depending on your taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (whatever you've got: basil, parsley, sage, thyme, oregano, or rosemary)
20 chicken wings (you can usually get a pack of wings at the market very cheap)
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    1. In a large serving bowl, mix together all the ingredients except the chicken wings.

    Step 2

    2. You will notice that the wing has two joints. Cut through both joints, separating the wing into three pieces. The wing tip is not usable here, so either toss it out or freeze it and throw it into your next stock, a purpose for which it is excellent.

    Step 3

    3. Salt and pepper the wing pieces to taste and whip them onto a medium-hot grill. Turn them occasionally until golden brown, about 5 minutes. To see if they're done, take a big one off the grill and bite into it.

    Step 4

    4. When the wings are cooked through, add them to the bowl with the dressing and mix to thoroughly cover. Set them on a platter, open a cold beer, and enjoy yourself.

From Thrill of the Grill: Techniques, Recipes, & Down-Home Barbecue by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. Copyright © 1990 by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. Published by William Morrow.
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