Go USA, Go Chicken Wings
After three nights in a row of watching, oh, about six hours of Olympics coverage, my eyes are getting a little tired. I can’t explain my addiction to the Olympics. Maybe it’s that song…anyway, all I know is that once every four years I can’t stop watching sports I usually never care about…like beach volleyball.
Generally speaking I restrict my sports watching to college basketball, the Triple Crown and sometimes the Super Bowl commercials. I even worked out an extra 20 minutes last night so I could watch the end of individual eventing show jumping finals without leaving the gym, and the other night I had the TV tuned to women’s gymnastics as I watched live streaming of eventing on my computer. Help me!
On Friday, we had a few friends over for an Olympics opening ceremonies party. I considered making some homemade spring rolls or dumplings or steamed pork buns, but then I came to my senses and remembered that I’m a total novice at Chinese cooking. I made some spicy roasted hazelnuts and peanuts with five spice powder, star anise and cloves instead, washed down by cocktails that I made up on the fly with vodka and lemongrass and basil infused simple syrup.
Some guests brought Tsing Tao. The unexpected hit was these savory chicken wings that my dear husband made. We gobbled them up fast, hours before the torch lighting, before I could get a photo, licking our fingers as we critiqued Scandinavian countries’ outfits. These wings may not be totally authentic, but they are easy to make and baked, which makes them healthier. They are also totally delicious with a cold beer, salty, gingery and garlicky all at same time. Doesn’t watching Michael Phelps do all that swimming and winning make you hungry, anyway? He’d probably like these, even if their color is more bronze.
Dad’s Chinese Chicken Wings
Adapted from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds
Yield: 6 servings
Marinade:
1 1/4 cups soy sauce
1 1/4 cups rice wine or sake
1 cup water
12 whole scallions, ends trimmed, smashed with the flat side of a knife
10 cloves garlic, smashed with the flat side of a knife
3-1/2 inch chunk fresh ginger, peeled, then cut into 10 slices about the size of a quarter, each smashed with the flat side of a knife
3 1/2 to 4 pounds chicken wings (about 20), rinsed and drained
Stir the marinade ingredients in a saucepan and heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Let the marinade cool slightly.
With a sharp knife separate the drumettes from the wingtips at the joint. Place all the pieces in a bowl or a deep pan and add the still-warm marinade. Stir to coat, cover with plastic wrap, and let the wings marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Preheat the oven to 500 F. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil and arrange the wings on the cookie sheets. Brush liberally with the marinade. Roast for about 40 minutes, turning once, until the wings are cooked and crispy brown at the edges. Serve hot, at room temperature, or cold.
