Parmesan & Black Pepper Hot Wings

Wings.....mmmm....I LOVE WINGS.  The best finger food hands down.  I mean, you can have them as an appetizer, a snack, game day eat, the list goes on.  And so many ways to prepare them.  My wife, Jennifer, always raved about these parmesan wings at a local wing place in Seattle so I thought that I would come up with my own version since I've never made them before with cheese.  I've never been to the wing place that she first tasted these babies but I thought I would give it a shot.  Now, with this recipe the key is to get all the wings in the sauce, toss em good, then spoon the thick cheese hot sauce back on top after you plate them...and bring lots of napkins.

For the Wings:

1 1/2 to 2 Lbs Chicken Wings & Drumettes 

1 Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese

1 Stick Unsalted Butter

1/4 Cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1 Tbs Lemon Juice

1 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

Peanut or Vegetable Oil for Frying

Pre-heat an electric fryer to 350 degrees or bring up the oil to about halfway up a large dutch oven or frying pot to the same temp.  Wash your wings and drumettes in cold water and pat dry.  Place the wings in your fryer and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes (you may need to do this in batches depending on the size of the fryer or pot).  Meanwhile, place a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat.  Toss in butter, and when melted stir in lemon juice, hot sauce and black pepper, stir well.  Keep sauce over low heat.   Remove hot wings from fryer and drain.  Pour cheese into sauce pan and mix well, toss in wings and coat.  Pour wings and sauce onto a plate and serve with some celery & carrot sticks if you like.

Thin Crust Rustic Pizza

Here at the Diaz residence pizza is a staple.  Well, at least for my son and I.  My wife doesn't see our fascination with it.  When I was growing up, having pizza on a weekly basis was as common as Sunday meatloaf (which by the way, we didn't do).  This was my first attempt at making fresh pizza dough.  I am by no means a baker.  In fact, I really don't enjoy baking.  While I am a science junkie sometimes, the science and exactness of baking is something that I don't normally enjoy.  I mean, when you cook you have such free form to play with ingredients and techniques that you never really feel constrained.  In baking, if you usually don't follow the recipe exactly your efforts will more often than not fall short.  The bread won't rise, the cake will be dry, and in my case here, the dough won't be a pizza dough.  I didn't have any bread flour around, which by the way helps make for an elastic dough, which pizza likes.  So I had to go with good ol' fashioned all-purpose dough.  From this mistake, I still managed to make a pretty darn good pizza...but more like a cracker type pizza.  But we love thin, crunchy crust pizza so in the end, for once, my attempt at baking had a happy result.

For the Dough:

2 Cups All-purpose Flour

1/2 Cup Warm Water, About 115 Degrees

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 1/2 Tsp Yeast

2 Tsp Granulated Sugar

1 Tsp Kosher Salt

For the Toppings:

4 to 6 Slices Sopresetta or Salami

1/2 Red Onion, Peeled and Sliced Thin

1/2 Cup Basil Pesto, Fresh or Store Bought

4 oz Fresh Mozzarella, Sliced into 1/4" Rounds

2 oz Fresh Chevre, Crumbled

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Fresh Basil Leaves

In a stand mixing bowl add some warm water and swirl it around.  Dump the water out and wipe the bowl clean.  Add the 1/2 cup warm water and yeast, stir till dissolved.  Allow to yeast to activate and froth, about 5 minutes (if the yeast doesn't froth, dump and start over).  Add olive oil and attach dough hook to machine, turn mixer to medium.  Pour in sugar, salt and flour.  Mix until dough comes together but not sticky, about 7 minutes.  If the dough it too sticky, simply add some more flour, about a tablespoon at a time.  Remove the dough and form into a nice ball.  Take a little olive oil and smear all over in a clean glass bowl.  Place dough in bowl and rub dough around to coat all over in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm spot to proof for about an hour.

When the dough doubles in size, remove wrap and punch down.  Now, the dough will be a bit more firm, cut into 1/3's and roll out into oval shapes, about 1/6" thick and about 6" wide and a foot long.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.  Place one of the pizza doughs on the baking dish and spread the basil pesto all over, leaving about a 1/2" space on the edges.  Top evenly with mozzarella and chevre.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper to taste.  Then finish topping with remaining ingredients.  Place in oven and bake for about 10 to 12 minutes till dough is cooked through and lightly brown and crisp.  Top with fresh basil leaves and serve hot.



Classic Bruschetta

The term bruschetta really applies to the toasted bread used in this classic Italian appetizer.  There are countless ways to top these little crusty finger foods (which I am sure we will see more of), but I thought it be fitting to start with a classic topping of basil and tomato.  I like the addition of fresh mozzarella and reduced balsamic.  It's like having a chilled version of a Margherita pizza with a little sweet tang to it.  The key here, like salsa, is to allow the flavors to meld in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but overnight would be better.  I like to use vine ripened tomatoes and I like the mild flavor and firmness of this tomato.  Be careful when dicing them, as with any tomato, they can have a tendency to mush.  I found that dicing the tomato skin side down, and using a really sharp knife, helps to keep the mushing to a minimum.

For the Topping:
8 Vine Ripe Tomatoes, Seeded and Diced
5 oz Diced Fresh Mozzarella
1/4 Cup Balsamic Glaze (you can find this in the stores or make your own)
1 1/2 Tbs Chopped Fresh Basil
1 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp Chopped Garlic
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste

For the Bruschetta:
1 French Baguette, Sliced into 1/2" Slices
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for Drizzling
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to Taste

In a medium sized glass mixing bowl combine the diced tomatoes, mozzarella, basil, tablespoon of olive oil, garlic and kosher salt and pepper.  Stir to combine well.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours so the flavors have a chance to develop and meld.  To prepare the bruschetta, heat your toaster oven or regular to broil (high if you have the option).  Lay the baguette slices on a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil and season with the kosher salt and pepper.  Place under the broiler and toast till the top is golden brown but the bottom is only slightly toasted, for about 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the rounds.  I think that this is the best way to make the bruschetta because leaving the bottoms barely toasted allows for a crunchy top but soft finish, much like a good crouton.  Remove the toasted bruschetta from the oven and plate.  Top each one with about a 1 or 2 Tbs of the tomato basil mixture.  Drizzle with the reduced balsamic and eat!

Ginger & Graham Cracker Crusted Calamari

This is such a quick and easy recipe to prepare with minimal effort.  Fried calamari is one of my favorite things to snack on whenever I eat out.  While the process of flash frying is pretty standard, taste and texture differ quite a bit from place to place.  I wanted to do something a little different by coating the calamari in graham crakers vs only flour.  This really gives the calamari a sweet hint and the powdered ginger compliments the graham cracker flavor.  Serve this alongside some Thai sweet chili sauce or your favorite dipping sauce.  The key to good calamari is not overcooking or they will become rubbery.

For the Calamari:
1/2 lb Calamari Rings & Tentacles
1 Cup Buttermilk
1 Cup Self-rising Flour
1/2 Cup Finely Crushed Graham Crakers
1/2 Cup Rice Flour
1 Tbs Powdered Ginger
1 Tbs Granulated Garlic
2 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Kosher Salt
1 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Madras Curry Powder
1/2 tsp Cheyenne
Peanut Oil for Frying
Thai Sweet Chili Sauce for Dipping (Mae Ploy is a good one)

Make sure your calamari is washed and skin is cleaned off.  If you are buying your calamari whole, use a sharp chef knife to scrap the grayish skin away.  Then, wash to rinse off any remaining skin.  Cut your calamari into 1/2" rings, reserving the tentacles.  Place calamari into a glass bowl and cover with buttermilk.  Place in the fridge and marinate for at least an hour.  Pre-heat an electric fryer filled with peanut oil to 375 degrees (follow manufacturers instructions).  In a medium paper bag, combine the graham crakers, flours and spices.  Remove about 1/3 of the calamari from the buttermilk, drain slightly, and drop in the paper bag.  Close the top and shake well to coat.  Fry calamari in hot oil for no more than 90 seconds.  Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.  Repeat with remaining calamari.  Serve hot with some sweet chili sauce on the side and some lemon wedges.