Monday, January 11, 2021

Sticky Jammy Hot Wings

Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

I absolutely love chicken wings. They are hands down my favorite part and possibly in my top five favorite things to cook and eat. For all the many years we lived in Dubai, I made my spicy sticky wings every single Friday when the weather was conducive to sailing. Sitting in the shallows of the bright blue Arabian Gulf, we ate wings to our hearts content, threw the bones farther out for the sea creatures and rinsed our sticky fingers in the salty sea. Idyllic. 

Now that we are back in the States, especially since we’ve been stuck home in a small family unit, we haven’t felt much like party wings. But I gotta tell ya, these wings helped lift my mood considerably. Something about the tangy, spicy, sweet glaze made me smile a little. Perhaps they’ll lift your spirits too. 

Sticky Jammy Hot Wings

I used homemade three-berry jam for these delicious wings but you can use your favorite fruit jam or even marmalade. If you warm the jam slightly, it is easier to mix into the glaze. This recipe is adapted from one on Love and Olive Oil.

Ingredients
2 1/2 lbs or 1142g chicken wings (weight without tips – about 12 wings)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
freshly ground black pepper

For the glaze:
1 garlic clove
1 hot red chili pepper
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce (I used low sodium.)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup or 110g jam of your choice

Optional for garnish: chopped cilantro 

Method
If your wings are still in one piece, use a sharp knife to divide them into three pieces. Put the wing tips in a bag and freeze them to use later when making chicken stock. I happened to buy mine in Costco where they were already separated and someone else somewhere kept the tips. I hope they did something useful with them.  

Preheat oven to 425°F or 218°C. For easier clean up, you might want to line your pan with aluminum foil or a silicone liner.

In a large bowl, put the wing pieces in a single layer. Drizzle on the olive oil, then sprinkle on the sea salt and cayenne. Give them all few generous grinds of black pepper. 


Use a wooden spoon or spatula to toss the wings to distribute the seasonings and oil to all sides of the chicken. 


Bake the pieces for 40 minutes on the middle rack of your preheated oven, turning them over once halfway through cooking, until the wings are golden brown.


Meanwhile to prepare glaze, mince the garlic and chili pepper. 


Put them both in a small bowl with the rice vinegar and set aside for about 10 minutes. This helps mellow the sharpness of the garlic somewhat. Next add in the soy sauce, olive oil and the jam. If the jam is fairly stiff, warm the whole bowl in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds then stir well to combine. 


Pour any chicken grease out of the baking pan and discard. Put the wings in a clean bowl, again single file. Spoon the glaze on to distribute it evenly.


Use a spatula or wooden spoon to toss the wings to coat them with the glaze. 

Put the chicken back in the baking pan and spoon any glaze left in the bowl on top of the pieces. 

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

Turn your oven to broil. Return the pan to the oven, still on the middle rack. 

Broil the wings for about 5 minutes or until the glaze has started to bubble and caramelize. Do not walk away from the oven as they can burn really quickly if you aren’t watchful. 

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

Garnish with some chopped cilantro, if desired. 

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

Enjoy! 

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!

This month my Baking Blogger friends are sharing recipes using jam and preserves. Check them all out below. Many thanks to our leader and host, Sue of Palatable Pastime
Baking Bloggers is a friendly group of food bloggers who vote on a shared theme and then post recipes to fit that theme one the second Monday of each month. If you are a food blogger interested in joining in, inquire at our Baking Bloggers Facebook group. We'd be honored if you would join us in our baking adventures.

Pin these Sticky Jammy Hot Wings!

Food Lust People Love: Sticky jammy hot wings are sweet and savory and spicy, not to mention finger-licking good! And, even better for you, they are baked, not fried!
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Sunday, January 10, 2021

Cheesy Eggplant Pork Roast Rolls

These cheesy eggplant pork roast rolls are filled with pork, eggplant and mozzarella, baked in a fresh tomato sauce, then topped with more cheese.

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy eggplant pork roast rolls are filled with pork, eggplant and mozzarella, baked in a fresh garlicky tomato sauce, then topped with more cheese.

When you are just two people in a household, leftovers are a fact of life. This recipe is one I cooked quite a while back when it was just my husband and I alone in our empty nest. First we enjoyed a pork roast that I prepared with my sous vide precision cooker. It was fabulous but clearly too big for two. 

That’s when I had this idea. What if I rolled slices of pork with slices of eggplant and stuffed them with cheese? I couldn’t wait to try it and I was not disappointed. The rolls are tender and flavorful, especially cooked in a fresh garlicky tomato sauce.  

Cheesy Eggplant Pork Roast Rolls

I call these pork roast rolls because, as mentioned above, I used leftover pork roast from this sous vide recipe, but you can also substitute roast pork or beef from your nearby delicatessen or deli counter at the grocery store. I think they’d also be tasty with ham. 

Ingredients
For the rolls:
15 thin slices from the middle of two large eggplants
1 cup or 85g chopped eggplant
15 thin slices pork roast (about 1 1/2 lbs or 700g) 
1 cup or 135g roast pork, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped 
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
3 1/2 oz or 100g mozzarella cheese, finely grated
8-10 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade (rolled and cut into thin strips)

For the fresh tomato sauce:
1 3/4 cups or 500g canned crushed tomatoes (+ 1/3 cup or water)
1 large clove garlic, chopped into slivers
8-10 leaves fresh basil, chiffonade (rolled and cut into thin strips)
1/2 teaspoon sugar

For the topping:
3 1/2 oz or 100g mozzarella, finely grated
1 3/4 oz or 50g Parmesan, finely grated
1/2 cup or 40g fresh bread crumbs
fresh ground black pepper

Note: You will have plenty of sliced eggplant leftover since only the best and biggest middle slices are suitable for this dish. Store them in an airtight container for another recipe. I’d like to suggest my mashup (in the musical sense) of pizza and Arabic flatbread: Manousah or my easy eggplant parmigiana

Method
Combine all of the ingredients for the fresh tomato sauce together in a mixing bowl.


Thinly slice your eggplant on a mandolin. 


When you get to the bottom of the eggplant, where it’s too hard to continue slicing, remove the peel with a sharp knife and chop the flesh into small cubes. As mentioned in the ingredients, you’ll need 1 cup or about 85g of chopped eggplant. Some of the narrower slices can also be used for this. 


In a saucepan with the olive oil, sauté the onions and garlic until they soften. Add in the chopped eggplant and chopped pork. 


Cook the mixture for about 10 minutes or until the eggplant has softened. Sprinkle on the cayenne. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Once it’s cooled, add in the basil and mozzarella and stir to combine.


Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C and spoon in enough fresh tomato sauce to cover the bottom of your casserole dish.

Choose the best and biggest 15 slices of eggplant. 

Put one slice of pork roast on top of one slice of eggplant. Add about 2 tablespoons of the filling. 


Roll the eggplant and pork roast up, tucking the filling in as you go. Lay the roll end side down in the casserole dish. 


Continue stacking, filling and rolling until all of your eggplant pork roast rolls are assembled, adding them to the casserole dish as you go. 

Spoon the rest of the fresh tomato sauce over the top of the rolls. 


Cover the casserole with foil. Bake in your preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, put your topping ingredients together in a small bowl and grind in some black pepper. Mix well. 

Remove the casserole from the oven. Sprinkle the topping on evenly and return the casserole to the oven, uncovered, for an additional 15 minutes or until the topping is golden and bubbling. 


Garnish the casserole with extra basil leaves.

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy eggplant pork roast rolls are filled with pork, eggplant and mozzarella, baked in a fresh garlicky tomato sauce, then topped with more cheese.

Serve with a Parmesan wedge and grater on the side, in case anyone wants to add more.  

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy eggplant pork roast rolls are filled with pork, eggplant and mozzarella, baked in a fresh garlicky tomato sauce, then topped with more cheese.

Enjoy! 

Today’s Sunday FunDay theme celebrates dairy so you’ll find lots of wonderful sweet and savory recipes below. Many thanks to our host Rebekah of Making Miracles
We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.


Pin these Cheesy Eggplant Pork Roast Rolls!

Food Lust People Love: These cheesy eggplant pork roast rolls are filled with pork, eggplant and mozzarella, baked in a fresh garlicky tomato sauce, then topped with more cheese.

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Wednesday, January 6, 2021

Shrimp Salad Finger Sandwiches

Shrimp salad finger sandwiches with tiny shrimp, green onions and slightly spicy pink sauce are perfect for a tea party, brunch or shower. 


I’ve made shrimp salad before but always with normal sized shrimp, chopped up. In fact, this curried version is one of my favorite dishes of all time. Until I happened to notice them in the freezer section of my local grocery store, I didn’t even know that salad shrimp were a thing. 

Apparently the only thing that makes them “salad shrimp” is their diminutive size. To be labeled salad shrimp there must be more than 60 per pound. Who knew? I can say they make a lovely shrimp salad! They were great in these little finger sandwiches or you could heap this shrimp salad in avocado halves as a starter for your next dinner party, whenever THAT is possible again.  

Shrimp Salad Finger Sandwiches

If you can’t find salad shrimp, by all means use bigger ones and just chop them up with a sharp knife. All shrimp are good shrimp. For those of you around the world who call them prawns, those work as well. 

Ingredients
12 oz or 340g salad shrimp, thawed and drained, if frozen
2 green onions
1/2 cup or 120ml mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 teaspoon English mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot sauce – optional but highly recommended
10 slices sandwich bread (the square kind)

Method
Pop the shrimp on a couple of paper towels to get rid of any excess water then discard the paper towels. 


Slice the green onions lengthwise, then chop them finely. Put them in a mixing bowl with the mayonnaise, ketchup, English mustard powder, black pepper and hot sauce, if using.  Mix thoroughly. 


Add in the shrimp and stir to combine. 


Refrigerate the shrimp salad until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. 

When you are ready to assemble the sandwiches, use a serrated knife to cut the crusts off of your slices of sandwich bread, then cut each slice in half. 


Pile the shrimp salad on one half and then cover it with the other. 


Press down gently so the shrimp salad will stick to both sides of the sandwich. 

Continue until all the sandwiches are made and transfer them to a serving plate. If you aren’t serving the sandwiches immediately, slightly dampen a paper towel by flicking it with cold water. Cover the sandwiches with the paper towel then cover the paper towel and plate with cling film. The damp paper towel will keep the bread from drying out. 

Refrigerate until ready to serve. I also sprinkled on a little chopped green onion to pretty them up. 


Enjoy! 

January is Hot Tea Month so my Foodie Extravaganza friends are sharing recipes for tea drinks, something you would serve at a tea party, or anything that uses hot tea for cooking. Many thanks to our host, Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. Check out all the links below. 


Foodie Extravaganza is where we celebrate obscure food holidays by cooking and baking together with the same ingredient or theme each month. Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook page Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you! If you're a spectator looking for delicious tid-bits check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board

Pin these Shrimp Salad Finger Sandwiches!


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