Superbowl cooking with Nick

We had the pleasure of having Nick (Gus's brother) cook for us on Superbowl Sunday.  The menu? No wings were to be found at Trader Joe's, so drumsticks and nachos it was.  Nick made two different sauces for the chicken: traditional hot wing sauce and a peanut soy sauce. Both were ah-maze-ing.  The chicken was baked, making it juicy and tender and slightly crispy on the outside. The hot wing sauce had a lip-smacking bite; and adding slurry gave it the perfect consistency. The peanut soy sauce was incredibly savory and by far my favorite.  I literally licked the entire bowl.  And the nachos were nachos, the perfect accompaniment.  See below for the recipes and more pictures.


Chicken drumsticks
Serves: 4-6

- Ingredients-

• 3 lbs. chicken drumsticks or wings
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Traditional wing sauce 

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup Tabasco sauce
• cornstarch
• water

Peanut soy sauce

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons peanutbutter
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger powder
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

- Instructions -

1. Clean chicken. Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes, or until they turn crispy and full in color.
2. To make the wing sauce, combine butter, garlic powder, paprika, and Tabasco over medium high heat.
3. To thicken the wing sauce, Nick made a "slurry" - a simple combination of cornstarch and water, similar to a roux.  He explained that slurry is quick to make but doesn't hold up well after refrigerating and reheating; so it's often used in dishes that will be consumed right away (popular in Asian dishes, especially).  Simply whisk water in about a 1/4 cup cornstarch until it has the consistency of a heavy cream.  Add the slurry to the wing sauce little by little.  Bring the sauce to a boil, when the thickening action takes place. Only a little bit is needed; Nick only added about 2 tablespoons. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. To make the peanut soy sauce, whisk all ingredients together.
5. When the chicken is finished cooking, place half the drumsticks in a large bowl. Pour the wing sauce over to coat evenly.
6. Put the remaining chicken in a separate bowl. Pour peanut soy sauce over to coat evenly.

(He asked to wear my apron)

Oven-ready drumsticks

Hot wing sauce

Hot wing drumsticks

Peanut soy sauce

Nachos
Serves: 6

- Ingredients - 

• 1 bag tortilla chips
• 1/3 package shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/3 cup jalapenos (fresh or jarred)
• 3/4 cup salsa
• Tabasco sauce
• 1/3 cup sour cream

- Instructions -

1. Place tortillas in a large, oven-safe bowl. Sprinkle the remaining ingredients evenly over chips (or layer).
2. Bake at 350 degrees until cheese has melted.
3. Top with sour cream.