This post is more about the sauce (or paste) than the wings. It’s delish and far more versatile than one might think. The basic recipe gives measurements for what I’ll call the “starter paste” rubbed on chicken wings that we’re cooked with naught but salt. From that point, more liquid can be added for a sauce to go with chicken or a vegetable marinade. It can be cooked in broth and/or bacon fat which brings out a deeper flavor profile, that goes great with darker meats or spread over sweet potato or other vegetable. Or you can omit the coconut […]

Cacciatore literally translates to “hunter” which puts it in the category of my favorite kinds of foods – hunter/gather slow foods. The true beauty of these kinds of foods is their delightful lack of pretension. In a modern context this means that you can forage in your own cabinets for the ingredients and as long as you’ve paid attention to their quality; you’re golden. For me, this means digging into the preserves I’ve saved up from last summer and scouring markets for wild mushrooms and having a great pasture raised chicken. The rest is the simplest of techniques, browning a […]

The thing that is the hardest about removing damn near everything from your diet is finding the goto foods that you can grab and go and always satisfy. My goto food is chicken salad. It has been since I was a kid. It’s endlessly versatile, easy to make and ready when you need to rush out the door. Basic Chicken Salad 1 chicken, roasted 1c mayo 1T honey 1T sour cream (if you partake in the dairy) 1t salt 1t fruity vinegar Cube or pull chicken. Cubed is better when you want the chicken flavor to be more pronounced, pulled […]

1.5 lb ground beef 1c ground pork rinds 1 egg + 2 yolks 1/4c brewers yeast 1 onion, coarsely chopped 2T bacon fat 2 cloves garlic, minced 2T basil leaves, chiffonaded 1t thyme leaves, dried or fresh 1/2t black pepper salt to taste Preheat oven to 350°f;. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl mix together all ingredients. In a small pan, test cook a portion of the mixture and test the seasonings. If you think it needs more of anything add it. Roll meat into large(ish) balls and place on cookie sheets. Get Figgy Sauce […]

The magic of this dish is the sauce. My acupuncturist told me that I need to eat iron sources with foods heavy in vitamin c to help with absorption – which made me think all the way back to when I started focusing on learning on how to be a good cook. There was this dish that I didn’t know how to save, it was some sort of “thai” peanut orange chicken concoction that really wasn’t great, but I always knew it could be. With this version, the orange is a bright note offsetting the earthiness of garlic and fish […]

The tradition of BBQ is long and much argued about, all I know is that I really miss(ed) it. This is a take on a Kansas City sweet sauce, which most of the time, is filled with molasses, honey or corn syrup and served on beef ribs. This one starts with apples, apple juice, caramelized onions and pork. While it doesn’t have the sticky sweetness or depth that molasses gives to a sauce, it does have a lot of flavor and scratches the BBQ itch if you have one. If you can eat honey, it could use some honey. Also, […]