Tummyrumble

Sticky BBQ chicken wings, smokey style

Grilling chicken wings in a home without garden means not being able to use a proper barbecue.

In a way that makes it easier, with regards to temperature control and getting them real sticky. However, it is impossible to get that smokey flavour that a properly used Weber will apply.

There is a cheat though! Last night a friend presented me with a bottle of what's known as liquid smoke. Yes, there is such a thing as smoke without fire!

This particular one was Stubb's Hickory Liquid Smoke (see photo below), and the smell coming out of that bottle is like sitting down wind from the most heavenly 'cue you can imagine.

You can marinate the meat with it, but my fried had tried that and said it didn't add all that much, he usually injects the meat with the liquid to get the flavour coming through.

Not owning a meat syringe meant improvising so I decided to grill a few chicken wings as I normally do, and then mix a few teaspoons into a decent BBQ sauce (Reggae Reggae Sauce is great with chicken) before glazing the wings with it.

Half a bottle of Reggae Reggae Sauce with 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke was just enough for 20 wings.

So after an hour of low temperature roasting (130 degrees Celsius) of the wings basted with a mix of butter, honey and Northwoods Fire from Penzeys Spices (fantastic) I set the oven to grill, applied the sauce and smoke mix to one side of the wings and left them to sticky up for 10 minutes. Then turned them over, applied the rest of the sauce and put them back in the oven for a final 10 minutes.

They came out beautifully browned and really sticky, just as I hoped with a nice scent of barbecuey smokiness.

Served them with low carb courgette röstis and steamed purple sprouting broccoli. Yum.

Yes, it is smoke without fire! You can buy liquid smoke from Amazon.

Sticky chicken wings straight out of the oven. If you want to make sure they are done, put a fork in them and check that the meat is cooked through and easily coming off the bone.

Courgette croquettes, or low carb rösti

Staying away from potatoes is perhaps the hardest thing with low carbing, I think. So when I find a recipe that not just sufficiently replaces the glorious spud version but actually surpasses it I get filled with joy.

Found the original recipe in the great cookery book 1001 Low Carb Recipes where it is called Kolikythia Krokettes. As said in the book, they go remarkably well with grilled chicken.

It is important to get most of the water out of the grated courgette, and then use lots of butter while frying on a medium heat for a long time to get a nice crispy surface.

Ingredients for two people

2 medium courgette (zucchini), grated
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
100 gram finely crumbled feta cheese
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp flour
black pepper, to taste
butter

Original recipe calls for 3 tbsp protein powder. Assuming it was to provide some binding for the frying we simply used a bit of flour instead. Worked fine.

Method

Put the grated courgette in a bowl and mix with the salt. Leave it for half an hour to an hour, then drain and squeeze as much of the liquid out as you can.

Add onion, feta, oregano, pepper, eggs, flour and mix it together.

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a non stick frying pan. Use a spoon to get just over a tablespoon's worth of courgette mix for each croquette and place in the pan.

The patties will absorb some butter, add more as needed.

Leave the patties to really brown on the bottom before turning them once and finish frying on the other side. Properly browned you get a nice, toasty flavour and a crisp outside texture that goes so well with the silky inside.

Delicious. I think these are even tastier than potato rösti, and the texture is so smooth. Serve with bacon, or sausages, maybe lamb, or why not sticky BBQ chicken wings...

If you are in a hurry and don't want to fiddle with frying a number of qroquettes, just make one big patty in the frying pan. Fry until browned, place a plate over the frying pan and turn upside down to get the patty out, then slide back in the pan and fry the other side.

Courgette patties frying away. Don't worry if they are a bit loose, just remember to leave them to fry for a long time so the bottom goes crispy. Spooning some of the melted butter over the top while frying helps keeping them together when flipping.

Finished result. Crispy, toasty outside with a silky smooth inside tasting very much like potato röstis only better...

Pitt Cue Co opens in Soho, the finger licking saga continues

Here's a new year's resolution I know I'll keep: I will go back to Pitt Cue Co on Newburgh Street in Soho to get my 'cue fix as often as digestively possible.

Today Pitt Cue Co opens up in Soho, London. What started as a (mind blowingly well executed) food truck on the bank of the Thames is now a proper sit down restaurant serving amazing barbecue with almost all the usual, and some not so usual, trimmings.

Apologies for the lack of photos, but when our food arrived I was simply so excited that I forgot to take photos. Once I started diving in, my fingers too sticky to be allowed near my iPhone.

There are of course other bloggers with greater presence of mind than I. The as always brilliant Hollow Legs transcends mere restaurant reviewing by bringing a doggy bag home to make dumplings (genius), while Noshable features photos by the remarkable Paul Winch-Furness. For a Pitt Cue Co photo blow out bonanza, check out Paul's own gallery.

Go, go, go. Prepare for some wait time as there are only about 30 seats. Don't worry, it's so worth it and once in the bar there will be plenty of beverages to keep you entertained, from pickle back shots to cocktails. Ask for the Cider Sour.

The only thing I felt missing from the perfect barbecue joint was grilled corn. And generous piles of wet wipes.

Baked ham and eggs with avocado

This is one of my two favourite breakfasts. While the other one, puff apple pancake with maple syrup, is a low carb nightmare this is spot on.

All you need is cooked ham, can of chopped tomatoes, garlic, basil, eggs, salt and pepper, and an avocado to go with it.

And this can easily be done for one person! 

Method

Set oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Chop up the ham (or tear it for a rustic look) an put in the bottom of a portion sized oven proof dish or bowl.

Fry the garlic for a minute in some olive oil to release the flavours, then add the chopped tomatoes and simmer until most of the liquid is gone.

Feel free to add some chilli, or chopped chorizo, or simply a splash of Tabasco (the Chipotle one is deliciously spicy and smokey) for some added kick.

Fold in a handful of basil leaves, spoon in top of the ham, crack two eggs on top and pop in the oven until egg has set (tip: it's better the eggs are a bit runny and under done than the opposite).

Devour.

Just realized that I already blogged this dish. I really do love my baked eggs and ham with a spicy tomato sauce.

Haggishrooms - cheese covered, haggis filled portobello mushrooms

This is a recipe from Macween's, purveyors of ridiculously tasty haggis.

We often eat haggis for breakfast, they also sell this haggis patties, like little haggis burger patties, that go so well with a fried egg.

But this recipe is awesome. No sauce required, the haggis and mushrooms are a juice combination. Some tabasco adds a bit of kick.

For the low carbers, haggis isn't exactly low carb, but not as bad as you might think. According to the Macsween packaging there is about 20% carbs in the mix, so served with 0-carb sides and seeing it as a bit of a treat I don't think twice about it.

Ingredients (serves 2 greedy piglets)

1 haggis (size to serve 2-3)
Grated cheese, mature cheddar works well
4 portobello mushrooms
Tabasco, of the chipotle variety

Method

Set oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Cut open the haggis, break the mince apart and heat in your microwave for six minutes (until piping hot).

Remove the stem from the mushrooms to make more room for tasty haggis.

Pack in the haggis mince, then sprinkle the cheese on top.

Heat in oven until cheese has melted and starts turning shiny golden. Add a bit of grill action if you want to brown it a bit, but there is really no need.

Serve with steamed greens or a salad, and do splash some Tabasco on top.

Delicious. In fact, disporportionately delicious for a dish that took all of 16 minutes to make. And deeply satisfying.

Mashing up the contents of the haggis before heating it makes the process quicker.

Liberal sprinklings of cheese...

The tasty end result. Chipotle Tabasco dots the i.