Well, that big game that shall not be named is right around the corner. While I am not a football fan in my heart and soul I am a fan of all the food that comes along with football. Sliders, chili, nachos, dips – all are wins in my book. But the real touch down? Wings.
Pumpkin & Hard Cider
A few months ago, my friend posted on Facebook that she’d had a dream about pumpkin fried chicken… out of the blue, random, unexplained and delightfully Kristin.
Smoked Paprika isn’t spicy, but a touch of sweet with smokey rather than heat
So, I let my mind mull around in that thought before finally settling down to take a stab at making her dream a reality in the form of wings.
I’ve made Asian-style wings, hot wings, blackberry wings, honey-hot sauce wings… But how, oh how to incorporate pumpkin into it all?
No reason but that I love these colors
I finally decided to do a cider batter with pureed pumpkin (yes, leftover from Thanksgiving and hidden away in my pantry) mixed in. It was a complete shot it the dark (winging it, if you will) as to if it would work or not.
Pumpkin & Hard Cider blend together in the perfect batter for wings
Well, friends (and especially Kristin) – it worked! The pumpkin flavor was subtle but present. The batter spicy with a hint of sweet and I served them with a Brava sauce to add some creamy to the crunchy. Brava sauce is a Spanish sauce traditionally served with fried potatoes in the tapas bars, and it is one of my favorites.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Chicken Wings, trimmed and separated at the joint
- Batter:
- 1.5 cups Unbleached Flour
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 cup Pumpkin Puree
- 1/2 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- A dash (or two, or three, or four) on Cayenne Pepper
- 2 bottles of Hard Cider
- 1 cup Panko-style Breadcrumbs
- Grapeseed Oil or Canola Oil for frying
- Brava Sauce:
- 1 cup Mayonaise
- 1 tablespoon Tomato Paste
- 1/2 teaspoon Hot Paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- Splash of Lemon Juice or Vinegar
Method
- In a large bowl mix together the flour along with the salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cayenne, until it is well blended. Add the pumpkin puree and the hard cider and whisk together until it forms a thin batter - the consistency of pancake batter.
- Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers. As it is heating up, put the panko breadcrumbs along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
- Once the oil is hot, dip the wings one at a time into the pumpkin-cider batter and then roll them in
- the breadcrumb mixture. Don't do more than you can fit in the pot of oil at once.
- Cook the wings in batches until they are golden brown, turning occasionally so that they are evenly cooked on all sides. Drain the wings on a cookie rack over paper towels.
- To make the Brava Sauce:
- Mix the mayo, tomato paste, paprika, garlic powder and lemon juice together. Give it a taste. Serve on the side of the wings for dipping.
