Buffalo Chicken Wings

Who doesn't love chicken wings!  I am personally not a fan of Blue Cheese in the dip however, so I substituted it with Feta.

1 egg
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Cayenne pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 pounds chicken wings

BLUE CHEESE DUNKING SAUCE
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 green onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, pushed through a press
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

1. MARINADE: Heat oven to 450F.  Beat egg in a medium bowl.  Add oil and beat until combined.  Add vinegar, salt, pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, and celery salt; stir until well combined.
2. Cut chicken wings in half at joint; remove wing tips and discard.  Dip chicken pieces into marinade and arrange on a large baking pan.
3. Bake 20 minutes, turning and brushing with marinade several times, until wings are crisp.  Remove from oven; drain and arrange on a warm platter.  Serve with Blue Cheese Dunking Sauce.
4. FOR DUNKING SAUCE: Combine all ingredients.  Mix well.

Jamaican Jerk Pork

Loved, loved, loved this recipe!  Spicy but not crazy hot.  If you like it hotter just add a bit more of the Scotch Bonnet Peppers or a good hot sauce.  Adding some smoke to your barbecue doesn't hurt either!  It is a good idea to wear rubber gloves when handling these peppers to prevent burns (do not touch your face!)  From Food and Drink Winter 2000.

JERK SEASONING
3 green onions
1 small Scotch bonnet chilli pepper, seeded and quartered
2 cloves garlic, quartered
1 inch piece fresh peeled ginger, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried
1 1/2 tsp ground all spice
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Jerk Seasoning:  Puree onion, pepper, garlic, ginger, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, thyme, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a food processor until smooth.
2. Cut tenderloins crosswise to make 4 pieces.  Place in shallow bow and spread with jerk seasoning (I put them in a ziploc bag).  Marinate at room temperature, cover and refrigerate for up to one day.
3. Place pork on greased grill over medium heat and cook, turning occasionally and brushing with marinade, for 12 to 16 minutes or until pork is nicely browned with just a hint of pink inside.  Transfer to a cutting board and cut into thick diagonal slices.  Serve with Pineapple-Pepper Salsa.

Spicy Sausage Puffs

These are easy and fun to make, I used a regular sausage..cooked and crumbled..instead of the Chorizo.  I put them on top of some baked beans for the family and they were devoured.  Really they are supposed to be appetizers though..from Food and Drink Holiday 2000.

2 fresh chorizo sausages (about 300 g)
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup all purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400F.  Lightly grease two baking sheets.  Remove sausage meat from its casings.  Place in skillet over medium high heat and brown.  Stir to break up into small pieces.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
2. In a medium saucepan, add water, butter and salt.  Bring to boil over medium heat.  The butter should melt before the water boils.  Remove from heat and add all the flour at once.  Return to heat, stirring until mixture forms a smooth ball and comes away from the sides of the pan.  This should take 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Place mixture in food processor with plastic blade.  Process 15 seconds.  Add eggs and process 40 seconds.  Scrape down sides, add sausage and parsley and process another 5 seconds or until mixed.
4. Using a wet spoon, drop spoonfuls onto baking sheets.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes until golden and cooked inside - they should be moist but not wet inside.  Serve warm.

Fast Spicy Mexican Lasagna

Loved this one!  Tortillas replace the noodles and salsa is a nice change from pasta sauce!

Preparation time:  30 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Baking time:  35 minutes
Makes:  8 to 10 servings

3 onions
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups salsa
14 oz tomato sauce
2 tsp ground cumin
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 1/2 lbs (750 g) ground chicken or turkey
2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 large green peppers
340 g pkg tortillas, about 6 inches wide
1 cup light or regular sour cream
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or mozzarella cheese about 250 g

1. To prepare sauce, chop 2 onions.  Heat oil in a large wide saucepan set over medium heat.  Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft about 5 minutes.  Stir in salsa, tomato sauce and cumin. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then remove from heat.
2. To prepare filling, chop remaining onion and place in a large frying pan with garlic, chicken, chili powder, salt and black pepper.  Set pan over medium heat and cook, stirring often with a fork to keep chicken crumbly, until chicken loses its pink colour, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, chop green peppers.  Stir into cooked chicken and remove pan from heat.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly oil bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish and spread with a thin layer of sauce.  Cut 5 tortillas in half and arrange so they cover bottom of dish, laying cut edges of tortillas against sides of dish.  Overlap as needed and cover centre of pan as well.  Spread with about 1 cup of sauce.  Top with half of the chicken mixture.  Spread with sour cream.  Slice remaining tortillas in half and form another layer.  Spread with remaining chicken mixture then sauce.  Sprinkle with cheese.  Bake in centre of preheated oven until cheese is golden, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Hot 'N' Spicy Chicken Lasagna

Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking time:  15 minutes
Baking time:  40 minutes
makes:  10 servings

8 lasagna noodles (not oven ready noodles)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red or green sweet pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 1/2 cups spicy salsa
1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
475 g container ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/4 cup chopped coriander or italian parsley
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
4 cups cooked cubed chicken

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a full rolling boil.  Add lasagna noodles and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until al dente.  Check recommended cooking time on package; they usually take about 12 to 14 minutes.  Drain well and rinse under cold water.  Lay drained wet pasta in a single layer on a piece of waxed paper.  Cover with another piece of waxed paper.
2. Meanwhile, to prepare sauce, heat oil in a large wide frying pan set over medium low heat.  Add garlic, onion and sweet pepper.  Saute until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.  Then, stir in salsa, spaghetti sauce and cumin.  Taste and add more cumin, if necessary.  Increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a boil.  Then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer to allow flavours to develop, about 5 to 7 minutes.  Turn sauce into a bowl and set aside.  
3. To prepare filling, place ricotta, eggs, chopped coriander and jalapeno pepper in a food processor fitted with a metal blade.  Whirl until mixture is evenly blended.  Scrape down sides of bowls occasionally to ensure an even puree.  Turn filling into a bowl and set aside.  Or combine ingredients in a bowl and mash with a spoon until smooth.
4. Stir grated cheese together in a small bowl and set aside.
5. Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly cover bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with about 1/2 cup of sauce.  (It will be a very thin coating of sauce.) Completely cover bottom of pan with a single layer of noodles, about 4 noodles.  Spread half of sauce evenly over noodles, then dot with half of ricotta mixture, followed by half of chicken then half of grated cheese.
6. Add another layer of noodles.  Repeat layering ending with cheese.  Then bake, uncovered, in centre of preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or until lasagna bubbles around sides and top is golden.  Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.