THE CHEF AND THE BUTCHER

Colin Fassnidge and Anthony Puharich are back for the new year, serving up sweet, sticky wings that are sure to fly off the plate.

A: This is the healthy issue?

C: Healthy-ish!

A: Who doesn’t like chicken wings! We’ve done Colin’s fried chicken already, so what are we doing now? Asian?

C: As we’ve said before, it’s Fass-Asian. After Christmas everyone has had first cuts and indulged, so we’re using a secondary cut here. Let’s start the year right with chicken wings. I poached the chicken wings in the stock first – nothing better than a poached chicken wing.

A: And why do you do that?

C: Because I flavour the stock with the ingredients we’re going to roast them in. How luscious is a poached wing.

A: I don’t know – I’ve never had a poached wing.

C: It’s a great way to get the gelatine out of the wing, because the wings are quite gelatinous, and all that leaches into the stock. And then when you reduce the stock, you just keep basting the wings so the flavour gets better.

A: Because most people would just roast them, right? Does it burn them doing it that way?

C: Well if you don’t look in the oven for an hour, of course you’re going to burn them. It’s like a baby by the pool, mate, you’ve got to look after it.

A: I think we’re back!

C: And I’m only drinking water!

A: So it’s like you don’t abandon your baby by the pool; don’t abandon your chicken wings in the oven!

C: Exactly. I do a heap of wings, more than you need. If you poach them, you can roast some and then save the rest for the next day.

A: Chicken wings are tasty. You have the little drumette, the mid wing, and then the little gnarly wing tip. It’s a nice way to eat the rest of the chicken – the cheaper cuts. C: It’s cheap but effective, like me. They’ll get nice and sticky, just make sure you keep basting them and rest them for a short time when they come out of the oven. A: Was the lime salt here a reject from your Red Rock Deli chips? C: Ha! No, that was from the top of my cocktail glass, you know when you dip for a salt rim? Lime zest and a bit of juice in the salt, a bit of chilli. And you’re in!

A: Maybe on the other side of this recipe we could get Red Rock Deli to put an ad? C: Honey soy chicken wing chips with lime salt… Maybe that’s one for next year’s chips.

SOY & HONEY CHICKEN WINGS WITH LIME CHILLI SALT SERVES 4-6

1 cup (250ml) soy sauce 5cm piece (25g) ginger, roughly

chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 cups (700g) runny honey

2 star anise

2kg chicken wings

LIME & CHILLI SALT

Finely grated zest of 1 lime 1 tsp chilli flakes

2 tbs salt flakes

For the lime and chilli salt, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Place soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1 cup (350g) honey and star anise in a large stock pot with a lid. Add 8 cups (2L) water and stir to combine. Place over high heat and bring to the boil. Add the chicken wings, then turn off the heat and stand, covered, for 20 minutes or until the chicken has cooked through. Carefully remove wings from the stock and set aside. Strain stock, reserving 2 cups (500ml), discarding the rest.

Place reserved stock and remaining 1 cup (350g) honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for around 30 minutes, until the mixture has reduced to a thick syrup.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C. Line 2 large baking trays with baking paper. Divide wings between prepared trays and brush with honey syrup.

Roast for 30 minutes, brushing with extra honey syrup every 10 minutes, until wings are caramelised.

Remove from oven and rest for 10 minutes, before seasoning with lime and chilli salt, to serve.