Brown Butter-Sage Chicken Wings Recipe
Credit: © Todd Porter & Diane Cu
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 to 8 small sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon ground sage
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 pound chicken wings, split
- Kosher or sea salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup all-purpose flout, for dredging
- Vegetable Oil (or other high flashpoint oil), for frying
DIRECTIONS:
- Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter and stir in the garlic. Continue cooking the butter until it is light brown and develops a nutty aroma.
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Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the sage leaves, ground sage, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Set aside.
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Rinse the chicken wings and pat them dry. Generously season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Dredge the wings in flour, shaking off any excess flour, and set aside.
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In a large saucepan or deep fryer, heat the oil to about 375°. Fry the chicken wings in small batches until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Shake off any excess oil and place on paper towels to drain. Continue frying the chicken in batches until all of the wings are cooked.
Toss the wings in the brown butter sauce and serve warm.
© Recipe courtesy of Todd Porter and Diane Cu of Food and Wine Magazine
FEBRUARY WINE CLUB:
Martellotto Winery
Melodeon Chardonnay
Sta. Rita Hills, California
SILKY WINE STYLE
“A Chardonnay lover’s Chardonnay. The fruit in the Martellotto Chardonnay is from the Spear Vineyard, located a few miles west of the winery in Buellton, off Highway 246 in the Santa Rita Hills. This area is famous for the best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes and we are pleased to be sourcing such high quality fruit. Spear Vineyard is farmed organically and located very near Seasmoke, which charges $100-$200/bottle for their wines!” – Martellotto Winery
This Melodeon Chardonnay was barrel fermented and has a lovely natural acidity and a light zip in the mouth from the sandy loam vineyard that was covered by the Pacific Ocean millennia ago. A broad mouthfeel and yummy vivacity combine with layers of vanilla, toasted hazelnuts, and nutmeg singing into the finish. If you love Chablis and dry, nuanced Chardonnay with layers of depth and a crunchy deliciousness, then you will love this wine.
Analysis: 13.5% alcohol / volume
Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
AVA: Sta. Rita Hills
Soil: Sandy Loam
Farming: Organic
Production: 14 barrels
Oak: 11 months, 20% new French Oak
“The daring, innovative spirit embodied by the region’s young producers and a vast range of first-class sites creates conditions that are idea for the production of distinctive, pedigreed wines of the highest level. Best of all, with few exceptions, these wines remain under the radar and very fairly priced relative to global peers.” – Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
ABOUT MARTELLOTTO WINERY:
Winemaker, Greg Martellotto
The Martellotto family roots trace back to a 17th century winery in Alberobello in Puglia, Italy. Over four centuries later, winemaker Greg Martellotto continues his family’s viticultural legacy, by making enticing, vibrant wines that speak to his own viticultural passion. Located in Buellton, California – in the hottest new AVA region of Happy Canyon of Santa Barbara – Martellotto Winery focuses on vibrant Bordeaux varietals, with a vineyard first philosophy of gentle handling and minimal intervention.
Through a deft combination of sourcing sustainably farmed grapes from California’s choicest vineyards and deploying creative, progressive blending and fermenting techniques, Martellotto produces outstanding wines that capture pinpoint varietal expression.
Greg has nearly two decades of diverse experience in all facets of the wine business, including import and distribution and working with some of the greatest wines and wineries in California, Piemonte, Tuscany, and Bordeaux, as well as Spain, Chile and Argentina. Consultant Mike Roth, an authority in the fields of biodynamics and natural winemaking, has working under Napa pioneers Mike Grgich and Nils Venge. He has made wine in Santa Barbara at Koehler, Demetria, Martian Ranch, and for his own Lo-Fi brand.
THE MARTELLOTTO LABEL:
John Langdon designed the Martellotto label as a spiritual totem, symmetrical down the middle, and a mirror image. The ARTE of the name recognizes the Art & Science of winemaking. The bottle enumeration demonstrates the handmade, limited availability of these wines. Prof. Landon’s signature ambigram design is located on the bottom right of the back label. Turn the bottle upside down to visualize how his name reads left to right.
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