Stew of Chicken Wings

from Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin

You can use any left-overs for a rice pancake.

3 1/2 pounds chicken wings
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onions
3/4 cup sliced wscallions
1 1/2 cups short-grained rice
3 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon oregano
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (2 teaspoons)
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and cubed
3/4 cup zucchini cut into 1/4-inch dice
3/4 cup peas
1/2 cup diced green or red sweet papper
Tabasco sauce or Frank's Red Hot Sauce*

Twist the chicken wings, tucking the tip of the wing under, making them more compact so they take less space and brown more evenly on both sides.

Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven. When it is hot and foaming, add the chicken wings, flat side down. Do not crowd the pan too much. If the chicken wings don't fit in one layer, use another skillet. Cook without disturbing on medium heat until they become very crusty and brown, them flip to the other side. The wings will release some fat, which helps the browing. Cook for abour 12 to 14 minutes so they are nicely browned on all side. if you have used an extra skillet, combine all the pieces in the large port. Put 1/2 cup water in the extra skillet to melt the solidified juice in the bottom, and add to the water to be added to the dish.

Add the onions and scallions to the pot and saute for 1 minute. Add the rice and mix well so that it is coated with the fat. Add the water, salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, oregano, and garlic and stir carefully. Bring to a boil, stirring once in a while. As soon as it boils, cover, reduce the heat to very low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the tomatoes, zucchini, peas, and red pepper, Cover again, and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve with or without Tabasco sauce (*I much prefer Frank's Red Hot Sauce).

Serves 6.

Rice Pancake

Pan-fry leftover rice to make a good, crusty rice cake. The bits of vegetables an dmeat in it make the dish particulary good. Rice holds better than pasta shells; therefore, no eggs need to be mixed in. However, a fried egg on top the the rice pancake is excellent.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet about 8 inches in diameter. Add the rice and pack by pressing it down with the back of a spoon. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes or until nicely browned. Flip over and cook another 5 minutes on the other side. it should be cruchy. Slide onto a plate and serve with fried eggs.