PUB CRAWLERS; Recipes From Mary Makes It Easy
Some may go to the pub for a pint, but Mary is drawn in by the cheesy fried bar bites. Now she’s making her faves at home. Stream full episodes of Mary Makes It Easy at CTV.ca and the CTV app.
Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS:
1 kg chicken wings
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
DIRECTIONS:
Heat your oven to 425°F and line a sheet pan with a wire rack.
Using a few pieces of paper towel, dry the chicken wings very well. Add them into a large bowl and toss with the oil.
In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Scatter over the wings and toss well to coat.
Roast the wings in the hot oven for 30 minutes then reduce the heat to 325°F and continue to roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through, golden brown, and crisp.
Serve the wings plain or toss with your favourite sauce such as Honey Garlic or Pineapple Chipotle Sauce, recipes follow.
Tip: each of these sauces is enough to coat a full batch of wings.
Honey Garlic Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Makes: about 1 cup
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup (60 ml) soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ginger, finely grated
½ cup (125 ml) honey
¼ cup (60 ml) low sodium chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
Freshly ground black pepper
1—2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, optional
1 green onion, thinly sliced, optional
DIRECTIONS:
In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for about 1 minute then whisk in the honey.
In a small measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth and cornstarch then add into the pot, whisking well. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Season with pepper, stir in the sesame seeds, and pour over the crispy cooked chicken wings. Toss well to combine and serve scattered with green onion, if using.
Pineapple Chipotle Sauce
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Makes: about 1 cup
INGREDIENTS:
¾ cup (185 ml) fresh pineapple chunks
¼ cup (60 ml) chipotle in adobo
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed
¼ cup (60 g) butter
Kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
Add the pineapple and chipotle in adobo to a small food processor or smoothie blender and blitz until smooth. Transfer to a small saucepan, whisk in the honey and lime juice, and add in the butter.
Place over medium low heat and bring to a simmer. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes to melt the butter and bring all the flavours together. Season to taste with salt and toss with the wings.
Baked Chipotle Jalapeño Popper dip
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS:
Dip
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
Kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup (125 ml) milk
1 cup (250 g) brick cream cheese, cut into pats
1 (186 ml) can chipotle in adobo
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
½ cup (60 g) pickled jalapenos, roughly chopped
½ lemon, juiced
1 cup (115 g) grated cheddar cheese
¾ cup (45 g) panko
Serving
4 Greek pitas
Canola oil
½ teaspoon oregano, fresh or dried
½ teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
Heat your oven to 425°F and place a cast iron skillet or oven safe pan over medium heat.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan along with the onion and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 6 minutes or until softened and lightly golden. Stir in the garlic, cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute, then whisk in the milk followed by the cream cheese.
Lower the heat to medium-low and cook until the cream cheese melts. Meanwhile, finely chop the chipotle in adobo into a chunky puree using a knife or a small food processor. Whisk the chipotle puree into the cream cheese mixture along with the Worcestershire, pickled jalapenos, lemon juice, and cheddar cheese.
In a small bowl, toss the panko with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and season with salt. Scatter the panko over the dip and transfer to the oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.
Meanwhile, prepare the pitas for serving. Cut each pita into 8 wedges. Pour about 1 cm (½-inch) of oil into a large heavy bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven or cast iron skillet and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot and bubbles form around a wooden spoon when submerged in the oil, add the pita in batches and fry until golden on both sides, flipping once. Transfer the pita onto a rack lined sheet pan and continue frying until all are crisp and golden brown. Scatter the hot pitas with oregano and salt.
Allow the pitas and dip to cool slightly then serve.
Note: If you do not want to fry the pita triangles, you can bake them in a 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes or in a 400°F air fryer for about 5 minutes, flipping halfway through.
ANTOJITOS
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups (375 g) cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup (30 g) pickled jalapenos, finely diced
½ red bell pepper, finely diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon garlic powder
3—4 large flour tortillas
2 cups (230 g) shredded jalapeno jack cheese or nacho cheese blend
1 cup (250 ml) sour cream
1 cup (250 ml) prepared salsa
DIRECTIONS:
Heat your oven to 375°F and line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, you can lightly grease the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, beat together the cream cheese, pickled jalapenos, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic powder. Divide the cream cheese mixture over the tortillas and spread all the way to the edges into an even layer. Scatter over the cheese and tightly roll up the tortillas.
Slice the rolls on the bias into 1 cm (½-inch) thick rounds. Place them, cut side up, onto the prepared pan and bake for 8 minutes.
Turn the broiler to high and broil for about 2 minutes or until lightly golden on top.
Serve the antojitos with sour cream and salsa on the side.
Beer Battered Cheese Curds
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 to 6
INGREDIENTS:
Cheese Curds
Canola oil
200—250 g cheddar cheese curds
¾ cup (98 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (65 g) cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
2/3 cup (165 ml) lager or light flavoured ale
Jalapeno Sour Cream
½ cup (125 ml) sour cream
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
½ jalapeno pepper, finely diced
½ lime, zested and juice
¼ teaspoon onion powder, optional
Kosher salt
Spicy Ketchup
¼ cup (60 ml) ketchup
2—3 tablespoons cayenne pepper hot sauce or sriracha
DIRECTIONS:
Pour about 3-inches of oil into a large heavy bottomed pot and place over medium-high heat. Line a sheet pan with paper towel or a cooling rack and set aside.
Add the cheese curds into a large bowl and separate any large chunks. Add on the flour and toss to evenly coat. Transfer the curds into a fine mesh sieve and shake to remove excess flour, catching the flour that falls away in the bowl. Set the curds aside.
Add the cornstarch into the flour along with the baking powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and whisk to combine. Pour in the beer and whisk into a smooth batter. Scatter about a third of the cheese curds into the batter and toss lightly to coat.
When the oil is hot and bubbles form a wooden spoon when gently submerged, use two forks to lift the cheese curds out of the batter and transfer into the hot oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes or just until very lightly golden brown, being careful not to fry for too long as the cheese can burst out. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and batter and fry the remaining cheese curds in two more batches as directed above.
Meanwhile, prepare the jalapeno sour cream by whisking or blitzing together the sour cream, cilantro, jalapeno pepper, lime zest, lime juice, and onion powder and season to taste with salt.
For the spicy ketchup, whisk together the ketchup and hot sauce, to taste.
Serve the cheese curds immediately with the sauces on the side.