I’ve come to love Aleppo pepper after first learning about it from my friend, Chef Matt McClure, Executive Chef at The Hive at 21C Museum Hotel in Bentonville at our 2014 Arkansas Women Bloggers Foodie Friday event when he used it to make okratouille. Since then, I have tried it in several other dishes and wonder why it took me so long to fall in love with it!
Aleppo chili pepper comes from southern Turkey, near the Syrian town of Aleppo, which one of the culinary meccas of the Mediterranean. It has a moderate heat level with some fruitiness and mild, cumin-like undertones, with a hint of a vinegar, salty taste. Use it for authentic flavor in any Middle Eastern or Mediterranean dish. It has a flavor that hits you in the back of your mouth, tickles your throat and leaves quickly. Try it in place of regular crushed red chilies on pizzas, salads, and pasta.
Williams Sonoma carries Aleppo pepper in my area, but I am sure you can order it online as well. Perhaps it will become one of those ingredients, like cilantro, that used to be unavailable in most markets but now is commonly found.
These wings were one of the preparations I made for this week’s session on THV11 This Morning on Wingin’ It. Wings are a favorite tailgating dish and it’s just about that time, ya’ know. Our first Arkansas Razorback game comes up in a little over a week.
Woo Pigs!
By the way, have you made that okratouille dish yet? Why are you depriving yourself of such a deliciousness?
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons Aleppo pepper flakes (I find these at Williams Sonoma.)
- 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 5-6 large cloves garlic, crushed, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 lemons, thinly sliced, 1reserved
- 2 - 2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives as garnish
- cilantro leaves as garnish
- In a small bowl, combine the Aleppo pepper with water. Stir and let sit for a few minutes until the water is absorbed.
- Stir in yogurt, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, tomato paste, salt, pepper and garlic.
- Pour the yogurt mixture into a gallon plastic zipper bag. Add slices of 1 lemon and chicken wings.
- Massage the yogurt mixture into the wings; refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick spray; set aside
- Remove wings and slices from 1 lemon from the marinade, shaking off excess but leaving wings and lemon slices coated. Place wings in a single layer on prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, turning after 10 minutes.
- Remove wings from the oven and turn oven to broiler. Wings should be right side up at this point.
- Add reserved lemon slices to wing pan.
- Place wings approximately 10 inches from broiler and allow to crisp, about 5-6 minutes; turn if desired.
- Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly.
- To serve, place wings and broiled lemon slices on platter; scatter olives over wings and garnish with cilantro leaves.
