Hot Wings with Herby Couscous & Blue Cheese Dip

I have had some amazing Buffalo wings in my time. MeatLiqour’s in particular are, in my opinion, fantastic and what I wanted was to recreate them as far as possible.

Buffalo Wings are so-named as they actually originated in a bar called the Anchor Bar, in Buffalo New York. Owned by Frank and Teressa Bellissimo, Teresa apparently invented the dish back in 1964. The original wings are fried, then tossed in a combination of melted margarine and Frank’s hot sauce.

I know that I didn’t want to deep fry. Or use margarine. But butter would work instead of marg and Frank’s is easy to get hold of so I was set to go. Frank’s is good to use as it isn’t too hot but if really want your wings extra spicy you could use tabasco and still get that vinegar tang or just add some cayenne to the Frank’s as you make the sauce.

So I chose to bake rather than fry (frankly there needed to be some concession to healthiness after all that butter) and similarly when I made my blue cheese sauce I used 0% yoghurt rather than sour cream. As I’ve baked, not fried, I’m calling these hot wings lest I offend any purists...

Traditionally these wings would be served with celery sticks to dip in the blue cheese to temper the spiciness of the wings but here I’ve made it more of a meal by having alongside the couscous and the blue cheese sauce on the side for dunking (extra sacrilege!).


Buffalo-style Hot Wings
serves 4

10-12 whole chicken wings (about 1kg)
2 tablespoons rapeseed or groundnut oil
sea salt and black pepper
For the sauce
120ml Frank’s Hot Sauce
100 g unsalted butter
pinch of salt
cayenne pepper or tabasco to taste (optional - if you want the wings spicier)

Prepare the wings which are traditionally cut into three pieces - do this by cutting through the joints with a very sharp heavy knife or cleaver. If you turn the wings over with the underside of the wings facing up you should be able to see the joints and then cut through them rather than any bone. You can discard the wing tips or, and a much better idea, store them in the freezer to make chicken stock at a later date.

Rinse the wings and pat them dry with kitchen roll and then toss them together in a large bowl with the oil and a good grind of salt and pepper.

Meanwhile slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low heat and then add the hot sauce, whisking well to combine. As soon as the butter is melted and the sauce combined take off the heat - you don’t want the butter to separate.

Taste and if necessary season with salt and add cayenne or tabasco if you want it spicier.

Toss the wings with about ¼ of the sauce, cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour or longer.

When you are ready to cook the wings preheat the oven to 200C.

Lightly grease a baking sheet with a little oil using a piece of kitchen roll or pastry brush to make sure that the sheet is evenly coated.

Then arrange the wing pieces skin-side-up so that they are fairly closely packed but not overcrowded.

Cook for 30 minutes until golden brown and then using a pair of tongs turn the wings over and return to the oven to cook for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, until crisp.

Gently reheat the Buffalo sauce while you wait for the wings to finish.

When the wings are cooked, pour the Buffalo sauce into a bowl and add the wings (in batches if necessary) to coat them well in the sauce.

Blue Cheese Sauce

85g blue cheese, crumbled
6 tbsp mayonnaise
3 tbsp 0% yoghurt
½ lemon, juice of
½ tbsp white vinegar
sea salt & black pepper

Put the blue cheese in a bowl and mash with a fork until a paste forms. Whisk in the remaining ingredients until you have a smooth sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Herby Couscous
serves 2

75g couscous
handful of mint, roughly chopped
handful of parsley, roughly chopped
½ lemon, juice of
olive oil


Pour the lemon juice
 over the couscous in a bowl then add just enough boiling water just to cover.

Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside for 10 minutes.


Fluff the couscous and stir through the herbs and a splash or two of olive oil. Season to taste and serve with the wings and blue cheese sauce on the side.

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Stuffed Pork with Lemon Asparagus Couscous

Cooking this and writing it up in mid-March, Summer seemed to actually be on the way. For once my cooking thoughts weren’t 100% set on comfort food, comfort food and more comfort food and I stumbled across this recipe for stuffed pork chops. They seemed perfect for the spring days we’ve been enjoying for the last week or so. With a little tinkering I resolved to have them very soon.

The couscous is, I think a pretty good companion to them: nice and light with an equally light and summery feel.

I’ll almost certainly cook this combination again and perhaps try a few different things next time: not because I think changes are needed per se but I think it will be interesting to see what works. Black olives and / or lightly toasted pine nuts may make a fine addition to the chops: perhaps griddling the asparagus and other veg for the couscous.


Feta & Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops
serves 2

olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
120g frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
30g feta cheese, crumbled
1½ tbsp cream cheese
¼ tsp lemon zest
2 boneless loin pork chops, trimmed
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp dried oregano

Preheat the grill.

Heat a large frying or sauté pan over a medium-high heat and add a small splash of olive oil, swirling around so it covers most of the surface.

Add half of the crushed garlic and fry gently for about a minute. Sprinkle in half of the salt and pepper plus the sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Continue to sauté until the moisture evaporates.

Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and lemon zest.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop to form a pocket and stuff each with the spinach mixture.

Sprinkle the remaining salt and pepper over the chops and put them on the rack of a grill pan or a lightly greased roasting pan.

Combine the remaining garlic, lemon juice, mustard, and oregano in a bowl and stir well.

Brush half over the pork and grill for 6 minutes. Turn the chops over, brush over the remaining sauce and grill for a further 5 minutes or until done.

Lemony Asparagus & Tomato Couscous
serves 2

120g couscous
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
75-100g asparagus
2 tomatoes, seeded & diced
zest & juice of ½ lemon

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions, making sure to fluff and separate the grains when the couscous is done.

Meanwhile cook the asparagus in a shallow pan of lightly salted boiling water for around 3 minutes, until just tender. Plunge into cold water to cool and stop cooking.

Drain and carefully dry the spears and cut into small lengths.

Add the asparagus, tomatoes, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, parsley and salt and pepper to taste to the couscous. Toss carefully to combine.

Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed and add a little extra oil if the couscous seems dry.

Serve immediately alongside the chops.

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