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5A Wednesday, January 22, 2014 – Daily News County Fare & tasty fresh Artichoke-spinach dip gets a less-fatty treatment Hot and spicy artichoke-spinach dip includes frozen spinach, which boasts more than four times the nutrients of a cup of fresh spinach. Matthew Mead/AP Is there a chip dip in the world that isn't wonderful? No matter what the flavor, at heart most are tubs of sour cream or melted cheese. Few foods are more satisfying. Of course, most dips also are notoriously heavy with fat and calories. Indeed, that's why we love them. Still, I figured there must be ways to lighten them up while retaining their luxurious texture. I started by bulking up on the vegetables — in this case, artichokes and spinach. Artichokes happen to contain many nutrients and a ton of fiber. I chose canned artichokes rather than frozen because the canned are packed in citric acid, which gives them a lemony kick. But if you prefer frozen, you'll need 2 cups thawed. But why frozen spinach instead of fresh? Because you'd need to cook down a bathtub full of fresh spinach — or pretty darn near it — to end up with the equivalent of a cupful of frozen spinach. No one wants to do all that work before even starting to mix the dip. Also, a cup of frozen spinach boasts more than four times the nutrients of a cup of fresh spinach. It's kind of hard to beat. And all I had to do was defrost it and squeeze out the water. Now, how to conjure up that rich, cheesy texture without employing a boatload of cheese? I started with Neufchatel, a French cream cheese that has one-third less fat than the full-fat version, but more flavor than the no-fat version. Then I added some low-fat sour cream for tang and a tiny bit of low-fat mayonnaise for the oil. You're welcome to substitute extra-virgin olive oil, if you'd like. Finally, there's some Parmigiano-Reggiano, which bristles with so much flavor and salt that just a little bit of it — an ounce in this case — will do the trick. The full-fat version of this dip usually includes mozzarella, but I didn't miss it, so I didn't use it. All these veggies and cheese cried out for some heat. I ended up using red pepper flakes and Peppadews. Peppadews are pickled red peppers from South Africa, hot and sweet and about the size of cherry tomatoes. If you don't find them in the market, you can swap in pickled cherry peppers or even roasted red peppers. As an added bonus, any of these red peppers will brighten up the dip's complexion. The finishing touches? Caramelized onions and garlic. Please take the time to cook the onions slowly, which brings out their natural sugar. It adds a nice depth of flavor to the mix. Serve this dip with a healthy cracker (just read the label) or make your own pita crisps. To do so, just separate some two-layered pita bread pockets into single layers, spray them lightly with oil, cut them into triangles, and bake them at 400 F for 10 to 12 minutes, or until crisp. Then go ahead and indulge yourself. Lazy Dog Chicken Wings Don't toss your chicken wings in sauce. It makes them soggy, says the Gabe Caliendo, the executive chef at Lazy Dog restaurant in Concord, and it limits your guests' sauce choices. Instead serve the sauces on the side. LAZY DOG CHICKEN WINGS Fresh chicken wings Vegetable oil Salt, black pepper Red chile flakes, optional Thai Red Chile Sauce (see recipe) Carrot sticks, for serving Pickled Celery Sticks Up to 2 days before the party, toss the wings in a little vegetable oil to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (or chile flakes if you want to really make it hot). Refrigerate covered. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place wings in a single layer on rimmed cookie sheets or baking pans. Add 1 cup water to each sheet pan. Cover with foil, crimping edges to create a seal. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and leave wings in oven for another 30 minutes, which will finish cooking the meat and make the wings tender enough to fall off the bone. Let wings cool for 30 minutes. Drain juice and grease. Wrap wings with plastic wrap, if you are making them ahead. From this point, it will take 10 minutes to finish the wings and you can reheat them in batches (one sheet pan at a time). Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Place wings, still in a single layer, in the oven for 10 minutes to heat through and make the skin crispy. Set a timer and watch carefully to avoid burning. Serve with your favorite condiments — such as Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce, teriyaki or barbecue sauce, blue cheese or ranch dressing, or homemade Thai Red Chile Sauce, carrot sticks and pickled celery. THAI RED CHILE SAUCE Note: This sauce can be made 3 days ahead. 1 cup sambal chile paste or 1 cup Sriracha plus 1 tablespoon red chile flakes 1 cup white wine vinegar 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped In a medium saucepan, bring the sambal, vinegar and sugar to a boil. Reduce heat, add ginger and garlic, and simmer for 2 minutes. Cool completely in refrigerator. Stir in green onions before serving. Tips for the perfect chicken wings A chicken wing is a terrible thing to waste. So why do the wings we have in restaurants taste so good, while the ones we make at home tend to be greasy or dessicated? Or greasy and dessicated, which is a feat in itself. Turns out there's a trick, and it lies in the same thing that makes restaurant fries so good. You cook them. Then you cook them again. "I look for two things in a great wing," says Kyle Itani, executive chef at Hopscotch, the chic Oakland diner with a Japanese sensibility. "First, the crunchiness of the exterior balanced against the moistness of the interior meat. There is nothing worse than a soggy wing or a dried-out wing. Second, how spicy the sauce is, balanced against how flavorful the sauce is." So Itani steams the wings first. Then he fries them. "It's a double-cooking process. We're borrowing from Peking duck," he says. "Steaming melts the skin a little bit. You don't have to worry about the meat being raw. It's already cooked through. The frying gets it nice and crispy, but it's moist inside. It's like you double-cook fries." If you're anxious about the prospect of deep-frying — especially deep-frying while concentrating on bungled calls and gridiron debacles on the flat screen across the room — Gabe Caliendo, the chef at Concord's new Lazy Dog restaurant, understands. "In a restaurant setting, wings are usually deep-fried to order to crisp the skin. At home it is difficult to accomplish this," Caliendo says. "Also, most people are usually slightly stressed when cooking chicken, as they want to make sure the chicken is fully cooked. Combined with the pressure of entertaining at home, you have the potential for lessthan-desirable results." Caliendo favors a double-cooking technique for the same reasons — the chicken stays moist inside, crispy outside and there's no danger of distinctly pink meat — but he suggests using your oven and broiler to achieve a similar effect. He bakes the wings first on a rimmed cookie sheet with a cup of water and a layer of tightly crimped foil so the chicken can steam its way to moist doneness. A final stint in the broiler crisps the skin. "Tossing them in sauce makes them go soggy faster and limits your guest to one flavor," he says. Serve the sauces on the side and guests can choose whether they want to dunk their wings in that American classic, Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Wings Sauce, teriyaki sauce, a blue cheese or ranch-style dressing, barbecue sauce or — Caliendo's favorite — a Thai red chile sauce. Itani likes the zip and heat of Frank's Red Hot, too, but he gives the concept an Asian twist with kochijyang, a Korean chile paste, red miso, charred green onions and fresh ginger. "It looks like Frank's, but it isn't," he says. "I like heat, but not to the point where you can't taste the chicken or the nuances in the sauce. Substituting a mix of kochijyang and red miso adds a deeper flavor than Frank's, and the green onion and ginger add complexity to the dish." And, of course, you have to have blue cheese dressing. It's Buffalo wings by way of Tokyo. Super Bowl Party Tips Hosting a Super Bowl party is a juggling act. It can be tough to turn out tasty dishes while watching the game. So Gabe Caliendo, chef at Concord's new Lazy Dog restaurant, shares a few tips. • "Do as many things in advance as you can so you can look calm and relaxed and enjoy your guests," he says. That includes tossing the chicken wings with a little vegetable oil, and seasoning them with salt and black pepper or red chile flakes up to two days ahead. The chicken wings can be baked or steamed ahead of time, then fried or broiled at the last minute to get crispy. • Double-bake the wings. "Low and slow to cook and tenderize," he says, "and then high and fast to crisp." • "Serving wing sauces on the side allows your guest to make the choice, removes one more step for the host to do and keep the wings crispier longer." moist to the touch. Meanwhile, start the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a large mixing bowl; beat to combine with a spatula or whisk. In a deep, heavy-bottomed pot, heat the oil to 350 degrees. Gently ease in the dry wings; the drier the wings, the less spatter. The wings are already cooked through, so you are frying them enough to crisp the skin. Once the wings turn a nice golden brown (about 5 minutes), remove them from the oil and drain them on paper towels for a few seconds. Add the fried wings to the sauce, tossing to coat. Add salt to taste. Serve them on a bed of shredded cabbage with blue cheese dressing. BLUE CHEESE DRESSING 2 egg yolks 1 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar 1/4 cup buttermilk 1/4 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream) 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbled 5 mint leaves, minced 5 shiso leaves, minced 10 chive scapes (or chives) minced Salt, to taste In a food processor, whip egg yolks; slowly add oil until emulsified. Add the vinegar, buttermilk and crème fraîche; pulse to combine. Stir in the blue cheese, herbs and salt to taste. • Serving a few unexpected items will help jump-start party conversation. Caliendo suggests serving a homemade Thai chili sauce and pickled celery with those wings. Hopscotch Chicken Wings 12 chicken wings Rice bran or canola oil Salt WING SAUCE 8 ounces kochujang, or a similar fermented soy bean chile paste, readily found at any good Asian market 6 ounces butter 3 1/2 ounces red miso 3 ounces water 1 bunch green onions, broiled until charred, then sliced 1 ounce grated ginger Place chicken wings in a steamer set over simmering water; steam until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove the wings and pat them dry with a paper towel. Let them sit and air dry until they are no longer WE ACCEPT FOOD STAMPS WE FEATURE BLACK CANYON ANGUS BEEF 8049 Hwy 99E, Los Molinos, CA "Your Family Supermarket" NO CARDS REQUIRED FOR EVERYDAY LOW PRICING OR SALE ITEMS We appreciate your business - and we show it! 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