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Wing-ing It

They are sticky, sweet and just a little spicy.

They’re everything you want in a finger-licking good chicken wing.

And would you believe these Asian-influenced wings were created by a Basque chef?

That would be the talented Gerald Hirigoyen of Piperade and Bocadillos restaurants, both in San 

Francisco. With both of his establishments within walking distance of Chinatown, he’ll often head to a nearby Chinese restaurant when he’s craving something different than his own food.

This dish, from his cookbook, “Pintxos” (Ten Speed Press), has become a favorite staff meal with rice at his restaurants.

It couldn’t be easier to make, either. The wings get marinated in a pungent mixture of ginger, garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce, honey and everyone’s favorite Sriracha. Then, the 

wings and marinade are cooked in a large saute pan on the stovetop. After about 25 minutes, the chicken will be cooked through and the sauce will have reduced to form a thick glaze.

I served the wings with homemade fried rice for dinner. But they’d also be great for noshing with beer or a nice Riesling while rooting for your favorite team in the Super Bowl.

Just be sure to make plenty, though. Because once you try one, you’ll be coming back for more.

Spicy and Sweet Chicken Wings

(Serves 4 to 6)

2 tablespoons fresh ginger

2 tablespoons minced garlic

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam)

2 tablespoons Sriracha chile sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 pounds (about 24) chicken wings, middle joint only, or chicken “drumsticks”

2 tablespoons grape seed or canola oil

In a bowl, whisk together ginger, garlic, lemon zest and juice, soy sauce, Vietnamese fish sauce, chile sauce, and honey until well combined. Add chicken wings and toss to coat well. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes or in the refrigerator for up to 2 hours.

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat until hot. Add grape seed oil and warm it until it ripples. Add chicken wings and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20  minutes, or until golden and the liquid is beginning to thicken. Increase heat to medium-high and reduce liquid for about 5 minutes, or until it has glazed the wings.

Remove from heat and serve wings hot or at room temperature.

To Drink: With the hot, sweet, tart, and salty food of Asia, fruity, light, crisp, well-balanced sweet wines, such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer, are classic options. A California Riesling produced by Ventana Vineyards in Monterey’s Salinas Valley is both delicious and reasonably priced.

From “Pintxos” by Gerald Hirigoyen

Precious Pintxos

As a long-time food writer, I’ve found myself in some enviable positions over the years.

One of my fondest memories is the time a few years ago when I was invited to Chef Gerald

Hirigoyen’s Marin County house for lunch. It was a gathering of just three other food writers. We all hung out in the kitchen as the charming Basque chef cooked us lunch in honor of his friend’s new cookbook.

Oh, the friend in question? That would be New York four-star Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin. And the other cooks in the kitchen that afternoon? Laurent Gras, who went on to open his acclaimed L2O in Chicago; and Laurent Manrique, chef-partner of the Aqua Restaurant Group in San Francisco.

It’s hard not to feel a little star-struck in that company, especially when Ripert hands you a warm croque monsieur (done his way with salmon instead of ham) that he just made in a frying pan at the stove. But as we all sat down at the kitchen table to eat, chit-chat, and share laughs, it was as
 comfortable as any gathering of old friends could be.


Therein lies the beauty of Hirigoyen’s hospitality and cooking that permeates his San Francisco restaurants, Piperade and Bocadillos. Both are infused with warmth and soul throughout.

His new cookbook is no exception. “Pintxos” (Ten Speed Press) by Hirigoyen and co-author Lisa Weiss is filled with recipes for small plates that pack a lot of gusto. They are mostly Basque-inspired, but a few also feature the Cal-Asian flavors Hirigoyen has grown to love. Pintxos (the Basque version of Spanish tapas) make for perfect, casual party food.

Many of the recipes call for piment d’Espelette, a dried red chile powder from the Basque French region. The chiles, grown only in and around the town of Espelette, have a smoky, complex flavor and a subtle kick. Hirigoyen imports his own that’s sold under the Igo Foods brand. I picked up a 1-ounce container ($16) at the Spanish Table in Berkeley.


I decided to try making his “Chicken Thighs with Spicy Basque ‘Ketchup’.” You make a piperade first (a stew of sweet peppers and onions) that gets pureed in a blender and seasoned with more piment d’Espelette.


The chicken thighs are simmered in the sauce until done. It couldn’t be easier.


As for the taste? Let’s just say that my husband and I now want to spoon this sauce over everything and anything. It’s tangy, sweet, a little spicy. It’s ketchup with new-found personality, and yes, heaps of soulfulness.

If you've ever had the pleasure of dining at Chef Gerald Hirigoyen's two San Francisco restaurants, you know how utterly soulful his food is. Photo by Maren Caruso                                                         At both Piperade and Bocadillos, you won't find food that's piled high into a pyramid on your plate, accented by the latest foam, or looking all too painstakingly precious. No, what you'll dig your fork into is food cooked with honesty, passion, and gutsy flavors that reflect his Basque heritage. That's also what you'll find in Hirigoyen's newest cookbook, "Pintxos'' (Ten Speed Press). For the uninitiated, pintxos (pronounced "PEEN-chos'') are the Basque country's answer to Spanish tapas. Dig into a few different types alongside a carafe of wine. It's a fun way to dine out with friends, and as Hirigoyen shows, it's also a great way to entertain at home. In this book, he adapts 75 pintxos for the home kitchen. They range from traditional ones such as "Warm Toasted Bread with Tomato Spread and Serrano ham'' and "Sausage and Guindilla Pepper Skewers'' to more Cal-Asian-inspired ones such as "Spicy and Sweet Chicken Wings'' made with Vietnamese fish sauce, fresh ginger, and Sriracha chile sauce. Since I'm admittedly a fiend for condiments, the recipe for "Chicken Thighs with Spicy Basque 'Ketchup' '' caught my eye immediately. It couldn't be simpler to make. You start by sautéing the piperade, the iconic Basque stew of sweet peppers, onions, garlic, and tomatoes. Add piment d'Espelette (a dried red chile powder from the French Basque region with a complex sweet-hot flavor) to taste. I found that 1 teaspoon seemed about right. Then you puree it. The chicken thighs are seasoned with just salt and pepper. They're seared in a pan, before getting tucked in with the pureed sauce to cook on the stovetop. The recipe says to cook for about 10 minutes until done. But I found it took more like 20 minutes for mine. Transfer the chicken to a pan and put under the broiler to crisp the skin. Spoon some of the puree or "Basque ketchup'' on serving plates, then top with a chicken thigh. A pinch of fresh chopped parsley over the top adds the crowning touch. The thick, deep red sauce did not disappoint. It really made the dish with its addicting sweet-tangyness. It's so divine that my husband now wants to spoon it on anything and everything, including hot dogs, burgers, and meatloaf. Let me tell you, Heinz has nothing on this stuff. I'm already thinking of serving this dish at my next dinner party. It may just be chicken. But believe me, chicken never had it so good.Read more of what Carolyn Jung has to say about Pintxos on foodgal.com    Chicken Thighs with Spicy Basque "Ketchup"     Reprinted with permission from Pintxos: Small Plates in the Basque Tradition by Gerald Hirigoyen with Lisa Weiss, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press. It is the addictive sauce that makes this dish special. Sweet from the peppers and brown sugar, spicy from the piment d'Espelette, and tangy from the vinegar, the sauce is easy to put together, can be made in quantity (this recipe makes three-quarter cup but can be increased easily three or four times), and is good with everything from these chicken thighs to eggs and fried potatoes.    Serves 4 4 skin-on chicken thighs Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar 1/4 cup sherry vinegar 1 heaping cup Pipérade, pureed 2 teaspoons piment d'Espelette Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish Preheat the broiler. Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over high heat until hot. Add the olive oil and warm it until it ripples. Add the chicken, skin side down, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown. Using tongs, turn and cook on the second side for 3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer the chicken to a plate and discard the oil. Return the pan to high heat and add the brown sugar, whisking until it melts. Remove from the heat and whisk in the sherry vinegar. Return the pan to medium heat and whisk the mixture for about 1 minute, or until it has thickened and reduced. Stir in the pipérade and the piment d'Espelette. Return the chicken to the pan, cover, decrease the heat to low, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the thighs are cooked through. Transfer the chicken, skin side up, to a broiler pan and broil for about 2 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. To serve, spoon a pool of the sauce on each warmed plate and top with a chicken thigh. Sprinkle with the parsley. To Drink: The Navarre region is in north-central Spain, and its food is strongly influenced by the Basque Country, which borders it. Most of the grapes grown there are Garnacha, and though it was long thought of as the region of rosadas, or rosés, its reds are gaining in popularity. A spry, light, fruity Navarre red, served slightly chilled, is ideal here.  L D F Pipérade Reprinted with permission from Pintxos: Small Plates in the Basque Tradition by Gerald Hirigoyen with Lisa Weiss, copyright © 2009. Published by Ten Speed Press. Pipérade is basically a stew of sweet peppers and onions and is the quintessential dish of the Basque country. Makes 3 cups 1/3 cup olive oil 1 small onion, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut lengthwise into ¼-inch-wide strips 6 garlic cloves, crushed or thinly sliced 4 ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into rough 3/4-inch cubes Kosher salt Piment d'Espelette Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high until hot. Add the olive oil and warm it until it ripples. Add the onion, bell peppers, garlic, and tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened and have begun to color. Remove from the heat and let cool. Season to taste with salt and piment d'Espelette before using, and then use immediately, or store in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. About Pintxos: Small Plates in the Basque Tradition Acclaimed chef Gerald Hirigoyen's sophisticated and delectable small plates, served at his restaurants, Bocadillos and Piperade, set the standard for tapas in San Francisco. This book features 75 distinctive California-inflected versions of Spanish tapas and French Basque dishes (including Salt Cod with Piperade, Roasted Beets with Moroccan Spices, and Oxtail Empanadas with Spicy Mango Dip) specially written for the home cook. Conveniently organized by type of dish--grilled, soups, braises, skewers and toasts, sandwiches, bean dishes, and fried foods--and illustrated with the exemplary photography of James Beard award-winning photographer Maren Caruso, PINTXOS is all you need to host an authentic and stylish tapas party at home.