Chicken wings with pepperoni sauce

Preparation

Baking Directions:

For pepperoni sauce:1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic and sweat for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.

If the garlic begins to brown, lower the heat.

Add the pepperoni and sauté for 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate dry sauté pan, toast the fennel seed over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan often to prevent burning.

Add the chili flakes and toast 1 minute longer, then add the toasted spices to the pepperoni mixture.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and increase heat to bring to a gentle boil.

Lower the heat and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring every now and then.

Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer the mixture to a blender and purée for 2 to 3 minutes or until smooth.

Pass the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer into a mixing bowl, using the back of a spoon or a silicone spatula to help the sauce pass through.

Finish the sauce by stirring in the red wine vinegar.

For chicken wings:1. Using a sharp knife, remove and discard the chicken wing tips.

Then, cut each wing into two pieces: find the joint and cut at the joint to separate the drumette from the wing.

In a large glass mixing bowl or other non-reactive bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, rosemary and lemon peel.

Add the chicken wings and stir until well coated.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2½ hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Remove the wings from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Stir in the salt.

Place wings on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet to allow for even cooking.

Don't rinse the marinade from the wings, but do make sure there's no garlic, rosemary or lemon peel on the chicken, as those ingredients will burn.

Roast the wings for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and crispy.

Pour ¾ cup warm pepperoni sauce into a large mixing bowl, add the wings and toss to coat.

Transfer wings to a serving platter and serve the remaining sauce on the side.

Serving Directions:

Pepperoni sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Reheat the sauce before you are ready to use.