SPICY BLACK-PEPPER-COATED DRUMSTICKS
- 12 chicken drumsticks
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce, preferably chipotle
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds, lightly crushed in a spice or coffee grinder
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 fennel bulbs
- 4 ounces Gorgonzola dolce
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions:
PREHEAT THE OVEN TO 400°F.
Place the drumsticks on a baking sheet and season all
over with salt. Bake for 20 minutes (25 minutes for very
large drumsticks).
- In a medium bowl, stir together the buttermilk, Tabasco, fennel seeds, and pepper. Set a wire rack over a small baking sheet.
- As soon as the drumsticks come out of the oven, toss them, in batches, into the butter-milk and turn to coat, then place skin side up on the rack to drain. Spoon a little of the mixture, with fennel seeds and pepper, over each one, and set aside. (The drumsticks can be baked and marinated up to a day ahead; leave them on the rack, cover, and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before grilling.)
- Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
- Trim the fennel bulbs, cut lengthwise in half, and cut out the core. Cut into ¼-inch-wide bâtonnets and toss into a bowl of ice water.
- Crumble the Gorgonzola into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the vinegar and stir until fairly smooth.
- Drizzle in the oil, stirring. Pour into shallow bowls for dipping.
- Place the drumsticks on the hottest part of the grill, cover the grill, and cook, turning occasionally at first and then more often as they start to caramelize, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Put the drumsticks on a platter. Drain the fennel sticks, pat dry, and place next to the wings. Serve with the Gorgonzola dressing.
- Buffalo wings go to Italy: drumsticks in a spicy buttermilk marinade, red wine–Gorgonzola dressing, and fennel sticks standing in for the celery.