Smothered Turkey Wings

6 turkey wings

  1 tablespoon salt

  1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

  1 teaspoon garlic powder

  1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

  1/2 teaspoon onion powder

  2 tablespoons of flour

 1/2 cup butter

 2 celery ribs, chopped

 1/2 medium onion, chopped

 1 small bell pepper,chopped

 1 teaspoon dried thyme

 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

 7 tablespoons flour

 3-6 cups turkey or chicken broth

 2 cups milk

 Heat the cooking oil in a medium pot.

 Thoroughly wash and dry turkey wings. Stir together 2 Tablespoons of flour salt, pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and onion powder in a medium bowl. Toss turkey wings into the bowl to lightly coat evenly.

Fry the wings in the oil, over medium heat, turning, until they are just brown on both sides.

 Melt butter in a large heavy saucepan or dutch oven; add celery, bell pepper and onion; cook over medium-low heat until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in thyme and pepper, cook 1 minute add flour stirring constantly, until light brown, about 5 minutes; slowly whisk in half the broth.

 4 Heat liquid to a boil; reduce heat and simmer uncovered 20 minutes slowly whisk in milk and stir constantly until sauce returns to a simmer. Add the wings and cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour adding more broth if necessary. Ground dried chili pepper can be added to the wing seasoning and the sauce if you want.

Busters and Grits

1 qt canola or peanut oil

1/2 cup buttermilk

4 eggs (beaten)

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. creole or Cajun spice

6 soft shell blue crabs cleaned and trimmed

For grits you need:

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup milk

1 cup fine ground white corn grits

6 tbsps. butter

4 tbsps. mascarpone cheese

Salt and black pepper

For a pan sauce you need:

1 cup crab, picked through for shells

3 cloves garlic minced

1 green onion (chopped)

2 dashes hot sauce

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup celery root, minced

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 sprig fresh thyme chopped

1 sprig tarragon leaves chopped

1 bay leaf

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup dry vermouth

1 cup clam juice

Salt and black pepper

Preheat a deep-fryer with the canola or peanut oil to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl combine the buttermilk, eggs, cornmeal, flour and Creole or Cajun spice using a wire whisk, until smooth.

In a medium-size saucepan bring the water to a boil over medium heat and slowly add the grits, while stirring constantly. Once the grits come to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Add the milk, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Heat the olive oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add the onions, garlic, celery root, and pepper flakes. Cook the vegetables, stirring often, for 3 minutes.

Add the thyme leaves, tarragon leaves, bay leaf, cream, vermouth and clam juice to the pan. Increase the heat to medium high and reduce the sauce by half, about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf.

Dip the soft-shell crabs into the cornmeal batter and carefully add them to the hot oil, 1 at a time. Fry until golden brown, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, before removing to absorbent paper towels and seasoning with additional salt.

Once the grits have cooked for 20 minutes, stir in 3 tablespoons of the butter and the mascarpone cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Reheat the Crab Pan Sauce to a slow boil and stir in the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, the hot sauce, and salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat once the butter has been added.

To plate this dish, spoon the grits into individual bowls with a generous amount of sauce ladled around the grits and topped with a fried soft-shell crab.