My dream of being recognized by a famous chef has finally come true, well, sort of! 😉
It all started with a “North American” themed dinner party (i.e., burgers and fries) we were planning here in Sardegna. North Americans are known for our burgers (and not just McD’s version…if you can even call them that!)
We are also known for our chicken wings so my husband and I graciously (even though we have NEVER made them before) offered to whip up a batch for our dinner guests. We WERE ready to scrap the idea (due to the fact that our kitchen space was limited, we had a 2 year old and 7 month old to tend to, and in all honesty, we were too damn lazy) when the unthinkable happened…
This innocent tweet my husband sent to THE Chuck Hughes earlier in the day…
@chucksdayoff Hey Chuck, any wings recipes to suggest? I’m cooking for my parents and a bunch of friends in Italy tomorrow night! Thank you!
— Paolo Codina (@Gionmeri) July 17, 2013
…was answered!
@Gionmeri Brine, slow roast with lots of lemon zest, garlic,fennel seed and Honey,finish with Black pepper,sea salt. And a touch of chili!
— Chuck Hughes (@chucksdayoff) July 17, 2013
So, I tweeted both of them to express my thoughts on the situation:
@Gionmeri @chucksdayoff So jealous that Chuck personally replied to my husband’s tweet!
— Bitesforbabies (@bitesforbabies) July 17, 2013
And the unthinkable happened again, he responded:
@bitesforbabies @Gionmeri …Tell him i’m still waiting for picks!
— Chuck Hughes (@chucksdayoff) July 17, 2013
Imagine the thoughts going through my head…”Seriously? Did THE Chuck Hughes just reply to my tweet? Am I dreaming? Oh crap, now we HAVE to make those damn chicken wings!”
Needless to say, we were so pumped up after having had this twit-versation with Chuck that my husband decided to run out to pick some up while I made some space in the TINY kitchen for the new addition to the menu.
We couldn’t find an exact recipe so we had to improvise (which is nothing new to me!). It’s a good thing Chuck was there in spirit to give us some cooking tips.
Thanks Chuck, we couldn’t have done it without you! 😉
While the wings were roasting away my husband took a dip in the “pool” and enjoyed an authentic Sardinian aperitivo…Ichnusa (the national beer), fresh sausage, and pane carasau.
On the menu:
Fresh basil, potato and zucchini frittata
Homemade burgers stuffed with sautéed garlic, onions and portobello mushrooms
Yum! (Homemade fries not pictured as they were gobbled up in the blink of an eye!)
And the pièce de résistance..
Slow roasted, fennel seed, fresh lemon zest and honey marinated chicken wings a la Chuck Hughes!
They were delicious and our dinner guests couldn’t have been fuller happier!
I’ll be honest and admit that I’m not much of a chicken wing kinda girl..but I sure was digging in!
And for dessert, homemade Tiramisu
Cheers to a great evening with friends and family, delicious food…and our new “friend” Chuck!
Have you tried Chuck Hughes’ recipes? They are too die for!
First of all. It’s so cool that you guys are cooking for your family in ITALY! And I just love it when famous folks respond to tweets. As usual, your creations look fantastic..and you guys are so hot! xx
I think it’s cooler when they cook authentic food for us, lol! I know it’s no biggie, but I was over the moon when Chuck responded…just thinking about how busy someone like him must be yet he takes the time to communicate with fans! Brilliant!