Tom Kitchin recipe: Chicken wings served with local asparagus wrapped in pancetta
Recipe: Chicken wings served with local asparagus wrapped in Pancetta
The Scottish asparagus season is short, running from early May until mid-June, but the quality in that time is truly outstanding. We’ve been getting some exceptional early asparagus from the Wye Valley at the restaurant, but I relish the moment when the first of the crop arrives from Eassie Farm near Glamis Castle, only about an hour’s journey from our restaurant. My supplier, Sandy Pattullo, has been bringing me some of the best asparagus in the world since we opened The Kitchin in 2006. To this day some diners still tell me it’s the best asparagus they’ve ever tasted. Great asparagus is intense, juicy and crunchy with a slightly sweet, yet lovely earthy, grassy taste. Though Scottish asparagus can be slightly lighter in colour, it’s no less flavoursome. If it’s cooked perfectly and married with other fresh seasonal ingredients and natural matches, you will truly savour it every time. Growing and farming asparagus takes a lot of time and nurturing, with two years or more before it is ready to pick. The care and passion that goes into growing the asparagus means that it’s important you treat the produce with care and passion when you’re preparing it. The moment it arrives at the door, I store the bright green spears in ice cold water for about 10-15 minutes as it keeps them as fresh as possible and makes sure they retain their vibrant green colour. After that, I lay them out on a tray and cover them with a damp cloth. When I’m ready to start cooking, I remove all of the little points on the stems and then cut the spears evenly into the size I want them. I always keep the trimmings to make a delicious sauce or soup. If it’s fresh, asparagus needs very little preparation, and the trick is not to cook it for too long or you begin to lose the quality. Served simply with hollandaise sauce and poached eggs, accompanied with some fresh seasonal seafood, like langoustines or scallops, or blanched lightly and served with balsamic and vivid orange – these simple flavour combinations offer a true taste of spring.
Ingredients
- 12 chicken wings
- rapeseed oil
- 12 asparagus spears
- olive oil
- 12 slices of pancetta
- 500ml chicken stock
- 25g butter
- salt and pepper
- herbs to garnish
Serves: 4 Difficulty: Medium Time to cook: 25 mins
Method
For the asparagus:
Peel and prepare the asparagus, keeping the trimmings aside to make a sauce or soup. Warm a splash of olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over a medium heat, then add the asparagus spears. Cook for around 5 minutes, making sure you keep moving them around every minute or so to prevent them burning. Remove the asparagus from the pan and place in a bowl of ice cold water, then dry the spears before wrapping them individually in slices of pancetta. Sweat the asparagus spears wrapped in pancetta gently in olive oil. Add chicken stock, salt and a knob of butter and cook for 3-4 minutes.
For the chicken:
Cut the pointy tips from each chicken wing and discard. Dry the wings well on kitchen paper. Place a heavy-bottomed pan on a medium heat and add a good splash of rapeseed oil. Add the chicken wings and season with salt and pepper. Colour the chicken wings for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer the pan to the oven heated to 200C/Gas Mark 6 for 8-10 minutes until the wings are cooked through.
To serve:
Plate the chicken and asparagus on individual plates or on one big sharing plate for everyone to help themselves. Garnish the dish with herbs.