Oat Risotto with Fiddleheads and Tender Garlic Chicken Wings

I have been pondering how to cook the oats that my friends Greg and Jerry gave me and I am finally gathering the courage to try a few things.  A risotto seems like a natural for a grain.  Oats are so healthy and hearty.  A small serving is sufficient.

I also found a Scottish recipe for a skirlie.  It is very similar to a risotto but...uses rolled oats and there is no cheese.  So, I think the risotto will be more to our taste.

They cook a lot like wild rice but don't open up as much.  I think a mixture of oat with wild rice would be nice.  I would suggest using them like one would use brown rice.

This is a spring risotto and served with chicken wings from a wonderful Hutterite chicken.  When I was young and working at KFC to pay my way through university, my boss would always say "The wings are the dessert.  That is why they are on the bottom of the bucket.  Save the sweetest for last."   It took me years before I agreed with him.   Everyone thinks that wings have to be finger food.  This will change your mind on that.

Oat Risotto with Fiddleheads and Tender Garlic Chicken Wings

1/2 cup of oat grain
2 tablespoons shallots, finely diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 - 2 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup of fiddleheads

Saute the shallots in butter.  Add the oat grains and toast.  Add the chicken broth a half a cup at a time and cook the oat grains over medium low heat until tender but still chewy.  This will take about 45 mintues.   Stir in the steamed fiddleheads and grated cheese.

These could also be served in a cazuela.  Or place a scoop of the oat risotto on a dinner plate and serve with 2 chicken wing pieces and garnish.

Garlic Chicken Wings

• 12 chicken wings, tips removed
• Sweet paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed, plus 2 cloves, minced
• 3 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 cup fino or manzanilla sherry
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Rub the chicken with paprika, salt, and pepper and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour or preferably in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the crushed garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not colored, 2 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and fry, turning as needed, until golden on both sides, 5 to 8 minutes. You want them nicely colored on the outside but not cooked through. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, and then arrange the pieces in a cazuela or baking dish large enough to hold them in a single layer. 

Remove the crushed garlic from the oil and discard. Return the pan to low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook briefly. Add the thyme, bay leaves, sherry, and broth, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and pour over the chicken. 

Bake the chicken until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and discard the bay leaves and thyme. If the pan juices are thin, transfer to a small saucepan and cook over medium high heat until reduced, and then return to the cazuela. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve at once.