Plum Glazed Wings
I love when local fruit is in season. I found myself with lovely red plums and I decided to use some of them to make a sauce for chicken wings. The sauce came out really nice. I started with onions, garlic and plum puree. I added more ingredients as I went until I felt the sauce had the flavor I was going for. This sauce/glaze would be great on pork or duck, too.
I pan fried my wings, but they could be grilled and basted with the sauce instead, air fried, or baked in the oven.
Plum Sauce/Glaze
2 T. oil, butter or bacon fat
1 medium onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. plum puree made from about 1 lb. of plums
¼ c. cider vinegar
2 T. honey
1 T. hot sauce
1 t. fresh grated ginger
Salt to taste
I started by peeling the plums. You could leave the skins on, if you like. I think next time I might leave the skins on. I put the plums in boiling water for a minute and then in cold water. The skins came right off. I removed the pits and pureed the plums- I ended up with a cup of fresh plum puree. Saute onion in a little oil- you could use butter or even bacon fat. Add garlic once the onions are tender. After that, add the plum puree and the rest of the ingredients. Let it cook for about 10 minutes to thicken and give it a taste. I decided to smooth the sauce out in the blender but it would be fine to leave it chunky. Makes about 11/2 cups.
To cook the wings I just pan-fried them. I had just over a pound of wings. I cooked them in a skillet, covered for about 20 minutes, turning a couple of times. I poured the sauce over them and turned the heat down to medium. I let them cook, covered, another 10 or 15 minutes. Once I was sure the wings were cooked through, I uncovered them and let the sauce cook down and thicken a little. It created a nice glaze on the wings. Easy and very tasty. I could also see baking or grilling the wings and just tossing them in the sauce at the end.
I ended up pureeing more plums and tossed them in the freezer so I can make this sauce again when the weather is chilly and no fresh plums are around.
Pork with Plum Chutney
I had very ripe plums and wanted to use them in a savory dish rather than a dessert. I had made a pear chutney before, so that gave me the idea of using the plums in a chutney. I had some pork loin defrosted and I thought they would work well together. I was not disappointed.
I started by pitting and chopping up the plums. They were very ripe. I say in the recipe it was 2 cups, but let’s say a generous 2 cups. You can be off a little bit here. A few more plums aren’t going the hurt anything. I threw everything in a pot and let it cook until the mixture thickened. After it was finished I added a little honey because it seemed too tart. Trust your taste here for how much sweetening it needs.
Here is the recipe for the chutney and for the pork.
Plum Chutney
2 c. pitted chopped plums
1 small onion, minced
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
¼ c. balsamic vinegar
¼ c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
1 t. cinnamon
Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste
Combine all ingredients, except the seasonings in a medium saucepan and s= cook over medium heat until thickened. This took about 20 minutes, maybe a bit longer. As the mixture gets thicker, stir more often to prevent sticking. I added the honey later as the chutney seemed too tart when it was finished. That is partly based on how sweet the fruit is and your personal taste. Makes about 2 cups. Will keep in fridge for weeks. Great on pork, duck and chicken or served with cheese and crackers as an appetizer.
Pork with Plum Chutney
1 lb. boneless pork, cubed
2 T. cornstarch
2 T. sherry, not cooking sherry
1 T. soy sauce
Oil
Additional cornstarch for dredging
Salt and pepper
About ¾ c. plum chutney
Place cubed pork in a small bowl and combine with the cornstarch, sherry and oil. Chill several hours, if possible. Heat oil in skillet. Dredge the pork in cornstarch and sauté until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and spoon any excess oil out of the pan. Add the chutney and simmer until heated through. Serves 3-4.
Plum and Pomegranate Sauce
I had plums and wanted to use them with some pork I was cooking. I like pairing fruits with meats and other savory ingredients. I pureed the plums, then used them as the base for a sauce I needed for pulled pork. One of my dinner guests was not a big fan of more tomato based barbecue sauces, so I figured plum sauce might be a better option. I added pomegranate syrup for more tang- and for its pretty color, along with a handful of other ingredients. I let it simmer down until nice and thick, then stirred it into my pulled pork. Even the guest who said she is not normally a fan of pulled pork liked it with this sauce. It would also go well with poultry and lamb.
Plum and Pomegranate Sauce
3 T. oil- you could use butter or bacon fat, if you like
1 medium onion, minced
2 gloves garlic, minced
2 c. plum puree*
½ c. pomegranate molasses**
½ c. apple cider vinegar
2 T. honey- or a little more to taste
2 t. hot sauce- or to taste
1 t. grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
Heat oil in pan and cook onions until very tender. Add the garlic and cook another minute or two, being careful not to burn the garlic. Add remaining ingredients and cook until sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes. I simmer the sauce and stir more often as it reduces to avoid scorching. You should cook it down to around 2 cups. Adjust seasonings once it is cooked down. Use with pulled pork, on chicken or as a glaze for duck or even lamb.
* To make the plum puree- dip plums in boiling water for 30 -60 seconds. Remove them to a bowl with ice water to cool. Slip off skins and discard. Remove pits and discard them, too. Place plums in a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. You’ll need about 1½ pounds of plums for 2 cups of puree.
** Pomegranate molasses can be found in some grocery stores and in specialty stores. It is pomegranate juice that is boiled down until it becomes thick and syrupy.
Plum Glazed Wings
Plum Glazed Wings
I love when local fruit is in season. I found myself with lovely red plums and I decided to use some of them to make a sauce for chicken wings. I started by peeling the plums. You could leave the skins on, if you like, but I prefer them off. I put the plums in boiling water for a minute and then in cold water. The skins came right off. I removed the pits and pureed the plums- I ended up with a cup of fresh plum puree. From there it was a matter of creating the sauce. I minced an onion and cooked it in a little bacon fat- you could use butter or oil. I added a couple of cloves of minced garlic once the onions were tender. After that I added the plum puree, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, a couple of tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of hot sauce and salt. I let it cook for about 10 minutes to thicken and gave it a taste. It was pretty good, but needed something more. I added some fresh grated ginger and let it cook a few more minutes. It was wonderful. I decided to smooth the sauce out in the blender but it would be fine to leave it be.
To cook the wings I just pan fried them. I cooked them in a skillet, covered for about 20 minutes, turning a couple of times. I poured the sauce over them and turned the heat down to medium. I let them cook, covered, another 10 or 15 minutes. Once I was sure the wings were cooked through I uncovered them and let the sauce cook down and thicken a little. It created a nice glaze on the wings. Easy and very tasty. I ended up pureeing more plums and tossed them in the freezer so I can make this sauce again when the weather is chilly and no fresh plums are around.
