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This recipe goes way, way back to our first apartment in Memphis and a tiny balcony that seemed like the best place in the world to be. In our twenties, we felt like we'd made it due to having that 10th-floor perch above Idlewild Street. Starting at five o'clock, everything began: fire trucks raging, horns bleating, wandering folks yelling out nonsense, police officers on their in-car megaphones telling people they'd better not even try to turn left (it wasn't permitted until after 7:00). We could sit out on that balcony all night long and be entertained.
Well, let's go ahead and get around to the point of all of this: what we always ate out there on the balcony. It was always a vegetarian version of buffalo chicken wings, all the rage in the late 90's. In our twenties, with much better metabolism, we had these every single week. We've tried to vary the original recipe -- seitan wings, panelle wings, even paneer wings -- to no avail; we always come back to this classic. Maybe a little football game we've heard is going to be on today made us think of sharing it with you. It may just be the perfect thing to include in your Super-Bowl-inspired vegetarian spread.
Tofu Hot Wings + Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing
1 block extra-firm tofu (like Whole Foods 365 brand)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 1/2 cups canola oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg (beaten)
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (melted)
2 tablespoons honey
Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing (recipe follows)
Carrot and celery sticks (to serve)
Cut the tofu into 16 equally sized rectangles and wrap in a clean kitchen towel in order to wick away some of the moisture. In a small bowl, combine the salt, onion powder, garlic, pepper, and marjoram. Transfer the dry tofu slices to a large bowl and sprinkle all of the spice mixture onto the slices. Set aside.
In a medium cast-iron pan, bring 1 1/2 cups of canola oil up to about 350 degrees. That's usually about medium to medium-high.
In a medium bowl, make a batter by combining the flour egg, and milk using a whisk. Make the hot wing sauce in a medium bowl by combining the Frank's, butter, and honey.
Dip each piece of tofu in the batter, shake off the excess, and gently lay it into the hot oil. Repeat with remaining tofu. Cook tofu for about 4 to 5 minutes per side or until deeply browned. Drain on paper towels, toss in the wing sauce to coat, and remove wings from the sauce using kitchen tongs. Serve alongside Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing, carrots, and celery.
Greek Yogurt Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1/4 cup bleu cheese (crumbled)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon chopped chives
1/8 teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, cheese, lemon juice, chives, sugar, salt, and pepper until well incorporated. (It's a very thick dressing so that it'll stick to the wings.)
