Grilled tahini chicken wings

Meals featuring a multitude of dishes (tapas, dim sum, mezze) really appeal to me – I like the feast-like quality and the choice it affords me (or perhaps I’m just greedy). These moreish chicken wings from the kitchen of East London restaurant Moro, are a breeze to prepare and would be a hit on any mezze spread. Ideally these would be cooked outside, in the sunshine, on a barbecue, but since we’re in the midst of one of the coldest British winters ever, the oven had to do (and they still came out great). The original recipe suggests serving them with a Tahini Sauce but I found that a mild cool Garlic Yogurt made a more successful pairing, given the wings were already marinated in tahini. Why not make both and see which you prefer? (recipes below)

Grilled Chicken Wings with Tahini

(from the Moro Cookbook)

serves 4, as part of a selection of mezze

12 chicken wings, tips removed

a generous pinch of salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tbsp tahini paste

juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

Combine all the ingredients (except the chicken) in a large bowl and mix well to form the marinade. Toss in the chicken wings and mix well to coat then leave to marinade at room temperature for an hour, or in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 200°C (425°F), on the grill setting.

Spread the chicken wings out on a large baking tray and grill for 15-20 minutes, turning them halfway. If the wings should be golden and slightly charred, but if they start to colour too much, turn the oven down to 200°C (392°F).

Serve hot or at room temperature with the tahini sauce, garlic yogurt and lemon wedges.

Tahini Sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp tahini paste

juice of 1 lemon

5 tbsp water

black pepper

sea salt

Combine all sauce ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Garlic Yogurt

200ml natural greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp milk

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature.