Paleo Ski-Hill Wings and Jaroslaw

When I was twenty-one years old I worked at a bar on a ski hill. I would ski my butt off all day, and carry my cocktail uniform in a backpack. As the lifts closed, I would prop my skies up outside of the bar, and “shimmy” into work to start my shift.

 We served mostly basic pub food, but some of the plates that came from the kitchen were considered “pub-plus.” You know that meal… 

There you are sipping on a slightly “skunky” tap beer. You vaguely point to something on a ketchup-stained menu, as a waitress walks by. Your expectations of culinary glory (being dropped off at your table) are practically non-existent. But, then it arrives. Presentation is better then expected. Savory tendrils of flavor tickle your nostrils. Conversation stops mid-sentence, and you take a bite – sweetness, sour, and heat twist together as the first morsel slides down your throat. Your eyes bulge out of your head, matching your chipmunk cheeks that are full of food and you look across to your buddy, who is drinking his beer, and say, while pointing to your plate, “Owmygaw!” You pick up another piece, and offer it up. He takes it, and soon his eyes and cheeks are also bulging out. He points to the space where the food has disappeared, and says, “Owmygaw!!!!!” That is a “pub-plus” meal.

 My place of employment on the ski hill had a “pub-plus” meal. It was their chicken wings.  Skiers, coming in for lunch, would order our  wings before the snow was even stomped from their ski boots. These wings, not that they couldn’t hold their own, were often accompanied by “Crunchy Coleslaw.” “Crunchy Coleslaw” was the invention of the hefty, bearded, Polish chef, or so he claimed. No one knew how to actually check. He didn’t have a last name. Just“Jaroslaw,” I kid you not – that was his name.

 I digress…

 Truth-be-told, I have never encountered wings (anywhere) that were comparable to the magic ones on the ski hill. That is…until now. A couple weeks ago Brent and I were in Arizona.  And, because we tend to have a little more free time there, I love messing around with new recipes. I got a hankering for some wings, so I searched for a few different recipes that I could “tweak and twitch.” I found a couple that I thought I could customize. I named the wings in honor of Snowshoe Sam’s pub at Big White Ski Resort, and the slaw in honor of grumpy “Jaroslaw.” He would be so proud. 

 Let me thank Trina, from Paleonewbie, and Sonia, from the Healthy Foodie for supplying the inspiration, and frankly the recipes. I only tweaked the recipes slightly, so these lovely ladies get all the credit!

[yumprint-recipe id=’5′][yumprint-recipe id=’4′] Also note that these recipes are paleo-approved, gluten-free, and dairy-free!

For sure these wings and slaw recipes  also get the “Pub-Plus” nod of approval.

 I hope you enjoy! I look forward to hearing your “Ohmygaw!!!” comments. Let me know how they turn out. I am always looking for feedback.