Spicy Korean Chicken Wings

Preheat the oven to 475°F. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Pat the chicken wings dry with paper towels and place on the prepared sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper; toss to thoroughly coat. Arrange in a single, even layer. Roast 22 to 24 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Leaving the oven on, remove the roasted chicken wings from the oven.

While the chicken wings roast, wash and dry the fresh produce. Cut the celery crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Peel and finely chop the ginger. In a medium bowl, combine the soy glaze, vinegar, half the sesame oil, half the garlic, half the ginger and as much of the gochujang as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Evenly brush or drizzle the roasted chicken wings with half the sauce. Return to the oven and roast 6 to 8 minutes, or until browned. Remove from the oven.

While the glazed chicken wings roast, in a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the celery, white bottoms of the scallions, remaining garlic and remaining ginger; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Turn off the heat.

While the celery cooks, add the rice cakes to the pot of boiling water. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until slightly tender. Reserving 1/4 cup of the rice cake cooking water, drain thoroughly.

While the glazed chicken wings continue to roast, to the pan of cooked celery, add the rinsed rice cakes, remaining sauce and half the reserved rice cake cooking water. Cook on medium-high, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until thoroughly combined. (If the sauce seems dry, gradually add the remaining cooking water to achieve your desired consistency.) Turn off the heat and stir in the remaining sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide the finished rice cakes between 2 dishes. Divide the finished chicken wings between 2 separate dishes. Garnish the chicken wings with the sesame seeds. Garnish the rice cakes with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!