Wings of desire

If you're hosting a Super Bowl crowd, you know already that the occasion calls for quantity cooking. Anxiety breeds hunger. We think there are other requirements for watching the game: Something substantial and nourishing should be ladled into bowls (chili is the obvious choice) and the evening should boast a typically New England ingredient. To that end, you could put out a large wedge of aged cheddar or some locally-made chips, offer tiny lobster rolls, oysters on the half shell, and clam chowder. But you need a menu that isn't as fancy, that gives your assembled fans what they're really looking for: tons of wings. And the local ingredient? Glaze them with maple syrup.

Alas, chicken wings are difficult to get right. If you marinate the little poultry pieces for several hours, then spread them in a roasting pan, the heat releases all the natural juices in the chicken so the wing skins seem stewed. Leave them in the oven longer to evaporate the juices, and the little nubbins dry out. Julie, who used to cook at a boy's school in Boston, figured out how to get sticky wings that are moist inside. Cook the wings until they're done, then brush them with leftover marinade and slide them under the broiler for a minute or two. You have to stand right at the stove and watch them carefully so they don't burn. The maple mixture turns dark and glazed and they're unbelievably appealing. To round out this unhealthful menu, make a big pot of beef chili, which you can set on a burner with a flame diffuser, and let guests help themselves. Again, quantity is important here. Cheering at the TV set takes a lot of energy.