So a colleague is throwing our residency program’s annual Super Bowl Bash next week. As the program’s most avid cook, I have of course been asked to provide something.
I suggested wings, which I took two years ago, and he said he was getting wings brought in from somewhere. I suggested chili, which I took last year, and he said he was trying to keep it to finger foods, etc. (I think he fears for his carpet with chili. Wimp.) He generally does the potato skins.
So what can I take to the bash to keep up my reputation as the program’s Iron Chef?
How about nachos with spiced beef/chicken, jalepenos, olives, sour cream, guac, cheddar and pepper jack, and salsa? You can stack it all up and nuke a plateful in a couple of minutes.
Meatball sandwiches with marinara sauce and mozzarella would be good. Slice up the balls so’s not to have them rolling out onto the carpet and make the sandwiches out of small sections of french bread so they’re not set down somewhere to leak. Broil for a few seconds to melt the cheese and toast the bread.
Or try some bruschetta recipes if you really want to impress, but it’s a bit foo-foo for football.
Potato skins maybe? Stuffing them with a mixture of cheddar, bleu cheese and bacon bits is nice.
Another idea might be some sort of wraps. You can buy really big flat bread wraps at the supermarket or you can just use flour tortillias. Use your imagination for the fillings, roll them and slice them into bite size pieces.
How about pepperoni rolls, or mini-strombolis? You can make some elementary pizza dough (or buy the Pillsbury crescent roll dough in the refrigerated section), fill them with pepperoni, provolone cheese, and a little marinara sauce, press them into closed little pockets, and bake them. You could even brush the outsides with garlic butter when they’re almost done. A little bowl of sauce on the side for dipping, and you’ll be good to go. Mini-strombolis could have the same stuff, but also sauteed onions, mushrooms, peppers, and crumbled browned sausage inside too. Yum!
My pizzas are pretty legendary, but I just had a dinner party to welcome our new intern a few weeks ago that was all pizza. (The best: pesto, asparagus, and fresh mozzarella.) I don’t want to get pigeonholed.
Bruschetta is one of my favorite foods in the universe; I might do some of that just for the hell of it, froo-froo be damned.
Keep the ideas coming; I’m sure I’m not the only one looking for football-worthy grub this week.
On that note, I used to make wings for our monthly poker game, and everybody always freaked out about how good they were. I was begged for the recipe, but I always made a big deal about my closely-held secret recipe that would go with me to my grave.
The truth? Roast up some frozen wing sections in the oven, per the directions on the bag. While still warm, toss with the faintest bit of butter. Then, toss with a mixture of honey, liquid smoke (a little goes a long way), and Frank’s Red Hot. (Don’t mix them beforehand; just pour them on and toss.) Serve with celery. That’s it. Instant Godlike status.
I always bring Rotel cheese dip. Everyone always gives me a hard time about it, and it’s always gone in a flash.
Clam dip kicks ass, but you have to make it one day ahead of time.
Pigs in a blanket go over well too. Put mustard on the inside.
Or if you are too hoity toity for that, take some premade phyllo, cut it into strips the long way. Butter the strip, put a bit of filling at one end–spinach and feta is good, duxelles is good, something like that. Fold the strip up like it were a flag. Good stuff.
Go Chinese with minced chix and pinenuts in lettuce cups. You’ll impress everyone and it’s a cinch to make. Or make shrimp toasts. Or wrap shrimp and water chestnuts in nori. Chinese goodies, mmmmm.
Shrimp remoulade New Orleans style on a toothpick.
Hell, go retro and make some rumaki. That shit is the shit.
Or go to the Italian deli and get some top quality salamis and mortadella. Add some good sharp provolone and grana. Make some roasted pepper salad and some caponata. A heap of good Italian tuna studded with capers and anchovies. Pepperoncinis for those that like them. Pickle some onions. Slice some bread and get out of the way.
Broiled poppers. Stuff some jalapenos with a mixture of cream cheese and a pre-browned hot mexican sausage(andouille or similar), then wrap them with a strip of good bacon and pin together with a toothpick. Broil them till the bacon turns crispy. Heart attack on a stick, but damn tasty.
How about a taco/nacho/quesadilla bar.
The ingrediients are all the same. A couple of browned, spiced ground meats, diced tomatoes, onions, scallions, lettuce, peppers, etc. etc. Whatever you llike. A couple of grated cheeses and some cheese sauce. Taco shells(maybe those little mini ones) corn torts, flour torts, corn chips, and maybe a forman grill or whatever to grill up quesadillas. Throw in a couple of salsas and some hot sauce, and and you got some serious guy food.
Lay it all out in those disposable tupperware things on a bit of ice to keep everything chilled, and a crockpot or two for the warm stuff, and there you have it.
Thin slice a bunch of potatoes and fry with cubed pieces of kielbasa.
Take dough and fill it with kielbasa and scrambled eggs then bake.
Grill sections of kielbasa that are sliced down the middle and filled with pineapples or whatever else. Maybe some sort of Rotell mixture. Toothpick it and serve.
Really, I love kielbasa, and think it can make an excellent finger food.
