On Further Review: Super Bowl Is A Major Food Holiday

posted January 31, 2007
  by Pamela Chester, The Savvy Slow Cooker

Super Bowl Sunday— everyone’s favorite time of year to gather around the big screen, hang out and watch the culminating game of the football season! For all intents and purposes a national holiday, it ranks behind only Thanksgiving as the biggest eating day of the year in the United States.

As I had written once before, I am more interested in the food than the game, and Super Bowl Sunday is no exception. Don’t get me wrong, there is more to it than eating for me. As a closet jock-rock fan (one of my favorite parts of attending any sporting event is doing the cheer to Queen’s “We Will Rock You”), along with all the funny and unexpected half-time commercials, there is more than enough entertainment to get me through. With this I will share some of my favorite game day menu ideas, and how to incorporate your crockpot into an easy and fun Super Bowl repast.

When planning a menu for Super Bowl Sunday, it’s best to go casual— think finger food and sandwiches. After all, you want to be out of the kitchen and watching the game. It’s always fun to incorporate a regional twist when deciding what to make. Since the big game will be taking place in Miami this year, I will be putting a South Florida spin on part of my menu with dishes like spicy Chipotle barbecued ribs. Miami, home of fusion cooking (think "Floribbean"), blends spicy flavors from the Caribbean and Latin America with the foods native to Florida into it’s own unique style of cooking.

To get started, I ask, what is football without chicken wings? You gotta have wings. With a Miami themed party, you can move on from traditional Buffalo wings to make a spicy, soy lime version of wings that will have your guests licking their fingers. Of course you can have those regular spicy wings too if your closest friends would protest their absence.

I also like to include one or two dishes from the championship teams' home states (too bad the Saints didn’t make it this year, you can’t beat New Orleans-style food in the crockpot). Of course if you favor one team over the other, by all means stick with the recipes from the chosen team’s state.

To represent the Bears, genuine Chicago-style Italian beef sandwiches fit the bill and are deliciously cooked and served in the slow cooker. With the optional addition of some jarred hot peppers or, more traditionally, hot Chicago-style "Giardiniera" peppers , a mix of hot peppers, olives, celery, cauliflower, carrot, olives, oil and spices, and shredded mozzarella cheese, this makes a kickin’ sandwich.

Unless you have lived in Indiana, you may draw a blank as I did when trying to come up a regional Indiana food off the top of your head to represent the Indianapolis Colts. However, a quick Internet search reveals that true Indiana regional cooking does exist in the form of a delicious sounding Hoosier Fried Pork tenderloin sandwich. And this brings me to a combination you might not have ever dreamed possible until now--Indiana meets Miami, in the form of a pork tenderloin sandwich dressed with a zesty Cuban inspired Mojo sauce.

So get ready to get your game day grub on! Are you ready for some football food???

Miami Spice Wings Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: 2-5 hrs

* 2 pounds chicken wings

***Marinade***

* 1 cup your favorite hot sauce
* 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
* 1/2 cup soy sauce
* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cut off and discard wing tips. Cut each wing into 2 sections. Rinse chicken; pat dry.

Place chicken on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes, or until chicken is nicely browned, turning to brown both sides evenly. Transfer chicken to crockpot.

In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and whisk until smooth. Pour over chicken wings in crockpot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Chipotle Barbecue Ribs Recipe
http://www.cdkitchen.com/


Serves/Makes: 4
Ready in: > 5 hrs

* 2 slabs (4 lbs each) pork spareribs
* Salt and pepper, to taste
* 1 large yellow onion (sliced)
* Chipotle powder or pureed chipotle peppers, to taste
* 1 bottle barbecue sauce

Cut ribs into serving portions (usually, two ribs). Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Place ribs on a broiler pan and broil for 10 to 12 minutes on each side or until browned. Drain as needed.

Place sliced onion in a layer in the crockpot. Mix chipotle and barbecue sauce together.

Place rib sections on top of onions. Pour a little barbecue sauce mixture over each section as you place it in the crockpot. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top.

Cover and cook on low heat for about eight hours.

©2008 CDKitchen, Inc. No reproduction of this article may be made without express permission from CDKitchen, Inc.



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