Superbowl Menu

The first big eating event of 2010 for most of us is the Superbowl party. Don’t worry if you’re not really into football. Most of these games are forgettable; it’s the entertainment, commercials, and food that people will remember and talk about. Some people make elaborate meals served in an almost formal setting: creamed soup, salad, oysters on the half-shell, beef or pork tenderloin, crown roast of lamb, fancy potatoes, sautéed asparagus, broccoli, or carrots. Some true football fans and die hard tailgaters fire up the grill and create a casual feast of flavors: steaks, ribs, wings, burgers, hot dogs, sausages. Most of us serve up the good old stand-bys: hot wings, pizza, submarine sandwiches, nachos, guacamole and beer. Whatever your personal style may be, these dishes will jazz up your party.

GLAZED MEATBALLS:

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground beef
½ cup fine dry breadcrumbs
1/3 cup minced onion
¼ cup milk
1 beaten egg
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine ground beef, dry breadcrumbs, minced onion, milk, egg, parsley, salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
Shape mixture into 1 inch balls. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in skillet over medium heat, and cook meatballs for 10-15 minutes or until browned. Drain on paper towels.
Combine ½ cup bottled chili sauce and 1 cup grape jelly in medium saucepan; stir well. Add meatballs and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve warm.

Makes about 5 dozen meatballs.

STUFFED TOMATOES:

Ingredients:
4 medium tomatoes
2 cups total of your favorite vegetables, chopped: i.e., carrots, zucchini, lima beans, cauliflower
2 tablespoons grated Romano cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Cut tomatoes in half. Spoon out and save the pulp, leaving a ¼ inch thick shell. Remove seeds from pulp, chop pulp, and set aside with shells.
Cook your chosen vegetables in small saucepan until bright and tender, and drain. Stir in chopped tomato pulp. Spoon one eighth of the mixture into each tomato shell.
Place tomatoes in a 10x6x2 baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Romano cheese and pepper.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 4 as a side dish, 8 as an appetizer.

PARTY WINGS

Ingredients:
5 pounds of chicken wings
1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon Coarse salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon paprika
Red onion or scallion for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place chicken wings (wing tips snipped off, rinsed and patted dry) in large bowl and toss with minced garlic.
Melt unsalted butter with olive oil in small saucepan over low heat. Let cool slightly and whisk in Dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, chili powder, salt and paprika. Toss with wings and garlic.
Divide wings between 2 shallow baking dishes and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake until wings are cooked through, about 30 minutes more.
Lightly dust wings with extra paprika and garnish with 1 small red onion (cut into ¼ inch dice) or 4 scallions (3 inches of green left on) thinly sliced on the diagonal. Serve immediately on decorative platter.

CHEESY FOOTBALL:

Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) packages of softened cream cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup real mayonnaise
¼ cup chopped green onions
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Beat cream cheese, shredded sharp cheddar cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and mayonnaise with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Add chopped green onions and black pepper; mix well. Cover, refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Form cheese mixture into football shape and cover with real bacon bits. Add pimento or red peppers strips to form lacing on top of football. Serve with crackers.

RIB STEAKS WITH WINE SAUCE:

Ingredients:
4 beef rib steaks
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cloves minced garlic
¼ cup finely sliced green onion
¼ cup beef broth
¼ cup red wine
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons butter

Rub beef rib steaks (3/4 inch thick) on both sides with cornstarch. Sprinkle with minced garlic.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Brown steaks quickly on both sides. Reduce heat and saute’ until done to your liking (about 4 minutes on each side for rare, 7 to 9 minutes per side for well done).
Remove steaks and keep warm.
Add green onion to pan. Saute’ a few minutes on medium high heat until soft but not browned. Add beef broth and red wine. Bring to a boil. Add a dash of salt and a dash of pepper to taste- remember broth is already salty. Add 2 tablespoons butter (one small piece at a time), whisking constantly until sauce is smooth. You may need to add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with a little water to make the sauce smoother. Keep whisking while heating.

Pour sauce over steaks and sprinkle with some extra green onion.

Whatever the final score, your meal will be a winner!

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