Just Cook It!: Top 5 Super Bowl XLVIII foods
The biggest sporting event in the United States takes place in just a few days. Not only is the Super Bowl a big day for two of the 30 NFL teams, but it is also the second largest food day in the United States behind only Thanksgiving.
Americans spend more than $50 million annually stocking up on snack food for Super Sunday.
Unfortunately, our hometown Steelers will not be competing for their seventh ring to break their own record. Even though most of us are sad about that, it doesn’t mean that we won’t be partying for Super Bowl XLVIII.
I would like to share with you my top five foods for this year’s big game. It is my hope that this list will inspire you to diversify your game day menu and enjoy some fun new food options and ideas this Sunday.
Before I dive head first into my top five list, I would like to name three honorable mentions that were very close to making the list. As I glanced over my long list of game day foods with all of my notes, scratch marks and random doodles, I felt that my top five choices were all solid picks. However, I felt sorry for three other foods that didn’t quite make the cut.
Mentioning these three will give me the closure I need to move on to discussing my top five choices in greater depth.
The three honorable mentions to my Top Five Foods for Super Bowl XLVIII are: pierogies, nachos and bacon-wrapped cocktail weiners.
I felt that pierogies had to be mentioned due to the local area. In Denver they are rocking on with copious amounts of green chili, in Seattle they are dining on cedar plank salmon, and in Pittsburgh and it’s surrounding areas, we are indulging on pierogies. Whether they are cooked in boiling water and tossed with melted butter and caramelized onions or deep-fried and drizzled with sour cream and chopped scallions, is beside the point.
Now, without further ado, my Top Five Foods for Super Bowl XLVIII –
5. Mini-Crab Cakes
I love crab cakes and for a Super Bowl party I prefer the miniature variety. I consider the Super Bowl to be a grazing event where guests snack on small portions of food over an extended period of time. Crab cakes are an easy food that can be made a day or two ahead of time and then deep-fried to a golden brown deliciousness just before kick off.
My number one rule for great crab cakes is “more crab, less filler.” It’s called a “crab cake” not a “bread cake with crab.” Make sure you use plenty of crab with just enough filler to hold the cake’s shape. I serve mine with a homemade remoulade for dipping, but you can also serve them with tartar and/or cocktail sauce.
4. Chili
Chili is a great Super Bowl food for a few reasons. First and foremost, it’s usually cold outside and this year will be no exception. A nice warm helping of chili is just what the doctor ordered on a cold winter evening.
Second, it can be used in a number of fun and delicious ways. From being eaten as is in a bowl to topping burgers, hot dogs and French fries, it’s a very versatile food. Not to mention, it is a great use in making our honorable mention, nachos.
Finally, chili is a food that can be made in a Crock-pot. If you don’t believe me check, out my column and video from Jan. 16 at HeraldStandard.com. It’s a “set it and forget it” food that makes life a lot easier when you are trying to both organize and participate in a Super Bowl extravaganza.
3. Dips
Both hot and cold dips are great for Super Bowl parties because they are the perfect grazing food, as referenced above. You can make a few different dips and serve them with a variety of crackers, chips, pretzels and breads for dipping and you’re good to go.
Check out my column and video from Sept. 19 at HeraldStandard.com for my Spicy Sausage and 5-Cheese Dip recipe. It’s my favorite hot dip that is made in a Crock-pot and goes great with those nifty little double-sided pretzel crackers.
Dips are also one of those foods that are fun to experiment with. Try experimenting with different flavors and ingredients that you enjoy and see what happens.
A few great dips that come to mind are artichoke and spinach dip, pizza dip, taco dip, buffalo chicken dip, roasted shallot and blue cheese dip, smoked chicken sundried-tomato and Asiago cheese dip, and the list can go on and on.
2. Pizza
I don’t think much needs to be said about pizza. Pizza is a favorite food whether it happens to be Super Bowl Sunday or not.
I would encourage you to make your own pizzas from scratch and make mini-pizzas so that there is plenty of topping variety.
A fun idea is to set up a pizza station where guests can add toppings to their own mini-pizza. I would do this before kickoff and at half time. Each guest gets his or her own personally created, personally delicious mini-pizza.
1. Wings
With more than 1.23 billion wing portions consumed during the big game, I’d say there’s little doubt over my number one food for Super Bowl XLVIII. Wings are the quintessential football and grazing food.
Traditionally chicken wings are deep-fried until they are golden brown and cooked through and then tossed in the sauce of choice. You can deep-fry your own wings at home if you have a deep fryer or a large heavy bottomed pot with a thermometer for monitoring oil temperature.
My recommendation for Super Bowl party wing cookery is to either roast them in the oven, in lieu of deep-frying, and then toss them in your sauce of choice. My cheat tip for wings is to find a local delivery place that makes fantastic wings and then order as many as you need with no sauce. When they arrive you can set up a wing station with different homemade wing sauce options and your guests can then toss or sauce their own wings at their leisure.
What could be more fun than a Super Bowl party with a mini-pizza station, wing station, and a great beer selection? That pretty much covers all of the major Super Bowl food groups in one fell swoop.
No matter how you celebrate and watch the big game this year (even if you just watch it for the commercials), have a great time with people you care about and of course – Just Cook It!
Mario J. Porreca of Belle Vernon is a food personality, author, and the host of Just Cook It on WMBS Radio 590 AM. His website is www.JustCookIt.net. Twitter: @MarioPorreca