Something for every taste: wings, grapes, pears and apples, croutons, brie, Port Salut and goat jack cheese, marinated oyster mushrooms, olives blue cheese dressing, carrots and celery.
Appetizers for Super Bowl day…After 50 years, the art of Super Bowl snacking has evolved. Fifty years ago people barely knew what “chips & dip” were and now guacamole with chips and hummus with pita and chicken wings with exotic spices are state of the art.
Included here are chicken wings with blue cheese dressing celery and carrots, a French cheese plate including Port Salut, brie, and an Irish goat jack cheese with jalapeño in a handsome green wax jacket. Along with the cheese were the traditional fruit garnish Holiday Seedless California grapes (gorgeous and globular), sliced apples and ripe pears, lightly coated with a lemon juice with a touch of sugar.
The crackers were sliced baguette melba toast, easily made and delicious with cheese. But I was in a hurry so I bought a bag at Whole Foods–The store-bought variety are much crisper and harder to bite through than your own homemade will be. So if you have a spare 20 minutes, make them yourself.
The buffalo wings were bought in bulk at Whole Foods and cooked in my new Breville deep fryer for 7 minutes at 375°F and turned out onto a cookie sheet with Bounty paper towel in the bottom then kept warm in a 200° oven until company arrived. I also had some pieces of baguette sliced up and put into foil to stay warm in there, to go with halibut grilled Greek style and a salad with vinaigrette dressing for dinner.
The blue cheese dressing is assembled and can be made in your blender in a couple minutes and thrown into the fridge and is much better than commercial brands available at the supermarket. My 18-year-old, who doesn’t like salad dressing, makes an exception for blue cheese dressing. It is the only one she’ll eat so I like to make it for her now and then.
The marinated mushrooms are simple and delicious they make a nice foil against the creamy and spicy flavors on the table.
Here’s my take on Dearborn, Michigan’s inspiring La Pita Restaurant’s hummus recipe:
Hummus Recipe
One 15-ounce can garbanzo beans
Juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup tahini
1 large peeled and crushed garlic clove, or more to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to drizzle on top at serving time
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
Combine all ingredients in a strong, fast blender, such as a Vitamix or Ninja, for approximately 1 minute until all lumps are gone, consistency is like butter. The blending will heat the hummus and make it even more delicious if you serve it right away. Pour into shallow serving plate and garnish with a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with vegetables, pita bread, etc.
Blue Cheese Dressing
Makes about 2 cups
4 oz. of your favorite blue cheese, crumbled. I prefer Maytag Blue for dressing as it is neither too weak nor too strong but just right for most palates
1 cup sour cream (low fat is a place to save a few calories!)
1/4 cup real mayonnaise
1 shallot, chopped or 1 tsp garlic, if you prefer a stronger flavor
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
generous pinch of sugar
salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
In the blender, combine all but a tablespoon of the crumbled cheese, sour cream mayonnaise Charlotte and vinegar and blend for about a minute. Taste the dressing and adjust the flavoring with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Blend another couple seconds to incorporate the seasoning. Pour into a container and mix in the tablespoon of the crumbled Blue cheese. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Guacamole
Serves 4
1 ripe avocado
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro or 1 tsp dried
2 Tbsp chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of half a lemon or lime
Chile powder and cumin to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Mash avocado and add the rest of the ingredients and combine. I used up some leftover corn tortillas and cooked them in a bit of sunflower oil, salted them and then served them with the guac. Enjoy!
Marinated Mushrooms
Serves 10
3 lbs. fresh mushrooms (use button or a small type, such as oyster), washed and trimmed
2 cups white vinegar
1 cup water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 garlic cloves, chopped
½ cup olive oil
½ to 1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon oregano
In a large saucepan, combine the white vinegar water and stir until dissolved. Bring to a boil. Add the cleaned and trimmed mushrooms to the boiling mixture then stir briefly, pull off the stove and cover and let sit covered for five minutes.
Pour the mushrooms through a sieve and while still hot, pour into bowl and add garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes and olive oil. Press the mushrooms into a container and place in the refrigerator until cold.
Melba Toast Baguette Slices
Makes about 24 pieces
1 demi baguette, sliced in 1/4 inch thick slices
Melted, unsalted butter
Brush each slice on both sides with melted butter and bake the slices in the 300°F oven turning several times until they look crisp and evenly browned. Don’t walk away while you’re doing this! It’s very easy to burn bread in the oven. Keep in an airtight container until ready to use.
I hope you enjoyed today’s post! Thanks for reading! Oh, did I say go Broncos? Go Broncos!
Cooky
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