This weekend we’ll find out which two teams will meet in the Super Bowl on Feb. 9. Watching the Super Bowl seems to make everyone ravenous. The ads and the action seem to combine to make party goers focus on the food as much as the TV. Chili dogs or a big pot of chili are often in the mix, as are nachos, wings and brownies.
At this year’s gathering, I plan to kick it up a notch by including some of my favorites along with the more traditional choices. A delicious pasta and sausage soup served buffet style in a slow cooker will be one of the offerings, as well as two appetizers that everyone seems to adore, a very tasty Pan-Fried Onion Dip and irresistible dates stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in bacon.
For dessert a Bundt cake dotted with fresh blueberries will saddle up next to something chocolate, either fudge or brownies. I like to cut the cake into wedges and leave them in place on a cake plate to replicate the shape of the Bundt pan. That way guests can easily help themselves grab-and-go style. A bowl of whipped cream will provide an optional topping.
Touchdown. Bring it on!
Stuffed Dates Wrapped in Bacon
Roasted dates stuffed with cheese, either blue cheese or chilled goat cheese, and wrapped with bacon are a delightful nibble. They roast to perfection in the oven until the bacon is crisp on both sides. You can make them in advance, uncooked, and refrigerate well-sealed for a day. Bake them just before serving.
Yield: About 18, depending on size of dates
INGREDIENTS
Parchment paper
1 pound pitted dates, see cook’s notes
4 ounces blue cheese or chilled goat cheese
1 pound smoked bacon, cut crosswise in half
Wooden toothpicks
Cook’s notes: The two most common pitted dates sold in the marketplace are Medjool and Deglet Noor. The Medjool beauties are large and plump with an appealing texture. The Deglet Noor dates are smaller and have a firmer texture. Either variety can be used in this recipe, but if using the Deglet Noor dates, because they are smaller, you may need to cut a little off the side of the bacon to make the right proportion of bacon to date.
DIRECTIONS
1. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Open up the dates — they will be like an open book because when the dates are pitted a cut is made lengthwise on one side. Fill the date with cheese and press to close it shut. Wrap each with a half strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick.
3. Place in a single layer on a parchment paper lined sheet pan, leaving a little space between them. If the dates are large, you may want to use two sheet pans. Roast 15 minutes and turn using a thin metal spatula. Bake an additional 15 minutes — it could be less time or more time. Turn on the oven light and keep an eye on them for the last 5 minutes of roasting.
Sausage and Pasta Soup
For a casual gathering, I like to place the prepared hot soup in a slow cooker on the low setting to keep it warm. I put out mugs, soup spoons, and a bowl of grated Parmesan. I ask guests to help themselves. If it’s an all grownup group I use half sweet sausage and half spicy-hot sausage. If unsure of your guests’ preferences, use all sweet sausage and provide a bottle of hot sauce for optional use.
Yield: 8 servings
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (if only serving adults, you can opt to use half sweet and half hot sausage), casings removed
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups diced peeled carrots
2 diced celery stalks
Pinch dried red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence
1 (14- to 16-ounces) can diced tomatoes, undrained
7 cups chicken broth
1 (15- to 16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 1/2 cups dried orecchiette, see cook’s notes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Garnish: Grated Parmesan cheese
Cook’s notes: I like to use small orecchiette pasta, a shape that is said to resemble piglet ears. I usually buy the DeCecco brand and look for the number 91 on the box. Numbers on pasta labels, known as the “cut number” in the industry, relate to the shape, length or width of the extruder used to shape the pasta. If desired, substitute another variety of pasta, such as fusilli or farfalle.
DIRECTIONS
1. Start by heating 2 tablespoons oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up into bite-sized pieces using a spatula, cooking 5 minutes and stirring occasionally. Add onion, carrots, celery, pinch of dried red pepper flakes and dried Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence, Cook, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.
2. Add diced tomatoes, broth, and kidney beans; bring to simmer and reduce heat to medium or medium-low. Simmer gently for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil in a separate pot. Add 1 1/2 cups orecchiette and cook according to package directions; drain. Add pasta to soup; add chopped parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; top each serving with grated Parmesan cheese.
Ina’s Pan-Fried Onion Dip
Once you’ve tasted Ina Garten’s rendition, store-bought onion dip will completely lose its allure. It takes some time to caramelize the onions, but the process requires very little supervision — simply an occasional stir. For best results, don’t use a non-stick pan; stainless steel or cast-iron skillets work best at building up the fond, those toasty bits at the bottom of the pan. The sweet flavor and subtle umani of slowly browned onions are the cornerstone of this exquisite dip. It can be prepared in advance, refrigerated and brought to room temperature before serving.
Yield: 2 cups
INGREDIENTS
2 large yellow (brown) onions
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup good mayonnaise
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut onions in half and then slice into 1/8-inch thick half-rounds. (You will have about 3 cups of onions.) Heat the butter and oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, cayenne, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 more minutes until the onions are browned and caramelized. Allow the onions to cool. (You can rough chop onions at this point if you like — but don’t lose the butter and oil mixture.)
2. Place cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat until smooth. Add the onions and mix well. Taste for seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
Doll it up: I like to reserve about 2 tablespoons of the onions to use as a garnish. I toss them with some snipped fresh chives and mound them on top of the dip. Add a sprig or two of chives for extra pizzazz.
Dippers of choice: I like to serve this with Triscuits or sturdy crackers and/or raw vegetables.
Source: Adapted from “The Barefoot Contessa” by Ina Garten (Clarkson Potter, $32.50)
Blueberry Buttermilk Bundt Cake
In my teens, I fell in love with Bundt pans and the glorious cakes they produce. This Bundt cake showcases fresh blueberries. Sweetened whipped cream is a welcome accompaniment. When whipping the cream, add some powdered sugar. The powdered sugar helps to stabilize the whipped cream because it contains a small amount of cornstarch.
Yield: About 10 to 12 servings
INGREDIENTS
Soft butter and flour for prepping Bundt pan
2 cups (272 grams) plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided use
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (340 grams) fresh blueberries
1 1/4 cups (250 grams) granulated sugar
Grated zest of 1 lemon or lime, colored portion of the peel
1 stick (8 tablespoons; 4 ounces; 113 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup neutral oil (120 ml), such as canola
1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk (well shaken before measuring), room temperature
Garnish: Powdered sugar for dusting
Optional for serving: ice cream or sweetened whipped cream
DIRECTIONS
1. Center oven rack and preheat to 350 degrees. Generously butter 12-cup Bundt pan, dust with all-purpose flour, and invert and tap out excess flour. Do this even if your pan is nonstick.
2. Whisk together 2 cups flour, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside.
3. In separate bowl, toss blueberries with 1 tablespoon flour; set aside.
4. Put sugar in bowl of stand mixer, or in a large bowl if using hand mixer. Grate zest of lemon or lime over sugar and using the paddle attachment, mix on medium speed for 1 minute. Add butter and salt; mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs, one at a time, beating for a minute after each egg goes in. Beat in vanilla and then the oil. You will have a glossy mixture with creamy smoothness. On low speed, mix in buttermilk. Turn off mixer and add flour mixture all at once; pulse mixer on low a few times. Beat on low speed only until dry ingredients disappear, and batter is smooth. Using a flexible spatula, fold in berries.
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Smooth top and swivel pan from side to side to even batter and get into all the curves. Bake 55 to 60 minutes, until top is brown and sides of cake pull away from the pan when gently nudged; a skewer inserted in center of cake will come out clean.
6. Transfer cake to cooling rack and rest 15 minutes. Invert on cooling rack to unmold. Cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar. If desired, serve with sweetened whipped cream.
Source: “Everyday Dorie” by Dorie Greenspan (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35)