Recipe Ideas for the 2013 Super Bowl

As somebody who is not going to be watching the Super Bowl (I’ll be skiing) and has been all but completely disinterested in it as soon as I saw who the two contenders are, I figured I’d make a contribution to your Super Bowl party. I have hosted a party myself for the last eight years and am taking this year off, so the recipes that I’m about to provide are tried and true. I consider myself a good cook and somewhat of a foodie so they are being provided by somebody who truly loves food.

First up is chili. I love spicy food. When I say love, I mean really f*ck!ng love spicy food. If you just said in your head that you also like spicy food, multiply that a few times and you have me. Because of this fact, I usually make two batches of chili: a super human batch (for me) and a normal human batch (for most everyone else).

The foundation of the chili is from Carroll Shelby’s Chili Kit. You can get at just about any grocery store although it’s always hidden somewhere. It is a little tan and red box that has all the basic spices you’ll need.

Ingredients
Sweet onion
1 pound ground beef
1 pound steak (top sirloin or chuck depending on your preference)
8 ounce can of tomato sauce
1 can pinto beans
1 can kidney beans
Peppers (I like habaneros, serranos, and jalapenos, but you can pick whatever you want)
Other Options: cayenne pepper, hot sauce like Frank’s Red Hot, can of diced tomatoes.

1. Dice up onions and peppers.
2. Cut steak into .5 – 1 inch cubes and brown over medium-high heat in a pot or pan adding a slight amount of oil if needed. Once browned, drain and set aside.
3. Brown ground beef and then drain. Add steak back in.
4. Add onions and peppers now or you can add when browning meat.
5. Add tomato sauce, 16 ounces of water, spice packet from chili kit, cayenne pepper (from kit isn’t enough, I’d recommend adding some of your own as well), and a little salt (I usually use no salt).
   1. If you add can of diced tomatoes, cut water in half to 8 ounces.
6. Stir together, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Rinse kidney and pinto beans and add to chili. Simmer 5 minutes.
8. Mix masa flour from chili kit with 1/3 cup of water and stir into chili. Simmer 5 more minutes.
9. You’re done. If you don’t like your chili thick, omit masa flour or use it and add water at the end to get the consistency you want.

*The times are approximate and you can add anything else you think might be good. I added cubed potatoes last time and that turned out nicely although you have to precook them a bit or cook the chili longer.

Buffalo wings are also a good party food. Here is a sauce that I like and appeals to most people.

Ingredients for bourbon buffalo wing sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large shallot, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup bourbon
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
½ cup honey
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
1 cup chili sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s if I don’t have any homemade stuff on hand)
½ cup prepared buffalo wing sauce (such as Frank’s)

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Stir to prevent burning. It should be softened and smell great.
2. Mix in ancho chili powder, chili sauce, BBQ sauce, and wing sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Keep warm while you bake or fry the wings. Or keep over low to have available. The sauce gets really thick when it’s cool.

*Once again, I might add a bit more hot sauce but that’s a preference issue. This is a sweet, spicy wing sauce.

I have lots of other recipes so if anybody has any special requests, put them in the comments section and I’d be happy to oblige. I would also suggest having a cooler/tub filled with beer and ice in the living room so people don’t have to constantly go to the kitchen every time they need a refill.

*Update: I added bacon to my chili last time and that turned out well. 12 ounces of beer is also good. Or if you roast your own peppers (very easy to do), that’s also good. I suggest poblanos. Basically things that are smoky and rich can really enhance the layers of flavor in a good chili.