Super Sunday gone wild.
Im a Super Bowl Party freak. Some folks like to have people over for Memorial Day, or the Fourth of July or NewYears or Labor Day Weekend or Even Mardi Gras. Not me. Ive become the Super Bowl Party guy. Since this post is kind of long and I know that many of you dont want to read the words, but look at the pictures, skip to the next post, that has the pictures. This one has the words.
It started out almost 20 years ago with a small party for a dozen of my nearest and dearest, with small children only, some in strollers, only a few even toddling. The cause of the celebration was the purchase of a new TV, the biggest baddest boob tube on the block, a 40 inch Mitsubishi glass tube television, the largest glass tube tv ever made. In those days a big tv was a 26 inch monster. The 30 inchers were giants and the rare 36 inch set was cause for gaping. The 40 incher, significantly bigger than even the 36 inch size(because the measurement is along the diagonal, so the actual dimensions using the 2:3 aspect ration and the pythagorean theorem ) with much more surface area.
People came the first few years just for the tv and the fun as I worked out the kinks of hosting a party that rapidly grew from a dozen to three and then four dozen within a few years. As I got the knack of throwing the party down I decided that as a foodie, even before Id heard the expression, I wanted anyone who came to the party to have really good stuff to eat and in sufficient quantity so that they wouldnt ever feel the need to hold back so that there would be enough for others. And, certain guests felt the need to bring something to the party to supplement the foods Id get. As a result, things have rapidly gotten out of control and my Super Bowl Party became an event of mindblowing gluttony and foodie debauchery.
In addition to my menu, there has grown an entire subculture of folks who make and bring incredible specialties which totally make the party. In the early years one friend would wrap an entire wheel of brie in phyllo dough. Shed bring two, one with mushrooms and one without. No one could feel that theyd done the party right without having dipped into the gooey brie with a hunk of the flaky phyllo dough. Though those friends moved far enough out of town to not make it for the Super Bowl, others have stayed on and joined the traveling circus at my house. One asian woman whos a fabulous cook always comes with a groaning platter of freshly made(and right out of the fryer) spring rolls. Its a rare year that I dont eat at least 3 or 4 of them. Another woman builds what I call the tower of power, a 10 or 12 layer bean dip with all sorts of chopped veggies, sour cream, avocado, cheese, beans, olives .. Of course she makes enough so that two huge bags of taco chips will be required to make a big dent in the mountain of Mexicana. Several families bring dueling chiles and other hot and cold dishes. A favorite from the early days of the party is one friend who brings a dessert known as Death by Chocolate, which is served in a huge bowl which could double as a big aquarium tank on its off days. This lipsmacking delight, served out with a huge scoop into 20 ounce plastic beer cups, includes chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate chips(usually at least several varieties), chocolate fudge and whipped cream. Some folks take their cups of the Death by Chocolate to the end of the line so they can get another hit of it.
Again, over the years, my menu has changed, but from the early years the centerpiece was food from a quasi-local kosher deli(you know the type with the overstuffed sandwiches). We would get platters of different meat sandwiches on rye bread(cut in thirds and neatly arranged) and their fried chicken, which is incredibly delicious. In addition, we would get a middle eastern platter with babaganoush, hummus, falafel, eggplant salad, tahini, israeli salad and loads of quartered pitas to dip, drag and be smeared upon, as well as the usual potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw. With this would come platters of pickles and pickled peppers and tomatoes. Also, the standard chips, dips, salsas and of course M&Ms. But, as people grew older and kids palates shifted, we de-emphasized the fried chicken and got new and different delights to replace the fried chicken.
I discovered a local gourmet deli and its former gourmet restaurant chef in the back who upped the quality of the foodstuff coming out and for catering. So, last year after much consultation with him, a tasting of some possibilities and with much trepidation, we took a flyer on 5 different foods for the spread. It was a huge success and the hungry crew devoured the new choices with wild abandon.
So, this year, with the Kosher Deli moved further away and the local delis chef more of a regular buddy, we spent a few months of idle weekend moments designing a new and improved menu for this year. This year we decided to reduce the number of deli sandwiches down to only 50 (but keep the Middle Eastern platter and pickles) and increase the gourmet deli dishes to eight half tray hot items and one cold one. Of course this was only the baseline since the guests now also compete for prime real estate on my long and meandering email invitations which tout all the regulars specialties and of course those who bring the same things which no one really wants(like the guy who always brings several dozen Krispy Kreme donutswell we say no one wants them but they do seem to be devoured, especially since theyre always still warm when they arrive).
As we considered the menu, I had a number of requirements. Apart from his chili, which is so incredibly good(and when he makes it for me spicier than usual), nothing should be something which is part of usual party food. No buffalo wings, no mozzarella sticks, no chicken cutlet parmigiana, so bbq ribs, etc.
To cut to the chase, and not belabor the process(I know some of you like that aspect of it, but I suppose that more just find it too long and tiresome), heres what we got. A shrimp Jambalaya with a lovely, back of throat spiciness and with shrimp, chorizo, a variety of veggies(no okra neither he nor I are fans) and raisins. A maui rib dish with a sweet, but pungent flavor(not too sweet) and the ribs first tea smoked. Mushroom fricassee with three different types of mushrooms including oyster mushrooms, porcini and shitakes. Chicken lollipops, which are the wingette portion of the chicken wing with the meat scraped up the bone and curled over the head of the bone so that it looks like a lollipop with a dry bone as a handle and then marinated and cooked in a teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds. Macaroni and cheese, much to my dismay, but the wife insisted, and she was right because it was gone first(damn kids, what do they know). A steak au poivre, made with the tri-tips cut of beef which is very much like sirloin in flavor but a bit heartier with strong peppery flavor and a deep creamy sauce. The beef chili, with the heat turned up quite a bit, since I love it that way. It was my hope that the heat might scare a few of the locals off and leave more of the leftovers for me. Alas, only about one portion remained when I put it away after the party. Next a chicken Satay on a wooden skewer, made from chicken thighs because theyre oh so much juicier than the white meat and with a peanut dipping sauce and a cucumber vinaigrette dipping sauce. The cold dish was a Thai soba noodle delight with some veggies and sesame and soy based sauce.
The deli platters were stacked high with the sandwich thirds(I love the middle third with less crust and more of the thicker fill of sandwich meats, but theyre all good). As in the past there was Pastrami, Corned Beef, Tongue, Roast Beef, White Meat Turkey(some people seem to like this) and Dark Meat Turkey( I like this). There were mayonnaise(Hellmanns), deli mustard and russian dressing as condiments, as well as the pickle and relish platter. The deli meats are really really good and in prior years when this and the fried chicken(none this year, and only one person asked about it, so it was a good call to 86 the fried chicken) I could easily eat ten or more thirds of sandwiches myself(at least, since hey, if you eat a third of a sandwich it doesnt count as much as).
The aforesaid spring rolls arrived this year in the middle of the first quarter(fresh out of the fryer) and were gone in about 5 minutes(even though there were about 150 of them) and thus, no pictures, I was too busy stuffing my face with them.
The tower of power was built and devoured to the platter this year, though it took two huge bags of taco chips to accomplish the feat. Somehow I never got a picture of it. There were all sorts of salads, a vegetarian chili, an enormous number of Brazilian specialties, including a huge tray and a smaller try of chicken and shrimp filled pastries, each the size of a small cream puff, an Argentinean version of quiche with carrot, pepper and onions cut microscopically small. Alas, no pics of these, I was probably watching the game at the time.
By halftime the dessert stuff was put out. Lots of the folks who dont cook bring some desserts and we had quite the incredible spread in addition to the Death by Chocolate and the Carvel Cake I got for my brothers birthday(its a few days before the party but we hadnt seen him since the actual day). There were many dozens of donuts, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and a local donut shoppe. Scads of cookies, cakes and pies from Stew Leonards(if you dont know Stew Leonards youre not from the North EastConnecticut, NY area.. http://www.stewleonards.com/ ). There was a mountainous chocolate fudge cake from Costco which was actually really good. An amazing platter of adult brownies which were soaked in Grand Marnier after baking and before frosting with a Vanilla frosting. Yum I put them in the fridge after realizing how potent they were(hmmm still have them as I only shared a few with some who asked).
Whew . And of course there was a football game and a Super Bowl Pool.
Im a Super Bowl Party freak. Some folks like to have people over for Memorial Day, or the Fourth of July or NewYears or Labor Day Weekend or Even Mardi Gras. Not me. Ive become the Super Bowl Party guy. Since this post is kind of long and I know that many of you dont want to read the words, but look at the pictures, skip to the next post, that has the pictures. This one has the words.
It started out almost 20 years ago with a small party for a dozen of my nearest and dearest, with small children only, some in strollers, only a few even toddling. The cause of the celebration was the purchase of a new TV, the biggest baddest boob tube on the block, a 40 inch Mitsubishi glass tube television, the largest glass tube tv ever made. In those days a big tv was a 26 inch monster. The 30 inchers were giants and the rare 36 inch set was cause for gaping. The 40 incher, significantly bigger than even the 36 inch size(because the measurement is along the diagonal, so the actual dimensions using the 2:3 aspect ration and the pythagorean theorem ) with much more surface area.
People came the first few years just for the tv and the fun as I worked out the kinks of hosting a party that rapidly grew from a dozen to three and then four dozen within a few years. As I got the knack of throwing the party down I decided that as a foodie, even before Id heard the expression, I wanted anyone who came to the party to have really good stuff to eat and in sufficient quantity so that they wouldnt ever feel the need to hold back so that there would be enough for others. And, certain guests felt the need to bring something to the party to supplement the foods Id get. As a result, things have rapidly gotten out of control and my Super Bowl Party became an event of mindblowing gluttony and foodie debauchery.
In addition to my menu, there has grown an entire subculture of folks who make and bring incredible specialties which totally make the party. In the early years one friend would wrap an entire wheel of brie in phyllo dough. Shed bring two, one with mushrooms and one without. No one could feel that theyd done the party right without having dipped into the gooey brie with a hunk of the flaky phyllo dough. Though those friends moved far enough out of town to not make it for the Super Bowl, others have stayed on and joined the traveling circus at my house. One asian woman whos a fabulous cook always comes with a groaning platter of freshly made(and right out of the fryer) spring rolls. Its a rare year that I dont eat at least 3 or 4 of them. Another woman builds what I call the tower of power, a 10 or 12 layer bean dip with all sorts of chopped veggies, sour cream, avocado, cheese, beans, olives .. Of course she makes enough so that two huge bags of taco chips will be required to make a big dent in the mountain of Mexicana. Several families bring dueling chiles and other hot and cold dishes. A favorite from the early days of the party is one friend who brings a dessert known as Death by Chocolate, which is served in a huge bowl which could double as a big aquarium tank on its off days. This lipsmacking delight, served out with a huge scoop into 20 ounce plastic beer cups, includes chocolate pudding, chocolate cake, chocolate chips(usually at least several varieties), chocolate fudge and whipped cream. Some folks take their cups of the Death by Chocolate to the end of the line so they can get another hit of it.
Again, over the years, my menu has changed, but from the early years the centerpiece was food from a quasi-local kosher deli(you know the type with the overstuffed sandwiches). We would get platters of different meat sandwiches on rye bread(cut in thirds and neatly arranged) and their fried chicken, which is incredibly delicious. In addition, we would get a middle eastern platter with babaganoush, hummus, falafel, eggplant salad, tahini, israeli salad and loads of quartered pitas to dip, drag and be smeared upon, as well as the usual potato salad, macaroni salad and cole slaw. With this would come platters of pickles and pickled peppers and tomatoes. Also, the standard chips, dips, salsas and of course M&Ms. But, as people grew older and kids palates shifted, we de-emphasized the fried chicken and got new and different delights to replace the fried chicken.
I discovered a local gourmet deli and its former gourmet restaurant chef in the back who upped the quality of the foodstuff coming out and for catering. So, last year after much consultation with him, a tasting of some possibilities and with much trepidation, we took a flyer on 5 different foods for the spread. It was a huge success and the hungry crew devoured the new choices with wild abandon.
So, this year, with the Kosher Deli moved further away and the local delis chef more of a regular buddy, we spent a few months of idle weekend moments designing a new and improved menu for this year. This year we decided to reduce the number of deli sandwiches down to only 50 (but keep the Middle Eastern platter and pickles) and increase the gourmet deli dishes to eight half tray hot items and one cold one. Of course this was only the baseline since the guests now also compete for prime real estate on my long and meandering email invitations which tout all the regulars specialties and of course those who bring the same things which no one really wants(like the guy who always brings several dozen Krispy Kreme donutswell we say no one wants them but they do seem to be devoured, especially since theyre always still warm when they arrive).
As we considered the menu, I had a number of requirements. Apart from his chili, which is so incredibly good(and when he makes it for me spicier than usual), nothing should be something which is part of usual party food. No buffalo wings, no mozzarella sticks, no chicken cutlet parmigiana, so bbq ribs, etc.
To cut to the chase, and not belabor the process(I know some of you like that aspect of it, but I suppose that more just find it too long and tiresome), heres what we got. A shrimp Jambalaya with a lovely, back of throat spiciness and with shrimp, chorizo, a variety of veggies(no okra neither he nor I are fans) and raisins. A maui rib dish with a sweet, but pungent flavor(not too sweet) and the ribs first tea smoked. Mushroom fricassee with three different types of mushrooms including oyster mushrooms, porcini and shitakes. Chicken lollipops, which are the wingette portion of the chicken wing with the meat scraped up the bone and curled over the head of the bone so that it looks like a lollipop with a dry bone as a handle and then marinated and cooked in a teriyaki sauce with sesame seeds. Macaroni and cheese, much to my dismay, but the wife insisted, and she was right because it was gone first(damn kids, what do they know). A steak au poivre, made with the tri-tips cut of beef which is very much like sirloin in flavor but a bit heartier with strong peppery flavor and a deep creamy sauce. The beef chili, with the heat turned up quite a bit, since I love it that way. It was my hope that the heat might scare a few of the locals off and leave more of the leftovers for me. Alas, only about one portion remained when I put it away after the party. Next a chicken Satay on a wooden skewer, made from chicken thighs because theyre oh so much juicier than the white meat and with a peanut dipping sauce and a cucumber vinaigrette dipping sauce. The cold dish was a Thai soba noodle delight with some veggies and sesame and soy based sauce.
The deli platters were stacked high with the sandwich thirds(I love the middle third with less crust and more of the thicker fill of sandwich meats, but theyre all good). As in the past there was Pastrami, Corned Beef, Tongue, Roast Beef, White Meat Turkey(some people seem to like this) and Dark Meat Turkey( I like this). There were mayonnaise(Hellmanns), deli mustard and russian dressing as condiments, as well as the pickle and relish platter. The deli meats are really really good and in prior years when this and the fried chicken(none this year, and only one person asked about it, so it was a good call to 86 the fried chicken) I could easily eat ten or more thirds of sandwiches myself(at least, since hey, if you eat a third of a sandwich it doesnt count as much as).
The aforesaid spring rolls arrived this year in the middle of the first quarter(fresh out of the fryer) and were gone in about 5 minutes(even though there were about 150 of them) and thus, no pictures, I was too busy stuffing my face with them.
The tower of power was built and devoured to the platter this year, though it took two huge bags of taco chips to accomplish the feat. Somehow I never got a picture of it. There were all sorts of salads, a vegetarian chili, an enormous number of Brazilian specialties, including a huge tray and a smaller try of chicken and shrimp filled pastries, each the size of a small cream puff, an Argentinean version of quiche with carrot, pepper and onions cut microscopically small. Alas, no pics of these, I was probably watching the game at the time.
By halftime the dessert stuff was put out. Lots of the folks who dont cook bring some desserts and we had quite the incredible spread in addition to the Death by Chocolate and the Carvel Cake I got for my brothers birthday(its a few days before the party but we hadnt seen him since the actual day). There were many dozens of donuts, Krispy Kreme, Dunkin Donuts and a local donut shoppe. Scads of cookies, cakes and pies from Stew Leonards(if you dont know Stew Leonards youre not from the North EastConnecticut, NY area.. http://www.stewleonards.com/ ). There was a mountainous chocolate fudge cake from Costco which was actually really good. An amazing platter of adult brownies which were soaked in Grand Marnier after baking and before frosting with a Vanilla frosting. Yum I put them in the fridge after realizing how potent they were(hmmm still have them as I only shared a few with some who asked).
Whew . And of course there was a football game and a Super Bowl Pool.
