By M.K. Moynahan
Ask any football fan, and he will tell you all roads lead to the Super Bowl. So with that in mind, all football feasts and football tailgate parties are just practice for the big game. This year's Super Bowl, set for Feb. 7 at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., promises to be hog heaven for fans who surely will consume massive amounts of chili, chicken wings, subs and more.
Adrian Origoni, owner of Sip and Sail Tavern on Water Street in Oneonta caters to the Sunday and Monday night football fans. The tavern offers free food during game days and beer specials for patrons. The tavern is equipped with 12 televisions, all high definition, so football fans can watch the game wherever they are inside, according to Origoni.
"We have a sports bar theme. We typically have 30 to 40 fans on football days," he said. "Somehow we have a crew of Carolina Panther fans, six to eight guys, who always come in to watch the game."
Origoni said most football fans want simple portable foods to eat during the game. "Foods the guys like are finger foods," he said. "Popcorn, nachos with salsa or cheese dip, chicken wings and pizza. All the traditional foods that go with football."
Tom Vasta, owner of Vasta's Restaurant in Stamford, agrees. This year, Vasta's has begun offering Sunday and Monday Night Football specials to its customers. The restaurant is equipped with three televisions in its bar area and two inside the dining room. Specials include 12 wings and a pitcher of beer for $10.75. "They can order their wings however they want them, spicy, hot or mild," Vasta said. "This gives the locals a place to meet and something to do."
Depending on which teams are playing, he said the response has been good. The specials are bringing the fans in.
Vasta's offers a variety of menu items including pizza, pastas, heroes, calzones, burgers and fries. In the past, according to Vasta, he has offered football fans deals on two pizzas and 24 wings for Super Bowl Sunday. This year, besides the pizza and wing deal, the restaurant will host an all-you-can-eat buffet, which will include football fan favorites.
While sports bars are offering food and drink specials and big-screen high definition televisions for football fans, many just want to stay home and enjoy football games.
One local chef and restaurant owner, Geri Rideout, gives her tips for throwing a fail-proof football feast. Rideout, a chef for Phoenix House and a co-owner of The Coffee Pot in Hobart, said there are several "must haves" for football feasts. These include six-foot subs, chili, chicken wings and nacho chips and dip, as well as a "huge" high definition, big-screen TV. "Those are just the necessities," she said. "There is so much more that can be done such as kielbasa, veggie trays with dip, football shaped cakes and more."
Rideout and her husband, Mike Williams, are rabid Dallas Cowboy fans. The couple, along with their two children, are traveling to Texas in December to see their favorite team play in its new stadium in Arlington.
All items needed to throw a football party can be ordered from local grocery deli departments or from your favorite caterer. Grocery stores in our area regularly prepare game-day party platters, which can include veggie trays, hot wings, cold cuts and pepperoni and crackers.
There are no shortage of tips for how to throw a football party:
Plan simple, portable foods. A buffet is your only option. Nobody wants to be sitting down at a table to eat when they'd rather be screaming at a television set or two.
Set up as many televisions as you have available around the party area.
Don't prepare recipes that will keep you locked in the kitchen all night. You should enjoy the party too.
Have one room set aside without a television for partygoers who aren't interested in the game and would like a quieter place to talk.
Likewise, set up one room with a television for serious football fans who don't want to be distracted by idle chatter.
Plan on plenty of beverages, and don't forget the beer. With all of those beer commercials bombarding your guests, they'll be working up a strong thirst for the suds.
If you feel compelled to decorate, think team colors, footballs, team jerseys, goal posts and pennants. But don't knock yourself out. Most eyes will be more impressed by the clear reception on your television.
Have lots of paper towels, napkins and rug cleaner handy for messes created during exciting plays.
According to eHow.com, there are a few moderately easy steps to throwing a successful football party.
This also includes a shopping list of items: tray of cold cuts, cheese tray, ice chests, crackers, football piñatas, soft drinks, beer, two six-foot long sub sandwiches, chips, vegetable tray, decorations and snack dips.
Decorate your house in the colors of the team you're rooting for.
Invest in a few foam "bad-call bricks" to throw at the TV when the ref makes a call you disagree with.
If you're going to have guests who are rooting for the other team, establish an imaginary line down the center of the room.
Lay all your food out on a table within sight of the TV. Don't make your guests choose between eating and watching TV.
Keep drinks on ice in a cooler close by so you don't have to keep running to the fridge.
Have everyone write down who they think will win and what the final score will be before the game starts. Award a silly prize, like a football piñata, to the person who comes the closest.
For those who want to prepare their own football food from scratch, there are many fail-proof recipes, according to Geri Rideout, chef for Phoenix House and co-ower of The Coffee Pot. She recommends chili and cocktail franks wrapped in biscuits.
"These are both easy. The cocktail franks are wrapped in half a biscuit and cooked per the biscuit package directions. It takes 10 minutes," she said. "Chili is also simple, canned kidney beans, ground beef, chicken or turkey, onions, peppers, tomatoes, spices and a crock pot. Begin this the day before and it will be perfect the next day."
Chili
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef, chicken, or turkey
2 green peppers
2-3 jalapeno peppers (optional)
Garlic
Cumin
1 cup chopped onion
6 teaspoons of chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Hot sauce (optional)
2 28-ounce cans (6 cups) tomatoes, undrained, cut up
2 10.75-ounce cans condensed tomato soup
12 ounces of tomato paste
2 15.5-ounce cans kidney beans, undrained
11/2 cups of water
Directions:
Brown chopped meat with onion and garlic. Drain. In a large sauce pan, combine the cooked meat with the rest of the ingredients except the kidney beans. Add spices to taste. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for two hours. Stir in kidney beans and simmer until thoroughly heated. The longer this cooks at a slow pace, the thicker the chili will be. Serves about 12.
Source: Pillsbury
Buffalo Chicken Wings
These were invented at the Anchor Bar in Buffalo in 1967.
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Remove the wing tips from 11/2 pounds (about 12) chicken wings
Cut each wing into two pieces at the joint and mix on a plate:
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Coat the wings with the flour mixture, shake off the excess, and set aside.
Pour into a deep fryer or deep heavy pot: 1 inch of vegetable oil
Heat the oil over medium heat. The oil is ready when a wing dipped into it makes a sizzling sound. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about ten minutes. Drain on a paper towel and keep warm in the oven.
Heat in a small pan over low heat until foaming:
3 tablespoons of butter
Remove from heat and stir in:
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons of hot sauce, or to taste
Transfer the wings to a large bowl. Pour the sauce over them, and toss until evenly coated. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
Serve hot with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing.
Source: Joy of Cooking
