Keep Patriots, Rams fans happy with these recipes

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This article was published 30/01/2019 (2759 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Super Bowl week is here. Be ready to entertain or be entertained with a selection of party dishes in all the major food groups: chicken; soup and chili; dips and snacks; and pizza, bread and sandwiches.

But first, a few tips for party hosts and attendees:

● To cut down on expenses and work, make it a potluck! Assign specific dishes or food groups. For the friends who don’t cook, ask them to bring ice, drinks or a roll of paper towels.

● Make sure you have enough utensils and plates for everyone. If you don’t want to buy disposable, consider asking one or two friends (preferably friends who drive and/or live close by) to bring a set of silverware, plates and glasses to supplement your supply.

● You’ll feel better about life if you are as cleaned up as possible before everyone arrives; don’t keep a pile of just-used dishes in the sink to clean up later, when every surface of your kitchen is inevitably filled with more dirty dishes.

● If you run out of bowls for your soups and chilis, use mugs.

Think about where you’ll spread out your array of dishes — the kitchen counters? Your table? On a board balanced on two boxes and covered with a sheet to mimic a tablecloth? You’ve got options.

People are going to bring beer, and you’re going to need room to keep it cold; if you don’t have room in your refrigerator, fill something else with ice and stick the beer in there.

Note: When using an uninsulated vessel to pour ice into and stash your beverages, it is wise to wrap a few towels around and under said vessel, to help with condensation.

● Any ol’ person can make chili and order pizza. Make your party something special by getting a little more creative with the food. Here are three recipes to consider:

La Brea Tar Pit Chicken Wings

For all you Los Angeles Rams fans out there… The chicken is coated in a salty-sweet mixture of soy sauce, red wine, sugar and ground ginger. As they bake, the sauce gets nice and sticky. You can remove the wing tips if you want, but we left them on half of the batch to no ill effect. (If you do, save them to make stock.)

Tested size: 8 servings

Ingredients

1.8 kg (4 pounds) chicken wings, split at joint and wing tips removed, if you like

250 ml (1 cup) soy sauce

125 ml (½ cup) dry red wine

125 ml (½ cup) plus 15 ml or 1 tbsp sugar

1 ml (¼ tsp) ground ginger

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 205 C (400 F)

Arrange wings in one layer in a large roasting pan. Combine the soy sauce, wine, sugar and ginger in a small saucepan and heat over moderately low heat, stirring, until sugar is dissolved. Pour evenly over wings.

Bake for 30 minutes. Turn wings over and bake until sauce is thick and sticky, about 1 hour more. Transfer wings to a platter.

Seafood Chowder

This “chowdah” is a simple affair of vegetables, bacon, milk and seafood. We used chunks of cod and a handful of shrimp, but feel free to swap in any type of seafood you like or have on hand.

Tested size: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

30 ml (2 tbsp) unsalted butter

1 medium onion, cut into small dice

1 medium carrot, peeled and shredded

1 rib celery, cut into small dice

1 strip uncooked bacon, finely chopped

625 ml (2½ cups) low-fat or whole milk

625 ml (2½ cups) fish stock or vegetable broth

1 potato, cut into 0.5 cm (¼-inch) dice (about 440 ml or 15 oz total)

Pinch finely chopped thyme leaves (may substitute dried thyme)

235 ml (8 oz) frozen, peeled and deveined uncooked shrimp (see headnote)

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and bacon; cook until the vegetables are tender and the meat starts to sizzle. Add the low-fat or whole milk and the fish stock or vegetable broth, stirring to combine; increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add the potato and thyme, stirring to combine; cook for about 10 minutes, until the potato is tender. Add the shrimp and bring back to a boil; season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

Sweet Onion, Scallion and Chive Dip

The classic onion dip you know and love, but made with fresh onions, scallions and chives rather than a packaged mix. Serve with potato chips and crudites.

The dip is best made at least 4 hours in advance and can easily be made the day before.

Tested size: 750 ml (3 cups)

Ingredients

30 ml (2 tbsp) salted butter

450 g (1 pound) sweet onions, cut into 0.5- to 1-cm (¼- to ½-inch) dice

125 ml (½ cup) finely chopped scallions, white and tender green parts

60 ml (¼ cup) finely chopped chives

250 ml (1 cup) sour cream

235 ml (8 oz) cream cheese, at room temperature

0.5 ml (½ tsp) salt (optional)

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onions, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to turn golden. Add the scallions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring. Remove from the heat; add the chives and mix well. Transfer the onion mixture to a bowl and set aside to cool slightly.

While the onion mixture is cooling, combine the sour cream, cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl. (These can be mixed by hand if the cream cheese is soft, or in a food processor if the cream cheese is still firm.) Add the onion mixture and stir to combine. Taste and add salt, if desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

— Washington Post