Super Bowl Sunday super foods

It doesn't matter which team you're rooting for, the Green Bay Packers or the Pittsburgh Steelers. You still have to come up with an all-star menu for Superbowl Sunday. Buffalo fans will watch Superbowl XLV on Fox 29 on February 6, 2011. Many will order pizza and chicken wings, many will serve other goodies. Cheese, crackers, pepperoni, it's time to get serious about your Superbowl eats!

Get the party started with a variety of snacks, including spinach bread bowl dip, tacos in a bag and sausage dip and tortillas.

For those diehard Buffalonians who prefer tradition, try the Buffalo Frugal Living Examiner's recipe for cheese and pepperoni pizza.

Cheese and pepperoni pizza
Ingredients:
1/2 batch basic pizza dough recipe (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1/2 to 1 cup basic pizza sauce recipe (depends on how much sauce you like)
1/2 pound thinly sliced Magherita or Battistoni pepperoni
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Romano or Parmesan cheese
To assemble:
Stretch out dough to fit pizza stone or pan (for a crunchier crust, sprinkle your pan or pizza stone with ground cornmeal). Top with pizza sauce, the grated cheese, 1/2 the shredded Mozzarella and the pepperoni, then the rest of the shredded Mozzarella. Bake at 375*F for 20 to 25 minutes until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Cool slightly before slicing. Should yield 8 slices or if making in rectangular pan, about 12 to 15 squares.

For Buffalonians that prefer tradition with a twist, try the Buffalo Frugal Living Examiner's recipe for steak and cheddar pizza and Buffalo Hot Legs (a twist on the Buffalo Chicken Wing).

Steak and Cheddar pizza
Ingredients:
1/2 batch basic pizza dough recipe (about 1-1/2 pounds)
1/2 pound stew meat or stir fry, sliced very thinly
2 large red onions, thinly sliced
1 pound white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
about 6 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup red bell pepper, thinly julienned
Directions:
Sauté the meat with a little pinch of salt and garlic powder until cooked through. I cook on low heat to make sure meat is tender. Set aside in bowl.
In the same pan, melt 2 tsp. butter and sauté the onions until the get a nice brown caramelized color. Set aside in small bowl.
In the same pan, melt another 1 tsp. butter and sauté mushrooms until they are softened. Set aside in small bowl.
To assemble:
Stretch out dough to fit pizza stone or pan (sprinkle pan or pizza stone with ground cornmeal for a crunchier crust). Brush crust with vegetable oil and sprinkle finely minced garlic over oiled crust. Brush with more oil. Sprinkle a little shredded Cheddar around crust. Top with cooked meat, onions, julienned red bell peppers, mushrooms and more shredded Cheddar. Bake at 375*F for about 20 to 25 minutes, until crust is golden brown and cheese is melted. Cool slightly before slicing. Should yield 8 slices or if making in rectangular pan, 12 to 15 squares.
Recipe Note:
To get crust even crunchier, heat your pizza store before placing dough on it. This will start the cooking process before the pizza even hits the oven.

I prefer a pizza stone to a pizza pan, as I seem to get a better pizza that way. Pizza stones are not expensive, and you can find a good quality 12 or 16-inch round for about $10. If you want to spend a little more money and get a high quality pizza stone, check out www.pamperedchef.com, they're stones are fantastic and last a lifetime. I highly recommend them. They cost a bit more, but they are worth it. I have found that cheaper stones (in the $5 to $7 category) break easily after several uses. I had one that broke right in the oven.

Buffalo Hot Legs
Ingredients
12 to 16 chicken drumsticks
buttermilk (or make our own)
flour
salt
pepper
garlic powder
chili powder
1 recipe Buffalo Hot Sauce
oil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375*F. Use an ovenproof casserole dish or jelly roll pan for this, a pan at least 1-inch deep with a lip. If you have a cookie sheet with an edge around it, that will work.
Spray the jelly roll pan with non-stick cooking spray. Coat pan with oil (several tablespoons full).
In large deep dish, add 2 cups flour and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder (to taste). In another large deep dish, add 1-1/2 cups buttermilk. Roll each chicken drumstick first in flour, then in buttermilk, then in flour again. Place on jelly roll pan, rotating the direction (bottom, top, bottom, top) of chicken leg. Once all chicken drumsticks are on the jelly roll pan, you may find you need to add more oil. I use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup to make these "oven fried" legs. Place pan in oven, bake at 375*F for 20 minutes on one side, until nicely medium golden brown. Flip each chicken leg over and bake another 15 to 20 minutes on the other side, until very nicely medium-dark golden brown. Remove from oven, allow sitting about 5 minutes, then removing to a large plate with paper towels to drain.

Buffalo Hot sauce
Ingredients:
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
3/4 cup to 1 cup Frank's hot sauce (or whatever hot sauce you prefer)
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
Directions:
In large saucepan, melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in hot sauce and vinegar to combine. Let stand at least 5 minutes. Add chicken legs to large bowl. Pour almost all the hot sauce over the legs (reserve a little on the side for dipping). Cover bowl with foil and give it a few good shakes (not too hard) to coat legs. Pour out onto serving platter. Yield 12 to 16 hot legs (3 to 4 per person, depending on appetites).

The Buffalo Frugal Living Examiner is partial to hearty burgers and sandwiches, and here are a few recipes to tempt your taste buds:

Blue cheese burger

French dip sandwich

Reuben sandwich

Beef on kummelweck (a proud Buffalo tradition!)

Italian shredded pork sandwiches with hot Italian giardiniera

Don't forget about dessert! Keep it simple with sliced apples and caramel apple dip, vanilla ice cream in a bag and some delicious brown sugar squares.

Enjoy the Superbowl and GO STEELERS!

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