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It’s
Madness!
Basketball Party Menu
By Chris Perrin ‘The Party Food Dude’, and
author of BlogWellDone.com
There’s just something
about American sports and food that go hand-in-hand. Baseball has
ballpark franks and Cracker Jack. NFL has its championship game, a true
culinary holiday, complete with Food Network specials. The Kentucky
Derby has the mint julep. Basketball, though, appears to be left out of
the sports/food combo hall of fame. Even though hundreds of thousands,
if not millions, gather to watch college basketball’s championship
tournament, there just does not seem to be an iconic meal for it.
Well, it’s time to
change all that. This March, when the craziness happens, here is one
mad spread they’ll be cheering about long after the games are done.
Chris ‘The Party Food Dude on Blend Radio
Chris was a featured guest on Champagne Sundays radio with hosts Nancy &
Lisa (BigBlendMagazine.com Editors), on Feb. 22, 2009 He chatted about
creating a menu for sports parties – and other great culinary tidbits.
To Listen to his interview, please Double Click on the Play Button
Below. To meet the rest of the guests and listen to the entire show,
please click here.
Black
Olive Bruschetta Bruschetta is grilled
or baked bread, usually served with cheese and tomatoes. Even better,
it is the perfect garlicky way to deliver a whole lot of delicious olive
tapenade in one tasty bite.
Ingredients: 1 loaf bread cut into
1/4 inch slices
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
(optional) green olives to garnish
(optional) tomato to garnish
Directions: Preheat the oven to
350 degrees. Rub the garlic on the bread slices and bake in the oven
until the bread is crispy, perhaps 4-5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Mix the rest of the
ingredients in a food processor. When the bread is cool, put a spoonful
on mixture on each piece of bread and optionally top with 1/2 a green
olive and a small slice of tomato.
Stuffed
Mushrooms Stuffed mushrooms fall
into one of two categories: party favorite or party outcast. Whether
you and your guests rave about the mushrooms or ignore them entirely
usually depends on one thing: butter. Good stuffed mushroom abandon any
pretense of healthiness and take a bath in nice, warm melted butter.
Bad ones stay dry. Not one to leave well enough alone, this recipe goes
one better and uses truffle oil instead of butter, though melted butter
can be easily substituted.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive
oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
24 mushrooms, stems removed and reserved
1/2 sweet Italian sausage or vegetarian sausage replacement
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
1/2 cup truffle oil
Directions: Preheat the oven to
350.
In a skillet over
medium high heat, add the olive oil and wait until it gets hot. Add the
onions and the garlic and sauté until the onion begins to turn clear.
Add the mushroom stems and the sausage and continue cooking until the
sausage is cooked all the way through. Add the parmesan cheese and
stir.
Put the sausage/onion
mixture into a food processor and pulse 6-8 times to incorporate. Put
about a teaspoonful of mixture in each mushroom cap and bake on a
greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until the mushroom caps are
cooked all the way through.
Top with truffle oil
(or melted butter) and serve warm.
Eggplant Dippers Continuing the trend
of round Italian dishes is the eggplant dipper. Eggplant is one of my
favorite vegetables and in particular, I really like eggplant parmesan.
But sometimes, eggplant parm can be too heavy, so think of this dish as
a take on eggplant parmesan, but lighter and finger food style.
Ingredients: 1 eggplant
cut horizontally into 1/8 inch wide strips
4 teaspoons salt
2 cups flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons + 1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 cups bread crumbs
Oil for frying
1 12.5 ounce can of tomato sauce
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
(optional)1/2 teaspoon red pepper flake
4 tablespoons heavy cream or alfredo sauce
1/4 fresh basil, sliced thin
Directions: First, prepare the
eggplant. Put them on a cooling rack or a cookie sheet and sprinkle
both sides liberally with salt. Let the eggplant sit for 15 minutes and
then brush the salt off.
While the eggplant is
sitting, make the batter by combining the flour, milk, eggs, salt, and 2
teaspoons of garlic powder. Stir well to remove lumps. When the
eggplant is ready, dip the eggplant in the batter, then the breadcrumbs,
and then let the eggplant rest.
Deep fry the eggplant
in 350 degree oil if using a fryer or over medium-high heat until the
sides are golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
To make the sauce,
combine the tomato sauce, salt, pepper, red pepper flake, and the
remaining tablespoon of garlic powder in a skillet and bring the tomato
sauce to boil. Add the cream and when the sauce just begins to boil,
add the basil and turn off the heat. If serving atop the eggplant (as
pictured) do not spread the sauce on until guests begin to arrive or the
crispy eggplant will get soggy.
Italian
Quesadilla Party food is best
when it ends up on your shirt. The Italian quesadilla, a soon-to-be
famous Italian delicacy, should manage this feat nicely and tastes great
at the same time. Feel free to experiment with the stuffing you use in
the quesadilla. Anything Italian will work, but this particular recipe
uses a quick chicken cacciatore to make a delicious meal.
Ingredients: 6 tablespoons olive
oil, divided
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced|
tablespoon dried oregano
2 chicken breasts, cut into strips
2 tablespoons capers
4 large flour tortillas
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
16 basil leaves
1 55 oz can black olives
Favorite marinara for dipping
Directions: In a
skillet over medium heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil
and wait for it to get hot. Then add the onions and garlic
and cook until the onions are soft. Then add the green and
red peppers, tomatoes, and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes or
until the tomatoes have broken down. Let the sauce simmer
on low heat while you cook the chicken.
Sprinkle
both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add another
2 tablespoons of olive oil to a second skillet on medium,
let it get warm and cook the chicken until done completely,
about 5-6 minutes. Put the chicken back into the sauce and
add the capers. Mix well.
In the
skillet you used to cook the chicken, add 1/2 tablespoon of
olive oil to the skillet, which should still be on medium
heat. Put the tortilla in the middle of the skillet and on
one half of the tortilla, add 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella
cheese, 1/4 cup of chicken cacciatore, 4 basil leaves, and a
2 tablespoons of olives.
Fold the
quesadilla in half so that the bare half is now covering the
half on which you loaded all the filling. Cook 2-3 minutes
and flip. Cook another 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is
cooked all the way through.
Use a pizza cutter to slice the
quesadilla into four even pieces.
Chris
Perrin ‘The Party FoodDude’ is part mad scientist, part
glutton, and part culinary adventurer who is always ready to hit the
kitchen to make something delicious. And if not delicious, then
certainly edible. Cooking, especially for friends, has always been one
of his deepest passions and explains why he enjoys making party food as
much as he does. You can always
taste his mad creations at
www.BlogWellDone.com
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It’s
Madness!
