Souper Bowls & Lovable Fixings - No. 189
Two soups, two dips, smash burgers, and the best chocolate cookie in time for the Super Bowl or Valentine’s, take your pick.
DASHING THROUGH THE SUPERMARKET this afternoon I noticed the Valentine’s candy is placed conveniently across the aisle from Rotel tomatoes, Tostitos, and Velveeta. How’s that for some romantic cooking?
But it just might be what’s on the minds of football fans as America heads into Super Bowl weekend. You’re either grilling a fat Kansas City steak or griddling a Philly cheesesteak if your team is vying for the ring. But the sad, sorry rest of us will console ourselves with cheese dip, smash burgers, and this pretty special white bean soup.
Today’s post is a yummy hodgepodge of my favorite TV foods, from cheesy appetizers to creamy soup to chocolate cookies. The three food groups, right?
I’m always trying some new version of white bean soup in the wintertime, so that’s my top pick for today—Delia’s Tuscan White Bean Soup with Frizzled Shallots and Prosciutto.
Delia is Delia Smith for those of you who don’t live in the UK. She was the Martha Stewart of England for a long while, and I know my British readers have a love/hate for Delia, similar to Martha.
But I do think Delia had great ideas, and she was the one who explained to me via her cookbook how to roast proper British potatoes in that two-step fashion of par-cooking them and shaking them vigorously in the pan until the edges are all ruffled up, and then tossing them in hot oil in the oven until crispy heaven. I am forever grateful!
But no British potatoes today, sorry. We’ll save that for another day. I thought as pro football comes down to the wire, and everyone watching Rihanna, beer companies blow $7 million a pop, and Melissa McCarthy don red hair that I’d offer up some not-so-serious but seriously tasty things to cook/bake.
Plus, the idea that shallots and prosciutto can be ‘’frizzled’’ is such a Bennifer way of saying they’re fried and sizzled. But after tasting one, I think they’re more crizzled or perhaps cried because they’re crispy. But it doesn’t sound as nice, so we’ll stick with frizzled.
Wait, there’s more! A white bean chili for traditionalists
If chili is a must-have and Tuscan just doesn’t read football, then you’ll love this quickie white chili I shared with readers of Caroline Chambers’ What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking last October.
You begin with canned beans, and yes, you can dump it all into a Crockpot and ladle it out as the game progresses. I’d serve this with sheet-pan nachos—just spread out tortilla chips, top with cheese and fixings and heat in a hot oven until bubbly.
If it’s a legit party and you need to build out the meal, definitely go with John’s slaw, a green salad with Green Goddess Dressing, or with that dressing placed in a bowl at the 50-yard line surrounded by lots of veggies for dipping.
Craving something meatier? Smash burgers!
It’s not a KC steak, but it’s better. Buy one pound of ground chuck for every three to four patties you want to make and grab your cast iron skillet. It could not be easier, but it requires one crucial first step—portion the ground beef into balls and place them in the fridge until time to cook.
Go ahead and assemble the lettuce, sliced tomato, onion, condiments, etc., split the buns, butter and griddle them. Because the very last thing you will do is SMASH! That’s right, heat the skillet and smash those burgers with a flat spatula or a smaller heavy skillet as they cook so they get crispy and delicious edges. Give ‘em a shake of salt and pepper, and what you have is a burger not only better than a swanky burger place but at a fraction of the price.
This one’s for you Eagles’ fans: Look for the ‘’shaved beef steak’’ at Trader Joe’s. We made a glorious stir-fry out of it, but you can saute the onions and peppers on a griddle or in an iron skillet, and then add this shaved beef and cook over pretty high heat until crispy and cooked through. Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, and lay some melty cheese over the top. Once the cheese starts to soften, transfer the mixture with a big spatula onto soft rolls, bite, and savor!
What are your favorite game-day foods?
Please, someone make a hot and cheesy Artichoke Dip!
Right?
Why is it everyone loves the artichoke dip but won’t make it? And every football game on par (sorry, golf metaphor) with the Super Bowl needs the excuse of a hot and cheesy dip. When else are we going to make them? Certainly not this spring. You might look at this weekend as the last opportunity to make a hot artichoke dip.
And this recipe I shared last year with the not-so-secret addition of feta is so yummy, everyone’s going to need a time-out from the game or ads to take a bite. Plus the same link will take you to Fleurie’s Caramelized Onion Dip! It’s a two-point conversion!
Kathleen’s hummus
Why do I keep thinking about this hummus? The texture. It’s velvety because you go to the trouble of peeling the chickpeas before pulsing. And it’s just a fabulous recipe and so, so much better than store-bought.
Hummus is everybody food. Pretty much everyone—Eagles’ fans, Chiefs’ fans, even mopey Titans’ fans, and toddlers, too, love hummus. Read through the recipe where it says to reserve some chickpeas for garnish. And sprinkle with a little Za’atar to spice things up!
Yes, the all-American and best-eva chocolate chip cookies!
I may think I know a lot about football, and I’ve been called out by my family for getting a few things wrong (she clears her throat), but there is something I know far more about, and that is CCC. And to me, football calls for America’s favorite cookie.
Make the dough Saturday and chill it. That overnight rest is important because it hydrates the dough, so in effect, the dough is resting up for game day. And when you heat the oven and scoop out balls onto sheet pans to bake, you will have one winner of a cookie and everyone will love you. And you can bag up leftovers to take to your Galentine or Valentine or stash them in the freezer for yourself.
I’ve had so much fun writing this post, and here’s the truth—my kindergarten knowledge of football came in handy when I traveled often as an author on book tour. I could get in a cab and strike up a conversation with the driver about the weather, but it was much more enjoyable to talk football. If I was flying into Philly, my driver would moan about the Eagles’ lousy season. The only uncomfortable instance I recall was in Pittsburgh at a cooking show. I was frosting a chocolate cake and a lady on the front row asked where I called home. When I said Nashville, the crowd of 300 got more than a little vocal. Something about a ‘’terrible towel’’ and how it was stomped on by a Titan’s player…I don’t talk football in Pittsburgh anymore.
But this Sunday, the Steelers aren’t playing, and I’m betting on the artichoke dip, followed by white bean soup or chili, then hummus and burgers around halftime, and those cookies with milk before bed. I’ll be back on Tuesday for Valentine’s Day with an unexpected chocolate cake. See you then!
- xo, Anne
