Simple Art of Cooking: Super Bowl Recipes for Sunday “Dinner”
Super Bowl Sunday seems to be as much about delicious munchies as it is about the anticipated game. It’s best to keep the foods simple, avoiding any last minute preparation. With a little planning ahead you can offer your guests an assortment of savory fare to be enjoyed while huddling in front of the television.
Related: Dan’s Best of the Best Spots to Watch the Super Bowl in the Hamptons and on the North Fork
A hearty snack such as a heaping plate of tortilla chips with a fresh avocado-tomato salsa puts an immediate spin on your party. A platter of cheesy, do-ahead whole-wheat tortillas with a zesty mix of mushrooms, jalapeno and grated Jack cheese for hungry fans are sure to please. When the quesadillas are halved or quartered alongside a bowl of fresh vegetable nibbles, it becomes satisfying finger food.
Finish with a big bowl of ripe seasonal fruits and when your guests shout “score” they won’t necessarily be talking about the game.
AVOCADO, TOMATILLO, CILANTRO SALSA
There’s a lively freshness to this winter salsa. If heat is your thing, by all means, add chopped jalapeno pepper to your taste.
Yield: 2 cups salsa
2 ripe on-the-vine tomatoes
2 tomatillos, papery outer skin removed
3 to 4 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced
1 ripe avocado
Small bunch, washed and dried, chopped cilantro leaves, about 3 to 4 tablespoons
4 to 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1. Rinse and dry the tomatoes and tomatillos. Slice thinly, then stack the slices, and cut into small dice. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the sliced scallions. Slice the avocado in half, discard pit and scoop out the meat. Dice the avocado and add to the tomato mixture with the cilantro. Season mixture with lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently to mix. Refrigerate in a suitable container until ready to serve.
QUESADILLAS WITH MUSHROOMS AND CHEESE
A heaping platter of these cheesy treats is a sure way to score points!
Serves 6
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced
1 tablespoons coarsely chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
6 large whole-wheat flour tortillas
1 8-ounce package grated Jack cheese
1. Heat oil in a 1” skillet and add the scallions and garlic. Sauté to 1 to 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 3 to 4 minutes longer until mushrooms are tender. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Remove from heat, add the cilantro or parsley and stir to mix. Transfer to a dish and divide into six equal portions.
2. In the same skillet the vegetables cooked in, melt 1 teaspoon butter and put in one flour tortilla. Spoon one-sixth of the mushroom mixture over half the tortilla. Scatter 2 tablespoons grated cheese over the mushrooms and fold over the tortilla. Cook for 1 minute more and transfer to a baking sheet. Continue adding 1 teaspoon butter to the skillet, the tortilla, mushroom mixture, cheese etc. as above. Fold and transfer to baking sheet. Continue until all are done. Drizzle over any melted butter from the pan. Can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead to this point.
3. When ready to serve preheat oven to 350°F and bake the tortillas to heat through, about 10 to 12 minutes. Serve warm.