Cheers to Super Bowl Favs: Wings, Pizza and Beer

Since the Jets lost to the Steelers, Super Bowl Sunday in Huntington may likely be more about camaraderie, food and drink than the game.  That’s okay, because Super Bowl Sunday has become America’s Big Binge Day. We’ll be at parties, perhaps, watching the game, guzzling brew and stuffing our faces with greasy, spicy foods.

Some of us wil be chowing down on traditional Super Bowl Sunday match ups  -- beer, pizza chili and wings --as the Steelers and Packers go head to head in Arlington, Texas.

“Its mostly snacking stuff, finger foods,” said Justin Spoto, owner of the Culinary Studio in Huntington, who said he’ll be catering a few parties on Sunday. He’ll be serving up such Super Bowl fare as wings, heroes and seven-layer dips.
Business is good, Spoto said, adding that it probably would’ve been even better had the Jets been playing.

Corrine Futerman of Corrine’s Concepts in Catering, Huntington Station,  agreed, noting that she’s was still getting customer orders on Wednesday. Futterman said she’s selling food to go -- “lots of finger foods -- hors d'oeuvres, hot dogs, wings -- and heroes.” And one customer  is doing it up big with servers, bartenders and even an ice cream Sunday bar, she said.

Not a fan of takeout? Here are some easy recipes to cook up something a bit more unusual at home.

Lucy Saunders, of Sherwood, Wisc.--that’s Green Bay country, the author of “Grilling With Beer” and “Beer Bistro Cookbook” and an old acquaintance, shared a pair of interesting, easy to fix,  recipes.

Ale-brined chili wings 

You’ll need a headstart of about 4 to 8 hours for the wings to brine before you cook them. After that it’s just about a half hour to cook.  
  
       

2 bottles (12 ounces each) brown ale (such as Brooklyn Brown. Ithaca Nut Brown, Newcastle) 
         

 1/2 cup  brown sugar1/2 cup kosher salt

5 lbs chicken wings, tips removed, cut into two sections 
  

2 sticks (1 cup) butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 jalapeno peppers, minced 
 

1/2 cup  Asian sweet hot chili sauce, such as A Taste of Thai, Mae Ploy or Panda brand

1/2 cup hot pepper sauce or more to taste
 

1 tsp finely ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

 2 Tbs black or white sesame seeds, optional     
    

1. Reserve 1/4 cup ale for chili sauce. Whisk together brown sugar, salt and the remaining ale in a large bowl until dissolved. Add wings, stirring to coat. (You may need to put a plate over the bowl so that the chicken is completely submerged in brine.) Cover; refrigerate 4-8 hours. 
   

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over low heat; add the garlic and jalapenos. Cook, stirring, until jalapenos are tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chili sauce, hot pepper sauce, black pepper and cinnamon. Heat to a simmer; cook 3 minutes. Transfer to a blender; add reserved ale. Puree until smooth; reserve. 
      

3. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drain wings from brine; place on shallow baking pans. Cook, turning once, until brown and crispy, about 30 minutes.                

Arrange wings on platter; sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve chili sauce in ramekins for dipping.                                                        

Serves 6

Lucy's second recipe, which makes use of three favorite Wisconsin ingredients: beer, cheese and sausage, a spin on chili.

Beer and Cheese Black Eyed Peas Super Bowl

This dish requires two days to prepare if you use dried black-eyed peas, which have to soak over night.  Drained, canned black-eye peas work just as well and save time.

12 oz spicy pork sausage (bulk Italian is good)
2 strips bacon, chopped
3 Tbs minced garlic
3 Tbs minced shallots
1 cup chopped sweet onion
2 cups chopped mixed bell peppers (yellow and green if you’re a Packers fan)
1 can (4 oz.) mild green chiles
1 tsp red hot pepper flakes or to taste
1 tsp coarse-ground black pepper
12 oz dark bock beer or dopplebock beer (Celebrator for example)
8 oz beef stock 
1 Tbs tomato paste
4 cups prepared black-eyed peas  
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons minced green onion
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Brown the sausage and chopped bacon in a large stockpot fitted with a lid, using a wooden spoon to break it into chunks. Stir to brown evenly, about 5 minutes over medium heat.

2. Add garlic, shallots, onion and bell peppers. Cook and stir for 1 minute over medium heat, then reduce heat to low and cover. Cook 5 minutes.

3. Add canned chiles to the stockpot along with ground pepper, beer, beef broth, tomato paste, and prepared peas. Stir well and cook until heated through and peppers are tender, about 10-15 minutes.

Garnish with a mixture of grated cheddar cheese tossed with minced green onion and salt and pepper to taste.

Servces 6-10

Here’s a recipe that combines two Super Bowl favorites, Buffalo wings and pizza. This was a popular menu item at Long Island’s first brewpub, the long-closed Long Island Brewing.

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

4 chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil
1 Lb fresh pizza dough or large pre-baked pizza shell, such as Boboli
1/4 cup hot red pepper sauce
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup celery, sliced

1.  Season chicken with salt and pepper and rub with olive oil, then
grill or broil until done, about 5 minutes on each side.  Chop into small
pieces.

2.  Spread pizza dough on pizza pan or cookie sheet, or place a pre-baked pizza shell on cookie sheet.

3.  Blend butter with hot sauce and spread on dough.

4.  Sprinkle cheeses on top of sauce, then top with chopped chicken pieces.

5.  Bake in a preheated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes if using
pre-baked pizza shell, or 15 minutes when using fresh dough. 

6. Garnish with celery slices and serve. 

Makes 4 to 6 servings.
  
And to wash it all down, beer, of course.  Budweiser may be the official beer of Super Bowl, but for me, at least, it’s a bland, mass-marketed brew. Consider serving a selection of microbrewed beers. You’ll find them at such beer stores as Big Z Beverage, Shoreline Beverage, Huntington Thrifty and Superstar Beverage and area supermarkets.
 
Steelers' fan?  Shoreline stocks Iron City Beer. It’s not a microbrew, but the kind of beer real steelworkers guzzle at the end of their shifts in Pittsburgh.

None of Pittsburgh’s excellent micros are available here, but you can buy bottled versions of Long Island’s Southampton Publick House beers, which are produced at the Latrobe Brewery, near Pittsburgh. Other Pennsylvania micros available include Victory, Sly Fox, Brewery Hill, Troegs, Yuengling, Stoudt's, and Weyerbacher.

Packers fans, meanwhile can sip Wisconsin beers from The Point Brewery in Stevens Point, Leinenkugel from Chippewa Falls, Lake Front Brewery in Milwaukee and Sprecher Brewery in Glendale.

Whatever your choice of beer, or team, you'll be a winner.