Health & Fitness

FOOD

Super Eats

Some spicy fun for the big game!

Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

I

do love Super Bowl food. Casual.
Spicy. I like to eat with my hands
(when appropriate), crunch on snacks
and chew on piquant edibles. Though I
take mine with diet cola, I love the idea of
beer, quaffed from frigid, sweaty bottles.
While I usually like to prepare team-
themed eats, when the game's in Florida
it's fun to serve the informal types of food
so prevalent there — perhaps with some
Cuban and Latino inspiration.

Veggie Cuban Sandwich

If you can find Cuban bread, use it for
these ubiquitous sandwiches. Basically, a
Cuban sandwich is pan-grilled and filled
with meat and cheese. For kashrut's sake,
I replaced the meat with vegetables to
create a delicious, glorified grilled cheese
sandwich.

3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 large sweet onions, peeled and cut
into thin rings
2 thin French baguettes, cut into 6-
inch lengths
Mayonnaise to taste
Dijon mustard to taste
Ground cayenne pepper, to taste
2 roasted red bell peppers, seeded
and sliced
4 Roma or plum tomatoes, sliced
thin
16 Swiss cheese slices, or more to
taste
Kosher salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-
high heat. Add the onions and sauté for
about 10 minutes, until the onions are
golden. Remove from heat and transfer
the onions to a dish. Set aside.
Clean skillet (or use a sandwich or
panini press). Cut the bread in half
lengthwise into two halves. Spread the
mayonnaise and mustard on one half.
Place the cheese slices on each of the
bread halves.
Layer the remaining ingredients and
onions on the bread to make sandwiches.
Wrap each sandwich well with aluminum
foil.
Place skillet over high heat. Place as
many sandwiches as will fit in the skil-
let. Place a heavy pot or other skillet over

30

February 4 - 2010

the sandwiches and weight the pot with a
heavy rock (or bricks) — or place on the
sandwich or panini press and cook until
very hot (about 5 minutes). Serve the
sandwiches hot, in the foil. Makes about 8
sandwiches.

Black Bean And Rice Salad

2 cups cooked black beans, drained,
room temperature
2 cups cooked white rice, room tem-
perature
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch
dice
1 cup chopped red or Bermuda
onion
1 cup chopped, seeded cucumber
1 cup cooked corn kernels
1-2 cups fresh chopped cilantro, to
taste
1/2 cup olive oil
1 /2 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 /2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and toss well.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Makes 12 servings.

Glazed Sweet And Spicy Nuts

2 pounds roasted nuts (such as
pecans, walnuts, cashews, peanuts,
pistachios — or a combination), salted
is fine
Glaze:
1 cup brown sugar
1 /4 cup water
1 Tbsp. hot red sauce, such as
Tabasco
1 tsp. salt (don't use if the nuts are
already salted)
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray 2 large baking
sheets well with nonstick cooking spray
and set aside.
Combine glaze ingredients in a medium
saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring
to a boil and cook until the sugar is dis-
solved. Remove from heat.
Place nuts in a large bowl and pour the
glaze over. Toss well to coat the nuts. Use
a slotted spoon to transfer the coated nuts
to prepared baking sheets (discard any
remaining glaze or use with additional
nuts). Bake, uncovered, for 10 15 minutes
until the nuts are golden. Remove from
oven (the nuts will not be crunchy). Allow

-

the nuts to cool
completely. Use a
metal spatula to
remove the nuts to
a bowl. Break up
the nuts with your
hands. Store in a
zipper-style bag or
jar until ready to
serve. Stays fresh up
to 2 months. Makes 2 pounds of nuts.

Tequila Chicken, Red Pepper
And Pineapple Kebabs

2 lbs. boneless chicken breasts, cut
into 1-inch cubes
1 large pineapple, cut into 1-inch
chunks
2 red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch
pieces
Marinade:
1 /2 cup soy sauce
V2 cup fresh lime juice
3 Tbsp. Tequila
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 /4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Soak 12-16 long bamboo skewers in water
for several hours (or use metal skewers).
Place chicken in a large bowl. Whisk
together the marinade ingredients in a
bowl and pour over the chicken. Toss
well to coat the chicken. Marinate for 1-4
hours. Remove chicken from marinade.
Discard marinade.
Thread chicken, bell pepper and pine-
apple on skewers (end with the chicken).
Grill kebabs on a hot grill, or place on a
baking sheet and broil (place the rack
in the center of the oven) for about 8-12
minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Leslie's Cucumber Salsa
My book club friend Leslie Stein is a won-
derful cook. This is her salsa recipe, with
a few modifications (she serves it as a
salad). It's perfect for the big game.
2 cucumbers (about 1 pound), peeled
or not, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup chopped scallions or green
onion
1 /4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley
1 /4 cup lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 /4 cup sugar
V2 tsp. salt
1 /4 cup chopped roasted peanuts
1 /8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
and toss well. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Chill until ready to serve. Makes about 6
cups of salsa.

Mini Twice Baked Potatoes
With Feta And Chives

Change up the cheese (use blue or goat,
for example), and vary toppings for vari-
ety.

20 small, round, new or red-skin
potatoes
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Filling:
3 /4 cup sour cream
1 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 /2 cup pinenuts
1 /4 cup fresh minced chives, plus
extra, garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Cut potatoes in half.
Toss with oil and arrange, cut side down,
on a baking sheet with sides. Cook the
potatoes, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Cool.
Spray a small muffin tin with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
Use a melon-baller to scoop out the
center of each potato. Place the potato
centers in a medium bowl and place shells
in muffin tins.
Add filling ingredients to the potato
centers and mix well. Stuff potato shells
with all the filling. Bake for 12-15 min-
utes. Serve hot or warm, with additional
chives sprinkled over. Makes 40 mini
stuffed potatoes.

