Tailgating at Home

Well, the Super Bowl has come and gone...and not with the outcome we would've liked to have seen...at least not here in the Boston area! Nonetheless, it was an exciting game, and a great opportunity for some good food and great company! I decided to take the route of tailgating recipes. They were easy to make at home and set out for the night, but would be just as easy to bag up and bring to the parking lot of your favorite arena, as well!

I spent the afternoon cooking, and trying to keep the kitchen as clean as possible at the same time. I cooked one thing at a time, and finished up right as our friends arrived. The table was full of goodies, and I was free to enjoy, have a beer, and watch the game!

It wouldn't be a "tailgating" party without chili, so first up on the menu is a very straightforward chili, but what intrigued me about it was the molasses and balsamic vinegar I was asked to add at the end of the cooking process. It added a lot of depth to an otherwise normal chili. I served it in mugs, with some sour cream and grated sharp cheddar garnishes, and the spices were spot-on!

We needed to have some dips so I whipped up some guacamole and hummus to go with the delicate tortilla chips I bought from the gourmet section of the grocery store. I also cut up some veggies (fennel, radicchio, radishes, celery, carrots and broccoli) and paired them with a delicious and tangy Roquefort dip, which I'm enjoying the leftovers of as I write this, right now. Yum!!

While the chili was simmering away, I made some Mediterranean meatballs! Now, these aren't just any meatballs. The seasonings are distinctly Mediterranean, but on top of that, the recipe called for chopped currants and pine nuts to round out the mix. The flavors meshed so well together, and the meatballs had a really nice bite to them, because of the substance of each one. They were simmered in a simple tomato sauce after being browned on all sides in some oil! I'm so happy I've got leftovers of these too!

If you looked at the current menu, you'd see a line mentioning some mini tuna burgers on pita bread, but it's apparently very difficult to find tuna these days. I went to a few different stores, before deciding to scrap this menu item. Don't worry, I will definitely be making them in the future, because I was very much looking forward to trying them! So, all that was left was to make a few side dishes to round out the table. I made a green salad with a red wine-Dijon vinaigrette. I also made an orzo salad with caramelized onions, spinach and shiitake mushrooms. The soy sauce and sesame oil-based dressing gave this salad a nice Asian twist, but still went with the mainstream flavors of everything else on the table!

All in all, a successful spread, I'd say! I enjoyed having everything done in time for kickoff, so I could pick at all the goodies, just like all of my guests! The guests may leave at the end of the night, but we get to enjoy all the leftovers for days to come...and these leftovers, they're delicious!

The Feast

In Greek culture, they celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15th. Since that was just a few days ago, I thought it was appropriate to make their celebratory dish for this occasion. Lamb yiouvetsi is a traditionally special meal that is served for the family lunch during this holiday. I decided to serve it with a Greek salad and some yummy baklava for dessert!

The lamb yiouvetsi came together really quickly, aside from the cooking time. I cut a lamb shoulder up into serving-size portions and put it in a roasting pan with a can of tomatoes, some minced garlic cloves, EVOO, dried oregano, salt and pepper and some hot water. After an hour and 10 minutes in the oven, I took the lamb out of the pot, added some orzo and stirred it all up, added the lamb back to the pan and cooked it for another 40 minutes. If I did this again, I'd probably cut the lamb into larger pieces so that it didn't cook as quickly...it was a little dry, but still, a delicious meal!

The Greek salad was totally simple to put together - just some romaine, cucumbers, tomatoes, scallions, crumbled feta and black olives. The dressing is just EVOO and lemon, with a bit of salt and pepper. If you put it in a closeable container, you can shake it vigorously so that the mixture emulsifies. It's totally refreshing, and seriously easy! I opted for some heirloom tomatoes to give the salad a bit of local flair, as well!

As for that baklava, oh my goodness! After I made all the layers of fillo dough, brushed with melted butter, and layered with a pistacio-almond-sugar mixture, I covered it with a coffee and sugar syrup flavored with cardamon, clove and cinnamon. The ooey-gooey texture of the baklava is so delicious, and this was really an easy dessert...and you know how I am with the baking... :)

Where will our journey take us next? Stay tuned...