Food Thread: What's On Your Coffee Table During Football Games? [CBD]

Yes, yes....the beer, the bourbon, the cattle prods to keep the kids away.

But what about food? Big meals? Lots of snacks (my preference)? Pizza (another of my favorites)?

Mine is below the fold.....

Big meals lead inexorably to big naps, so spreading out the consumption over a few games with a variety of different foods makes perfect sense. And the healthy dose of salt from chips and crackers and other assorted stuff requires a careful balance of liquid intake for optimal health.

I suggest an IPA, but on the light side...some of those can pack a punch. To balance the bitterness of the beer, is there anything better than the quintessential American product: bourbon? A short one with a single ice cube is just the match for that Dogfish 60 Minute IPA.

If the weather is good, and you feel like grilling, a big platter of chicken legs and thighs is hard to beat. They're cheap, taste great, come with their own little handles, and are tough to ruin. I avoid thick sauces, because most of my friends will end up wearing their food, and just marinate them in something good the night before. Grill them in the morning, let them cool off, and maybe even spend a few hours in the refrigerator before serving.

I'm not a big fan of dessert, but I also adhere to the AOSHQ food pyramid, which has chocolate-chip cookies as a diet staple.

Every few months I make a big batch of chocolate-chip cookie dough, form it into 35 gram balls (that's 1.25 ounces) and freeze them. It's a simple proposition to take them out of the freezer, lay them out on a cookie sheet to thaw a bit, then pop them in the oven when needed.

I flatten the balls with the heel of my hand into a hockey puck shape. They seem to bake better that way.

Oh, and if you are looking for a great recipe, the one on the back of the Nestles chocolate chip bag is pretty close to perfect.

So.....what do you lunatics serve up during your marathon football sessions?

1 Large eggplant
4 ounces tahini paste
1 clove garlic, minced fine
juice of one lemon (to taste)
2 ounces good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Peel the stem end of the eggplant and poke several air holes in the skin. place it on a roasting pan just big enough to hold it and roast until the skin is almost crispy...at least 30-45 minutes. This can be done on a grill for even better flavor.

Allow to cool, then peel the skin away from the eggplant, carefully scraping whatever flesh adheres to the skin back into the pan. Try to remove as many seeds as possible (yeah, it is a PITA, but do your best without discarding the flesh along with the seeds).

Place the eggplant into a large bowl, making sure to scrape any browned bits and liquid from the roasting pan into the bowl. Add half the lemon juice and stir thoroughly, breaking it up so that it is as smooth and chunk-free as possible.

Add the tahini paste, paprika, cayenne and garlic and mix until the tahini is completely incorporated and the mixture is uniform and almost smooth. Add more lemon juice if it needs the liquid. It's tempting to use a food processor or blender, but that destroys the texture of the eggplant and makes it a different dish. Not bad; just different.

Add the olive oil, mix again, and taste. It will need salt...at least half a teaspoon of kosher salt, and maybe some pepper. If you want it on the tart side (my preference) add more lemon juice.

Chill overnight if you have the time, and serve with pita, pita chips, or even good tortilla chips. Pretzels work nicely too.

posted by Open Blogger at 04:21 PM

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