Flavorful Foods for The Big Game

Football play-off season is here. Planning a game-day gathering? Need to try out some new snacks? Over the next few weeks, we will have some ideas for you.

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Broccoli Cheese Stromboli

 

Level: Easy

Total: 1 hr 5 min

(includes cooling time)

Active: 40 min

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

 

2 T. olive oil

2 T. salted butter

1/2 lg. yellow onion, sliced thin

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 head broccoli, cut into small florets

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

All-purpose flour, for rolling out the dough

1 (1 lb.) loaf frozen bread dough, thawed

2 T. sun-dried tomato pesto

1 c. shredded Cheddar

8 slices mozzarella

8 fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

1/2 c. grated Parmesan

1 (24 oz.) jar marinara, warmed

 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Oil a baking sheet with 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook until the broccoli has softened slightly and become bright green, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Lightly flour a clean work surface and stretch or roll the dough into a large rectangle, about 11-by-13 inches. With the long side closest to you, spread the pesto on the dough, leaving about a 1-inch border on all sides. (You’ll want to maintain the 1-inch border when adding the remaining toppings.) Top the pesto with the broccoli mixture and sprinkle over the Cheddar. Shingle the mozzarella slices over the Cheddar. Sprinkle on the basil leaves.

Fold the short sides in, then roll the dough into a log. Place the stromboli seam-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, make 5 to 6 diagonal slits on top of the dough. Brush the top with the remaining tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan.

Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Allow to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Serve the warmed marinara alongside and top each serving with some more fresh basil.

 


Chili Dog Nachos

 

Level: Easy

Total: 25 min

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 15 min

Yield: 4 servings

 

1 T. vegetable oil, 1 turn of the pan

1 lb. ground sirloin

Salt & pepper

2 hot dogs, sliced into 1/2” pcs.

1 sm. onion, chopped

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 T. chili powder

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 sack yellow corn tortilla chips

1 sack, 10 oz., shredded yellow Cheddar

Sour cream, garnish

Salsa, garnish

2 scallions, chopped

 

Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add oil then beef, and begin to brown and crumble with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, then add chopped hot dogs and continue browning, another 3 minutes. Add onions and seasonings, Worcestershire, chili powder, and cumin. Cook another 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and simmer 5 minutes more.

Preheat broiler.

Arrange corn chips on a flameproof platter or in a flameproof casserole dish. Top the chips with the cooked chili dog topping. Cover the chili dog sauce with cheese. Melt cheese under hot broiler, 2 minutes, until melted and bubbly. Garnish with sour cream, salsa and chopped scallions.

 


Enchilada Crescent Ring

 

Level: Easy

Total: 1 hr 15 min

(includes cooling time)

Active: 35 min

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

 

2-1/2 c. shredded rotisserie chicken (skin & bones discarded)

1/2 c. jarred red enchilada sauce

1/4 c. sliced & drained pickled jalapenos, chopped

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced, white & green parts separated

Kosher salt

Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing the pan

2 (8 oz.) tubes refrigerated crescent roll dough

1/2 c. shredded Mexican blend cheese

3 oz. pepper Jack cheese, cut in half (about 5 slices)

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Salsa, for serving

Sour cream, thinned with water, for serving

 

Special equipment: a 5-inch ramekin

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir together the chicken, enchilada sauce, pickled jalapenos, chili powder, cumin, garlic, scallion whites and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Coat the back of a baking sheet with cooking spray. Unroll both cans of crescent dough and separate unto 16 triangles. Put a 5-inch ramekin in the center of the prepared baking sheet. Arrange the triangles in a ring around the ramekin so the short sides of the dough are touching the ramekin, overlapping slightly, and the pointed ends are facing outward (it should look like a giant sun).

Spoon the chicken mixture over the short ends of the triangles closest to the ramekin. Sprinkle Mexican blend cheese on top of the chicken. Then top with the pepper Jack slices. Remove the ramekin. Take hold of the pointed end of one of the triangles and fold it up and over the filling, tucking the tip under the bottom edge of dough to secure (the dough will not cover the filling completely). Repeat with the remaining triangles (there will be some gaps where you can see the chicken mixture).

Bake until the dough is golden brown and the cheese is melted, about 25 minutes. Brush the dough with butter and sprinkle on the scallion greens. Let cool for 15 minutes. Use a spatula to slide the ring off the baking sheet onto a platter. Serve with salsa drizzled with thinned sour cream.

 


Hot Corn Chile Dip

 

Level: Easy

Total: 50 min

Active: 25 min

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

 

5 ears fresh corn, shucked

1/2 stick (4 T.) butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded & diced finely

1 med. onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, seeded & diced

1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced

2 cans diced green chiles

1-1/2 cups grated pepper-jack cheese

8 oz. cream cheese, softened.

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/2 c. sour cream

3 green onions, sliced thin.

Tortilla chips or pita crisps, for serving

 

Heat a grill on medium heat. Grill the corn until lots of the kernels have color. Cut off the kernels and set aside.

If serving immediately, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, jalapenos, onions, and green and red bell peppers. Cook for a few minutes, until the peppers get great color on the outside. Add the chiles and stir for 30 seconds. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup of the pepper-jack, the cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream, and green onions and stir until combined. Add the reserved corn and veggie mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Pour into a small baking dish. Bake immediately, or cover with foil and refrigerate up to 48 hours.

Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top and bake until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips or pita crisps.

 


Perfect Potstickers

 

Level: Intermediate

Total: 1 hr 10 min

Prep: 50 min

Cook: 20 min

Yield: 35 to 40 potstickers

 

1/2 lb. ground pork

1/4 c. finely chopped scallions

2 T. finely chopped red bell pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tsp. ketchup

1 tsp. yellow mustard

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. light brown sugar

1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

35 to 40 small wonton wrappers

Water, for sealing wontons

3 to 4 T. vegetable oil, for frying

1-1/3 c. chicken stock, divided

 

Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Combine the first 11 ingredients in a medium-size mixing bowl (pork through cayenne). Set aside.

To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush 2 of the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the pork mixture in the center of the wrapper. Fold over, seal edges, and shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat. Brush with vegetable oil once hot. Add 8 to 10 potstickers at a time to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, without touching. Once the 2 minutes are up, gently add 1/3 cup chicken stock to the pan, turn the heat down to low, cover, and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove wontons to a heatproof platter and place in the warm oven. Clean the pan in between batches by pouring in water and allowing the pan to deglaze. Repeat until all the wontons are cooked. Serve immediately. 

 


Quote of the Week:

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.”  

~ Edith Sitwell

 

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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