Sunday Afternoon Tailgate: Opening Night (Special Edition!)

It's fall, which also means it's football season, and for me that's as good an excuse as any to fire up the grill and do some culinary experimenting. In this new weekly series, I will be cooking and sharing my gameday menu with all of you readers. And while I won't be creating intentionally unhealthy dishes (using bacon as a condiment, for example), this also isn't about fancy foods, insanely difficult cooking practices, pretentious gourmet recipes, glossy photos, health trends, eating organic, or being a "foodie." This is about football, food, and fun. I'll be re-imagining some old tailgating classics, each with my own unique twist. Wings. Nachos. Chili. And all those other hearty stick-to-your-ribs comfort dishes that best accompany the big game. As many of you know, I am a Philadelphia Eagles fan, and so I will also be posting my prediction for the game each week (we'll see how I do). Though titled Sunday Afternoon Tailgate, this week's inaugural entry is starting on Thursday with the Opening Day of the NFL season. So Bon Appetite! (Or, rather, dig in!)

If you are looking for a food blog that focuses a bit more on sustainability, locavore culture, and health, I highly recommend Justin Wants to Feed You. It's a great blog with a variety of tasty dishes.

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SOUTHWESTERN STUFFED ZUCCHINI "NACHOS" WITH CARAMELIZED ONION SALSA

So these aren't really "nachos," per se, but I got the idea from a favorite nacho recipe my mother sometimes makes for New Year's Eve. Instead of putting the beef mixture on chips, I'm using it to stuff a zucchini. It may sound a bit lame with ketchup being such a nontraditional ingredient, but it adds a sweetness to this dish that makes it really special.

• 1 medium zucchini
  
• 1 lb. ground beef (85/15) -- you can also use ground turkey, if you prefer
• 1 packet of low-sodium Taco Seasoning (1 1/4 oz.)
• 1/2 c. water (I sometimes use a little less for a thicker mixture)
• 1/2 c. ketchup
• A bag of shredded cheese (cheddar, tex-mex blend, etc.)
• Chives or Scallions (I had both on hand this time)
• Sour Cream (optional)
• Hot Sauce (optional--I prefer Cholula)
• Caramelized Onion Salsa (recipe below)

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the zucchini length-wise and scooping out the core. (Reserve the inside "meat" of the zucchini.)

Brown your ground beef, drain the fat, and then stir in the seasoning mix and water. Simmer about 2 min. until heated through. Then stir in the ketchup and reserved zucchini (chopped) and heat until thickened.

Using a spoon, fill your hollowed out zucchini with the meat mixture, pressing firmly as you fill. Top each half with shredded cheese.

Tent with foil and bake for 35 min. until cheese is melted and zucchini is cooked through. Add chives or scallions and serve with sour cream, hot sauce, or your favorite salsa (like the one listed below).

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Caramelized Onion Salsa:

This salsa isn't tough to make, but it does take a bit of time (at least compared to other salsas). Still, it's worth the effort. The result is a perfect combination of spicy and sweet that's tastes better the next day after the flavors meld.

• 2 Anaheim chiles (or other mild chiles)
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly diced
• 1 TBSP olive oil
• 1 TBSP butter
• 1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz.)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 3 TBSP lime juice
• Fresh or dried cilantro, to taste
• Coarse sea salt, to taste

First, set your broiler to high and line a baking sheet with nonstick foil. Brush both sides of the mild chile peppers with oil or cooking spray. Place under broiler until their skin blackens and begins to crack (about 8 min. per side).

While the chiles are baking, brown the onions in a mixture of the olive oil and butter. (By the time the chiles are done, the onions should be soft and caramelized.)

While the above ingredients cool  down, you can combine the rest of the ingredients. After the chiles have cooled completely, you should peel the skin from the peppers, remove the stems and seeds (don't worry about tearing the peppers themselves, you're going to chop them up anyway), and combine them with the cooked onions. Add these cooked vegetables to the salsa, and mix well.

Add salt to taste.

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CHEESE-LOVERS' DIP

Let me go on record here: cheese may be the most perfect food ever made. In this dish, we combine chive cream cheese with cheddar, bacon, garlic, beer, and hot sauce, to create the quintessential tailgate party dip. What makes this dish a double-threat (sort of the RG III of dips) is that it can also be chilled and served as a spread (on beer bread, perhaps? Yes, I think so).

• 6 oz. chive and onion cream cheese
• 1 bag sharp or mild cheddar cheese (8 oz.)
• 1/2 c. lager (I prefer something with a little citrus flavor to it for this one, like Blue Moon or Leinenkugel)
• 1/8 c. crumbled bacon (I use dried bacon pieces in the bag/jar, which can be found near salad dressings in your supermarket; no need to fry up bacon for this recipe. Just make sure you are using real bacon and not Bac-O Bits.)
• 1 TBSP hot sauce (I prefer Cholula with garlic)
• 3 tsp chopped garlic
• 1 tsp dried mustard
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy)

Combine cream cheese and cheddar and microwave on high for 2 min. Stir beer in and mix well. Microwave for 2 min. more. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Heat 2 min. more.

This dip is good with just about anything--potato chips, corn chips, crackers, fresh vegetables, bread. (I'm partial to Pepperidge Farms butterfly crackers, blue corn tortilla chips, and carrot sticks.)

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HERBED BEER BREAD WITH BOURBON HONEY BUTTER

I'll be the first to admit it: I can't bake to save my life. But this bread is so forgiving that even I can't screw it up. It doesn't look like much before you bake it, but the end result is a hearty bread that's crumbly on the outside and toothsome in the middle. Dill gives this bread a fresh summertime flavor.

• Cooking spray
• Cornmeal, for dusting
• 3 c. self-rising flour
• 3/4 c. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 3 TBSP sugar
• 1 TBSP Dried Italian herb blend
• 1 TBSP fresh dill, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1 bottle of dark beer, at room temperature (I prefer Guinness)

Preheat your oven to 325-degrees. Spray the inside of a 9" x 5" baking pan and sprinkle the bottom with cornmeal. 

In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, adding the beer last and stirring slowly. This will make a thick dough that you can mold down into your baking pan.

Bake for 45 minutes and then test the bread by pushing a toothpick into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done. If not, bake it for 15 more minutes.

If storing in a plastic bag, allow the bread to cool completely first.


Bourbon Honey Butter:

• 4 TBSP butter
• 2 TBSP honey
• 1 TBSP bourbon

Blend and serve.

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Warm and delicious!

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LEMONADE SORBET

This dessert's very simple if you own an electric ice cream maker. 

• 3 c. Lemonade (I prefer Simply Lemon brand)
• 1/2 c. sugar
• Pinch of salt

Mix 3 lemonade with sugar and salt, pour into the machine and run for 15-20 min. Store in an airtight contain in freezer.

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Hemingway approves.

DRINK RECOMMENDATIONS

Beer: Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot (11.1% ABV)

Cocktail: "Dirty" Whiskey Sour


I bought a growler of "Blithering Idiot" when I recently toured the Wyerbacher brewery with my brother, Moose, and for the past two months, I've been aging this brew in my storage closet in the dark (according to the recommendations I got at the brewery). It's a flavorful Barleywine-style ale with a rich, warm finish (almost like Brandy) that's sure to please beer snobs as well as the casual beer drinker, and it only seems to improve with age.

That being said, anyone who knows me knows that my drink of choice when kicking back on the weekend is a Whiskey Sour. In this mix, I shake things up a little by adding grenadine and a splash of soda water. 

• 1 part bourbon (I prefer Jack Daniels but when mixing pretty much anything will work)
  
• 4 parts sour mix
  
• Splash of grenadine (add this last and let it sink to the bottom of the glass, as in a Tequila Sunrise)
  
• Splash of citrus club soda
  
• Garnish with a maraschino cherry
  

For those who prefer a non-alcoholic version, just substitute orange soda (or diet orange soda) for whisky at a 4-to-1 ratio (4 parts soda to 1 part sour) for a refreshing late-summer cocktail.

This is just to show off my super-cool hot dog shaped ice cubes!

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EAGLES PREDICTION: N/A -- The Eagles don't play on opening night. It's Baltimore vs. Denver. With some of Joe Flacco's best weapons either traded away or injured, I'm picking the Broncos to upset the defending Super Bowl Champs.

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All recipes listed above come from my own imagination unless otherwise indicated. If you try one of these recipes in your own kitchen, leave a comment below and tell me how it goes. And, of course, share your modifications, enhancements, improvements, etc.