|
Issue Date: November 11, 2001
Scoreboard smorgasbord
Thanksgiving means turkey, parades -- and football. And these NFL greats know how to score points with their game-watching guests.
By Dennis McCafferty and Tameka Hicks
Giants' Gourmet Parker:
Offensive lineman Glenn Parker is a creative guy on the field -- and in the kitchen.
An intuitive cook who isn't big on recipes, he likes to start meals with something simple -- say, this plate of goat cheese, roasted peppers and toasted pita bread.
|
Let the football marathon begin: In the next few weeks, Americans will be performing that other Thanksgiving ritual: hunkering down with the remote, surfing between college and NFL face-offs. And, if guests are invited, that also means laying out some substantial goodies. So what to serve?
For the answer, we turned to the real pros: NFL players. These guys love to eat. And away from the team dining table, several get their own creative culinary juices flowing at home. They please friends' palates with a wide range of dishes, from the humble to the high-end, from the just-thrown-together to the meticulously planned. To gain insight, USA WEEKEND recently spoke with some players eager to share their favorite recipes and styles of entertaining.
Glenn Parker, a star offensive lineman with the New York Giants, is widely considered the league's foremost chef. The California native is known to his friends for producing great appetizers and pastas. How about a delectable plate of penne with a zesty sauce of crushed tomatoes, pancetta bacon and ground red pepper? Or his famous grilled lamb chops, which he marinates in olive oil, white wine, lemon juice, garlic, onions and cilantro? (He spritzes the lamb with salt water during grilling to retain moisture and flavor.)
"I love being around family and friends," says Parker, 35, a veteran of four Super Bowls with the Giants and his first team, the Buffalo Bills. "I like celebrations. Some call it the lust for life, and I'm all for that. It's living life to the fullest -- let's all relax and enjoy each other and laugh together."
Parker doesn't give out recipes -- because he doesn't use any. He considers cooking a creative process and doesn't like to be confined. "It's all in my head," he says. "I have no need to measure anything. You can just sense what works and what doesn't."
Brian Mitchell, 33, the Philadelphia Eagles' flashy, gregarious running back/ kick returner, presents a challenge to Parker's reputation, staking claim as "probably one of the best in the NFL" when it comes to cooking. "I do it all," he says. His specialty is smothered chicken. But his don't-miss dish is smoked ribs with a homemade sauce that constantly evolves. He may brew up a batch with cayenne pepper, honey and beer. Or he may mix in a bit of mustard and some mesquite flavoring. Just don't ask him to give up all of his ingredients; Mitchell remains coy about details.
"Good chefs never give you everything," he says. "I might put a teaspoon of cayenne pepper today and [a lot more] tomorrow. It depends on the people I'm feeding." Talk about dedication: If he's having friends over for a 1 p.m. game, he starts working in the kitchen at 9 a.m.
Mitchell grew up in Louisiana, where food is culture and culture is food. Clearly, this has left a lasting impression on the Eagle and his zen of cooking. "We have the Cajun/Creole thing down there. People around the country think it's just supposed to be hot. But Cajun food is not just hot. It's spicy. You have a taste, but you feel a little tingling on your tongue."
Meanwhile, Bob Whitfield, the Atlanta Falcons' 6-foot-5, 310-pound star offensive tackle, remains true to the minimalist, meat-intensive credo of behemoth linemen. (NFL teams, most of which have fewer than 55 players, are known for going through 70 pounds of meat a day.) Like Parker, he doesn't play by the recipe book. He keeps it simple. His special-occasion dish is his "world-famous burrito"; secret ingredient: cinnamon. "I don't know how I got the cinnamon in there," says Whitfield, 30. "I think I was trying to put in chili powder and grabbed the wrong spice. But it tasted just fine, so I thought: 'This is my secret ingredient.' I hooked that up with tomatoes, olives, green peppers, jalapeños and refried beans." Sounds perfect for football feasting.
Go to top
Brian Mitchell's Smothered Chicken
8-10 chicken parts (breast, legs, thighs, etc., about 4 pounds total)
Oil for browning
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 cooking spoons of flour (about 1/4 cup)
2 cups water
1 10-oz. can cream of mushroom soup
2-3 Tbs. Kitchen Bouquet
In a large skillet, heat oil and cook chicken pieces, turning so all sides are browned. Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm. Wipe out pan and return to heat. Melt butter, then sauté onions and peppers until tender. Add chicken pieces back to pan and sprinkle with flour. Let chicken and vegetables simmer for 5 minutes. Stir together the water, mushroom soup and Kitchen Bouquet, then pour over the chicken and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then turn down heat and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, until chicken is tender. Serves 4.
Go to top
Favre Family Etouffée
8 Tbs. (1 stick) butter
2 green or red bell peppers, chopped
2 to 4 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 onion, chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 cans 10-ounce cans cream of mushroom soup
1 to 2 cans 10-ounce cans Rotel diced tomatoes
1 pkg. peeled crawfish tails (sold frozen, thawed)
Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning*, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
Melt butter in a large pot and sauté peppers, celery, onions and garlic until tender. Stir in soup , tomatoes and seasonings, mixing well. Simmer for 10 minutes. Bring to a boil, then add crawfish tails and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve étouffée over rice. This goes well with garlic bread, too.
Serves 6
* Sold in seafood stores and gourmet markets (Junior Seau of SD Chargers mom)
"My mom started serving this Samoan plate lunch at our family tailgate parties before I was in the NFL. When I opened SEAUS the Restaurant in San Diego, I knew it would SCORE BIG and it did. Now all Charger Fans enjoy Mom's cooking BEFORE and AFTER the game. "
Go to top
Mama Seau's Teriyaki Plate Lunch
8 oz. Fresh Chicken Thigh Meat
8 oz. Fresh Tri Tip or Skirt Steak
2 Cups Special Teriyaki Sauce (See recipe, below)
White Rice
Potato Shrimp Salad
1/4 Cup Chopped Green Onions
1/3-Cup Pineapple Salsa
Special Teriyaki Sauce
2 Cups Water
4 Cups bottled Teriyaki Sauce
1 Cup Soy Sauce
1 Tablespoon Chopped Garlic
1 Cup Chopped Pineapple
1 Orange Cut Into Slices
Bring all ingredients to a boil, add sugar to taste and cook for 45 minutes. Let cool and strain
For the Potato Shrimp Salad: Use your favorite potato salad recipe and add bay shrimp
Go to top
LeRoy Butler's Chicken & Broccoli Casserole
1 pkg. frozen chicken chunks
Fresh broccoli
1 box of rice (I used Minute Rice in a bag)
1 cup milk
1 Tb. butter or margarine
2 pkgs. shredded cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, your choice)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil chicken for 10 minutes or until desired tenderness. Prepare rice as instructed on box. Boil broccoli for approximately 7 minutes. Prepare sauce: Combine milk, butter and cheese together in saucepan and cook over medium heat until melted. Put chicken, rice, broccoli and sauce together in 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and mix thoroughly. Bake for 30 minutes.
Go to top
Troy and Rhonda Aikman's Beer Steak
1/4 c. butter
2 lbs. round steak (1-inch thick)
Flour, as needed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 12-ounce can beer
Bouquet Garni (1 bay leaf sprig of parsley and 1/tsp. thyme leaves tied in a piece of cheesecloth)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to only 275 degrees. Heat butter over medium-high heat in large oven-proof skillet with a lid. Dredge meat in flour; brown quickly on both sides. Remove meat from pan; set aside. Add onion to skillet; sauté until softened. Remove half of the onion. Spread remaining onion evenly in skillet. Place meat on top of onions; top with reserved onions. Pour in beer and add Bouquet Garni, salt and pepper. Cover and bake for 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove Bouquet Garni before serving. Slice meat into strips and serve with pan juices.
Go to top
The Aikmans' Oatmeal Nut Cookies
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsps. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. finely-chopped walnuts
3 c. quick-cooking rolled oats
Beat butter and shortening in a bowl with electric mixer, on medium to high speed, for 30 seconds. Add the sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla; beat, then add half the flour, plus the cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Beat, until thoroughly combined; then, stir in remaining flour. Stir in the nuts and oats.
Shape dough into two 10-inch rolls; wrap each in waxed paper, and chill for 6 to 24 hours.
Cut dough into 1/4-inch slices. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-9 minutes, or until edges are lightly browned. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute before removing cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Makes about 75 cookies
Go to top
Willie Roaf's Grandmother/Mother's Chili
1 pound ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
2 10-ounce cans tomato soup
2 15-ounce cans red beans
2 Tbs. chili powder
1 Tb. vinegar
2 Tbs. sugar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Water to desired consistency
Brown ground beef and chopped onion together, then pour off fat. Add to other ingredients in a large pot. Simmer 30 minutes.
Serves 6
Go to top
Bill and Julie Romanowski's Chicken Parmigiana
Marinara:
1 medium onion, diced
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 ounces tomato paste
1 12-ounce can tomato sauce
12 ounces diced tomatoes (canned or fresh)
2 Tbs. dried basil
1 Tb. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Chicken:
6 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup milk
Flour for dusting
3 cups Italian seasoned dry bread crumbs
Olive oil, as needed for sauteeing
Also:
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 ounces shredded Parmesan
To make the sauce, sweat the onion and garlic in olive oil in a large saucepan until the onions are translucent. Add all of the tomato products and saute for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add all of the herbs and 1/2 cup of water; bring to a boil. Turn heat down to low and simmer for 20 minutes covered. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside to cool.
Pound chicken to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch thick. Split breast into two pieces and season with salt and pepper. Beat eggs and milk together. Bread chicken pieces together: Dust with flour, dip in egg wash and press into bread crumbs. Brown chicken on both sides in a heavy-bottomed sauté pan with olive oil. Set chicken on paper towel to drain.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chicken pieces in a large Pyrex baking dish so they overlap slightly. Cover each piece with 2 ounces (1/4 cup) of the marinara then add the mozarella cheese. Sprinkle on the parmesan. Bake in the bottom third of the oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is bubbly. The sauce and chicken can be made in advance, then assembled right before baking.
|
