Category General

Sumptuous Super Bowl Plates: Great Recipes for Your Super Bowl Party

With the Super Bowl looming, the Vikings sulking back to the Dome, and New Orleans finally getting the celebration they deserve, it is time for us to give you some great recipes to bring to your Super Bowl party.

A football favorite is guacamole. How do I know this? Well other than it being a fact of life, 50 million tons of avocados are consumed on Super Bowl Sunday, this is more than Cinco De Mayo! Now if your team loses, you’ll still be able to impress your friends with your avocado knowledge!

Chef and founder of Parties That Cook, Bibby Gignilliat, shows you in this video how to make a delicious chunky guacamole, which is perfect for Super Bowl Sunday!

Another great option if you feel like offering something different for your Super Bowl party is our Tortilla-Crab Soup with Cilantro-Lime Crème Fraiche. This has some great flavors and is even a great dish to serve alongside your guacamole.

Soup:
6 ounces thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 medium sweet onion (about 2 cups), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 large jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
4 large scallions, separated: white parts finely chopped, green parts thinly sliced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
1 teaspoon coriander, toasted and ground
4 cups bottled clam juice
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups frozen baby peas, thawed
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 teaspoon lime zest
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup of cilantro chopped

Creme Fraiche:
1/2 pound tomatillos – husked, rinsed and quartered
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1/4 cup plus
2 Tablespoons creme fraiche
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Tortillas:
Canola Oil for frying
3 6-inch yellow or white corn tortillas, julienned, about 1 cup
Cilantro sprigs for garnish

1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked through

Methods/Steps:

Cook Bacon: Place cut bacon into a large stock pot over medium heat and cook until crisp, about 8 minutes. Using a skimmer or slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined sheet pan. Set aside. Drain half of the fat from the pot and discard. 

Make soup: In the same stockpot, reheat the reserved bacon fat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and scallion whites to the stock pot and cook over medium heat until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Whisk in flour, cumin and coriander and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly. Whisk in clam juice and water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer soup for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add peas, corn and scallion greens. Bring soup to simmer over medium heat. Add lime zest, juice, kosher salt and cooked bacon.   

Creme Fraiche: In a blender, puree tomatillos with 1/2 cup of cilantro. Pour into a bowl and add creme fraiche, lime juice and salt.

Tortilla Strips: In a medium skillet, heat 1/2 inch of oil until simmering. Add tortilla strips in several batches and fry over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer tortilla strips to a paper towel lined sheet pan. Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Serve: Reheat soup. Add 1/2 cup chopped cilantro. Mound crabmeat in center of soup bowl and ladle soup over crab. Garnish with the tomatillos, creme fraiche, cilantro leaf, and tortilla strips. Serve immediately.

Dine About Chicago PTC Style: Our Favorite Chicago Restaurants

After doing a roundup of some of our favorite restaurants in the Bay Area, we decided it would be a great idea to ask our Chicago counterparts for their most frequented and most favorite.

Avec – a very popular, therefore very crowded, restaurant. Many reviews say it is worth the wait and the communal tables add a new twist on the old restaurant environment.

Blackbird – Noted for its innovative menu and small but solid wine list.

North Pond – With a gorgeous view and knowledgeable staff, this would be a great place for a special occasion or visiting guest.

Adobo Grill – This is a great location to get something different than your usual Mexican food, but also a good spot for a delicious margarita!

Piccolo Sogno – This upbeat joint has great appetizers as well as an array of wines served by the glass.

Big Star – These homemade and creative dishes are served at a great price!

MK – Great food in an intimate atmosphere that’s not too packed together.

Fronterra Grill – This restaurant works with top notch ingredients and serves up some delicious Mexican dishes along with great margaritas and a wide selection of Mexican beers.

Custom House – Our chefs love the Braised Short Rib!

The Publican – a pork and beer lovers dream!

The Avenues – They have a fantastic 15 course tasting menu, set in the beautiful Peninsula of Chicago.

Everest – Our chefs see this as one of their favorite staples.

Sola – Awesome food and drinks. The room has great sound as well – you can hear the person sitting across from you.

Spring – This restaurant has great food, drinks AND service. A few of the PTC favorites are the Seared Maine Sea Scallops, braised oxtail, wild mushrooms, sweet soy, and baby bok choy.

Spacca Napoli – The service is great – your pizza comes out 5-10 minutes after you order them. All of their pizzas are made in the in-house wood burning Pizza oven. The pizza special with porcinis and truffle cheese is a favorite.

Mixteco – Great mole and it is BYOB!

Any or all of these restaurants are great options to show visitors, try out for the first time, or put on your regular list of restaurants – as tested and proven by our own Chicago foodies!