Give football fare a kick with some easy eats

For football fans, weekends and Monday nights are now a lot more exciting: the blitzes, the touchdowns, the cheers, the chili.

While there’s something uniquely satisfying about hunkering down in front of the TV with a bowl of thick, spicy red chili, late-season football fare just isn’t as appealing at the end of summer as during blustery winter months. And hot dogs and chips, though fine for tailgating, just don’t cut it at home.

But advantages like extra daylight and a bounty of late summer and early fall produce, coupled with simple techniques, can serve as major assists for home cooks looking to feed a crowd of fans.

For Bruce Aidells, legendary meat master and cookbook author, the start of football season heralds a decades-long tradition with his buddies.

Every Monday night, the seven friends get together at one of their homes to watch the game. The host is in charge of the meal, which is served during halftime.

“We tend to be much heavier on the barbecue stuff this time of year and then move to a lot of one-pot dishes and roasts as we get into the winter,” Aidells said. “Barbecuing works this time of year because we still have daylight.”

Ribs and meat that can be grilled quickly during halftime are popular. Burgers aren’t allowed.

“Certain things we just don’t do because you’d get left out of the group,” he said.

The meat might be familiar, but don’t be surprised if you start seeing unusual spices creeping into game-day menus, he said.

“Particularly Moroccan flavors, which is great,” Aidells said.

Above all, he said, cooks should remember to keep it simple.

“It’s just less stress, especially if you’re not a professional cook,” he said.

Like good food and wine, enjoying a football game should be about camaraderie and enjoying the company you’re with, said Susie Selby, owner of Selby Winery in Healdsburg, Calif., and a die-hard NFL fan.

“The only thing worse than a sports fan slaving away over the barbecue is a nonsports fan slaving over a barbecue,” she said.

Preparing food in advance of the game is a great way to guarantee time with friends. A thick, rich bowl of chili might not be appetizing this time of year, but a Crock Pot full of white chicken chili can be made the day before and kept warm in a slow cooker, allowing guests to serve themselves.

Or assemble a tray of green enchiladas even weeks before, freeze them and pull them out to bake right before the big game.

Need simpler? Take a tip from Selby and stock up on brats and have an array of condiments, like homemade sauerkraut, for friends to choose from.

“It’s just more conducive to enjoying a sporting event if you’re not watching a host or hostess cook,” she said.

Early-season games also are the perfect time to take advantage of the abundance of late summer produce.

“Fall 2010 is going to be all about the vegetables,” said Tyler Florence, chef and Food Network television host.

“I always think vegetables are so much more interesting than protein. A pork chop tastes the same in July as in November, but as a chef I get jazzed about keeping stuff with the seasons.”

And since Florence has teamed up with the Hass avocado folks, of course one thing he suggested for football gatherings is, shocker, guacamole.

“It can sound pedestrian, but guacamole, one that’s really tart, with a lot of lime juice, is incredible,” he said during a phone interview.

Use serrano chilies – not jalapeños – for guacamole, he advised.

“Serrano chilies will warm your mouth up and go for the back of the tongue,” Florence said. “It has a nicer bite, nicer flavor.”

Cilantro, a tiny bit of white onion, dash of olive oil, salt, pepper and lots of lime juice completes his spin on the traditional.

Jessica Williams, a chef instructor at Le Cordon Bleu in Sacramento, said appetizers and small plates remain the big trend in party food.

But for football parties, don’t get hung up on complicated hors d’oeuvres. Finger food like wings and nachos are fine, just rework them.

“All you have to do is put a spin on what’s to your liking,” she said. “Make your wings Asian wings instead of spicy. Make Mediterranean fries with olive oil, chopped olives, capers and parsley.”

A menu as exciting as the game itself? That could help you score a culinary MVP.

This recipe, from www.karenceliafox.com, is a favorite of Sacramento Bee staffer Leigh Grogan. Author Fox adapted it from “The Kitchen for Exploring Foods.” Fox writes “This is a recipe that’s so good that I never bother to try any other white chicken chili recipes. This is the one. The end all, be all recipe.”

1 tablespoon butter, more if needed

1 tablespoon olive oil, more if needed

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper or to taste

2 large onions, chopped

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided use

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup chicken broth

2 cups half and half

1 teaspoon Tabasco

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin or to taste

One 15- to 16-ounce can of white beans

Two 4-ounce cans whole mild green chilies, drained and chopped

1 ½ cups grated Monterey Jack

½ cup sour cream

Heat a large skillet over moderately high heat and put in some butter and oil. Meanwhile, coat the chicken with salt and pepper and maybe some chili powder. Place chicken breasts in the skillet and resist the urge to turn them over. Leave them for five minutes, or until nicely browned, then flip them. Brown the other side, then flip them every few minutes until they are cooked through and no pink remains.

Remove the chicken from the pan. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it with your fingers and set aside.

While waiting for chicken to cool, cook the onion in the same pan with two tablespoons of butter until softened.

In a heavy pot large enough to hold all the ingredients, melt remaining six tablespoons of butter over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook the roux, whisking constantly, for three minutes. Stir in the onion and gradually add the broth and half and half, whisking the whole time. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, five minutes, or until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken and cheese, and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add sour cream. May be served immediately or the next day.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 433 calories, 24 grams fat (15 grams saturated), 32 grams protein, 20 grams carbohydrate, 125 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 432 milligrams sodium.

Sacramento Bee staff writer Niesha Lofing has been making these enchiladas for years and they’re always a hit. The secret is running the tortillas through warm milk before assembling.

The enchiladas can be prepared the night before, refrigerated, and baked up to 24 hours later. They also may be frozen before baking. Simply defrost in refrigerator, or add about 30 to 40 minutes to cook time.

To cut calories, use chicken breasts, low-fat sour cream, low-fat flour tortillas and fat-free pepper Jack cheese.

One 16- or 20-ounce can green enchilada sauce, mild or medium

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded, without skin or bone (store-bought rotisserie chicken is fine)

3/4 pound pepper Jack cheese, shredded

One 12-ounce container sour cream

1 cup milk

10 to 15 flour tortillas

One 4-ounce can mild green chilies, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take all ingredients out and form an assembly line near the stove and place an empty plate and a lasagna pan on the counter. Arrange the following ingredients near the plate: enchilada sauce, chicken, cheese, sour cream, green chilies.

Spread about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce, or enough to coat, in the bottom of the lasagna pan.

In a skillet big enough to fit a tortilla, warm the milk over low heat (but don’t let it scorch – it should just be warm to the touch). Run one tortilla through the warm milk and then place it on the plate. Spread a small palmful of chicken – about 1/4 cup – toward the top of the tortilla and top with a sprinkling of cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Wrap up the tortilla like a burrito and place in the lasagna pan. Repeat these steps until the pan is full.

Top with enchilada sauce enough to cover the tortillas, but not so much that they’re swimming in sauce (you may have sauce left over). Sprinkle the remainder of the cheese on top of the enchiladas and top with green chilies.

Cover the pan with foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving, based on 8 servings using 16 ounces of green enchilada sauce, 10 flour tortillas and chicken breasts: 699 calories, 33 grams fat (17 grams saturated), 40 grams protein, 59 grams carbohydrate, 121 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 862 milligrams sodium.

Sacramento Bee senior editor Mark Morris snagged this delicious recipe from his niece.

2 ears corn, husks removed

6 vine-ripened tomatoes

1 Walla Walla onion

2 to 3 jalapeños

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro

Two 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained well

Juice from 1 1/2 limes

Salt (may substitute Johnny’s Seasoning Salt instead)

Pepper

Wrap ears of corn in foil and grill until plump. Remove foil and grill a little longer to give kernels a smoky flavor. Set aside and let cool.

Chop tomatoes and onion so they are about the same size as the corn kernels and combine in a large bowl. Drain excess liquid from bowl, if any.

Remove seeds from the jalapeños and finely chop (wear gloves). Add to bowl.

Cut corn off cobs and add to bowl.

Add cilantro, black beans, lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: About 9 cups

Approximate nutrition per 1/2 cup: 68 calories, trace fat, 4 grams protein, 13 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 4 grams dietary fiber, 187 milligrams sodium.

This recipe is adapted from one by Jodie Rawls, of Texas.

One 15-ounce can black beans

One 15-ounce can pinto beans

One 11-ounce can yellow corn

1 small purple onion, chopped

One 4-ounce can sliced black olives

1 yellow bell pepper, cored and chopped

1 orange bell pepper, cored and chopped

One 16-ounce jar salsa

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Drain and rinse black beans, pinto beans and corn. Combine in a large bowl. Add onion, olives and yellow and orange pepper and salsa and stir gently to coat. Refrigerate overnight. Before serving, add tomato and avocado, and season with salt and pepper.

Yield : About 12 cups

Approximate nutrition per 1/2 cup : 69 calories, 2 grams fat (no saturated fat, 27 percent fat calories), 3 grams protein, 11 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, 3 grams dietary fiber, 271 milligrams sodium.