Super Bowl Buffalo Wings

Part 2 of my Super Bowl Menu is Buffalo Wings. The first time I had Buffalo Wings was in Buffalo, New York. I had just returned from a visit to the U.S. side of Niagara Falls. With only a few hours left before I was to cross the Rainbow Bridge on my way to Toronto, Canada, the lady at the hotel concierge recommended a visit to the home of the Original Buffalo Wings. So, I headed to The Anchor Bar where Teressa Bellissimo served the first Buffalo Wings in 1964. You can read the story here. I opted for the original version of the famous wings and got hooked. Of course I bought bottles of "Hotter" Wing Sauce to bring home to hubby and son. The sauce was a hit with my hot & spicy food loving family. Here is the Anchor Bar recipe for their wings.

Our local stores don't carry the Original Anchor Bar Wing Sauce so I use Texas Pete or Louisiana Hot sauce when I make the hot wings at home.

Here's the basic recipe I use but feel free to add more hot sauce if you wish:

5 lbs chicken wings (drummette and winglet)
oil for frying
1/2 cup butter
1 cup Texas Pete or Louisiana Hot sauce
1 small pack of celery sticks
your favorite Blue Cheese Dressing

Deep-fry chicken wings at 375 F for 10-12 minutes or until the wings are crispy. If you prefer, you could also spread the wings in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 450 F for about 35 minutes.

In a microwave-safe dish, stir together hot sauce and butter. Microwave till the butter melts and mix well.

Place cooked wings and butter-hot sauce mixture in a large covered bowl. Shake gently to evenly coat the wings. Serve immediately with a side of celery sticks and Blue Cheese Dressing.

Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers

43rd Super Bowl championship game of the National Football League (NFL)


Tomorrow is the 43rd Super Bowl Sunday and this year it will be at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It's a strength vs strength match up between Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona Cardinals.

We have Super Bowl Buffalo Chicken Wings and Healthy Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers in the works for the event. My Super Bowl Falafel Nibblers recipe is adapted from Guy Fieri's Falafel in Pita with Yogurt Sauce. When I first made this, I used red onions and added orange zest. This is my version and you might want to try it or to stick with Guy's original recipe which is also good. The falafel mixture will be sticky so chilling is an important step to make it easy to shape into balls. When frying, avoid crowding the falafel balls in the pan so it does not absorb too much oil. I also roll the falafel lightly in cornstarch prior to frying for a crunchy finish.

2 tablespoons canola oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium red onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans chick peas, drained
1 egg
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
5 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 cups freshly chopped parsley leaves
3/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons cornstarch
oil for deep frying
your choice of Cucumber Ranch Dressing

Saute the garlic, red onions and the red bell peppers in 2 tablespoons oil. Cook until the onions are transparent.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the drained chick peas and place the rest in a food processor. Add an egg, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, salt and pepper and pulse to a coarse consistency. Add orange zest, flour, parsley and cilantro and pulse some more. Chop roughly the reserved chick peas and add to the mixture.

Transfer the mixture into a bowl and stir in the sauted red pepper-onion mixture. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill falafel at least 20 minutes. When you're ready to fry them, form falafel dough into balls and roll lightly in cornstarch.

Heat 1/2 inch of canola oil in a thick-bottom pan. When the oil is hot enough, add a couple of falafel balls and cook till lightly golden brown all over. Don't crowd the falafel into the pan. If the oil temperature drops too much, the falafel balls will be very oily. Drain on paper towels and serve right away with Cucumber Ranch Dressing.