Recipe: Farmhouse Cheese Spread

We love football in our house.  American football, that is.  Every year we plan activities around it: Opening Day, Draft Night (we're fantasy football fiends), and then every Sunday thereafter.  Adam loves the Pittsburgh Steelers but, generally, we just watch any match that we think will be entertaining.

One of the best parts about football is the food.  Of course.  I've documented football food extensively here in the past (here, here, here...and here too!).  I love that it's almost always a snack-type food and something you can eat with your fingers; likewise, I love that it's always something crunchy and salty.  I do try to keep it a little light so we can snack all day without feeling full or bloated.  And it needs to be easy - you don't want to spend all your time in the kitchen and away from the action on TV.

This year, I made my annual Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Dip; it's become a tradition (see the links above for proof!).  It's so light - for the most part, it's just roasted peppers food-processed with cannellini beans.  Accompanied by pita chips and veggies, it's the perfect Game Day snack.  This year, I was still in a hazy lovefest with my cookbook du jour, Farmhouse Kitchen Favorites by Paula S. Croteau (I posted the recipe for Stuffed Croissant French Toast) so I made the Farmhouse Cheese Spread.  I mean, football snacks can't all be healthy, right???

This spread packs some serious punch, flavor-wise.  The cheese is rich and creamy, the tomatoes are sweet, the pine nuts are crunchy - this dish really does have it all.  Paired with baguette slices, it was a welcome addition to my Game Day repertoire.

FARMHOUSE CHEESE SPREAD
Inspired by Farmhouse Kitchen Favorites by Paula S. Croteau
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 - 8 oz. container cream cheese
1/4 c. Roquefort or blue cheese, crumbled
1/4 c. red onion or scallion, finely chopped
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1 tbsp sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted
sprig of rosemary, to garnish

1. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients, except nuts, until combined.
2. Transfer into a ramekin or form a ball with dampened hands.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until solid.
4. Top ramekin or roll cheese ball in pine nuts until ready to serve.
5. Garnish with a sprig of rosemary.
6. Bring to room temperature, serve with a baguette.

NOTE: Croteau added 1 tablespoon of capers to the spread, but capers are one of the few foods I just can't stand so I omitted them. You can feel free to add them back in, of course.

Sports are great, right?  I can't speak for other countries, but don't you love how American sports and specific foods go hand-in-hand?  Hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, nachos, beer...it's all part of the glorious tradition.  And while I didn't serve any of those this year (well, except for the beer), the idea is still the same: I look forward to football every year not because I love the sport so much but because I love the food.

Eat, drink, and cheer on your favorite team.


NOTE: As I've mentioned before, my fantasy football team names often have to do with something food- and wine-related.  Two years ago, it was "Vino Vixens"...last year, it was "Pinot She Daaan't" (some people in my league didn't quite get that one - do you guys?)...and this year, it's "ChamPAIN on You!"  I know, I'm a dork.

Opening Day Nachos

I know, it's another football post.  I swear, this will be my last for 2011!

Like last year, I made the traditional NFL Opening Day dish in our home: Roasted Red Pepper and Cannellini Bean Dip (from Cooking Light).

To be quite frank, one of the reasons we make it is because we can munch on it nearly all day and do so relatively guilt-free.  And it's one of the few ways we can get Bug to eat vegetables...lots of them.

Also, like last year, I did a cheese dish because that's the kind of people we are; no meal seems complete without some kind of cheese involved.  While still at my HarperCollins job, I attended the Texas Library Association conference in Austin this past April.  As a thank you from TLA's Children's Round Table, we received a lovely nacho plate from Holman Pottery (specifically, it was the nacho plate in Blue Earth, if you're interested in ordering one).  When Sally gave the dish to me, it came with instructions for nachos which I have long since lost so I had to make it up.  Here's how it turned out*:

OPENING DAY NACHOS
Created by Laura Lutz


Ingredients:
1/2 lb. jack cheese, grated
2 garlic cloves, sliced thin
1 tbsp. pickled jalapenos, chopped
1/2 c.chorizo, chopped
2 tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 lime, quartered


Preheat oven to 415 degrees.  Spread grated cheese in the dish (you don't need a Holman dish for this - you can use Pyrex or Le Creuset, anything oven-safe) and then sprinkle garlic slivers evenly over the cheese.  Spread jalapenos and chorizo in the dish.  Place dish in oven and bake for about 15 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly (note: you might want to bake it longer if you want the edges to get crispy).  Remove from oven and sprinkle cilantro on top.  Serve with lime slices and tortilla chips. (Serves 2...because we eat a lot on Opening Day)


Note: all the ingredients above are to taste; feel free to add or omit as much as you want.


Do you have any sports-related traditions in your home?  And what is it with sports and munching?

Speaking of which, I abandoned my old friend Wine for this meal and switched to Beer.  The Magic Hat #9 paired perfectly:

Eat, drink, and celebrate family rituals.


* Note: the Holman nacho dish is the round one only.  The big plate underneath it was one I owned previously.

Fantasy Football Draft Night

I have been a long-time, regular competitor in two fantasy football leagues: one for the last 12 years and another for the last 10.  My team name changes each year and it often has something to do with food or wine - a couple of years ago, I was "Vino Vixens".  This year?  I'm "Pinot She Daaaan't!"  Clever, if I do say so myself!

Adam, Brian, and me - I think I just picked a WINNER!

Highlighters and spreadsheets are de rigeur.

Draft Night is always an event, but even more so this year since Andrea and Brian (aka the Soul Twin and My Other Husband) live just across the river from us now.  My Other Husband, of course, is a player in one of my leagues...and the Soul Twin...well, the Soul Twin came over to drink rosé and heckle us, of course.  And dance to James Brown while we were trash-talking...

Adam and My Other Husband

What?  You didn't think I'd drink a beer while drafting, did you?

So I made BLTs.  I wanted to enjoy the heirloom tomatoes at the market while they're still around, and I figured that we could eat while we were drafting, if needed.  But it was also important to me to punch up the flavor so I created my own Lemon-Garlic Mayonnaise that I thought was just incredible.

BLTs WITH LEMON-GARLIC MAYONNAISE
Serves 4


Ingredients:


Lemon- Garlic Mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise 
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (I used about 1/8 tsp each)

BLTs

• 8 slices brioche (I like the counterbalance of the sweet bread with the salty bacon, but any bread of your choice will do)
• 3 large heirloom tomatoes, sliced (ideally, different colors)
• 8 slices of bacon
• 4 large leaves of romaine lettuce

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with foil.  Lay bacon flat on the sheet and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes until browned and crisp (doing it in the oven keeps the bacon flat).


While bacon is cooking, heat a small sauté pan over medium-low heat.  Add olive oil and garlic to the pan.  Keeping a close eye on the garlic to avoid burning, saute garlic for about 2 minutes until softened but not browned.  Set pan aside.


When bacon is done, set aside to cool.  Once cooled, halve each slice crosswide, making 16 half-strips of bacon.


In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic (and the oil from the pan), salt and pepper.  Stir.  Taste for seasoning.  Set aside.


Spread 8 slices of bread with the mayonnaise.  Place 4 half-slices of bacon on top of the mayonnaise.  Add tomato slices, then lettuce.  Put the top slice of bread on.  (NOTE: the point of constructing the sandwich like this is that the tomato is the wettest part so you want it in the middle.  That way, your bread won't get soggy as fast.)

Lastly, a note on the mayonnaise: this recipe creates A LOT of mayonnaise.  In fact, you could halve it and quite easily have enough for your BLTs.  But I made extra because you can use this for so many meals.  Here are some ideas:

1. Loosen the mayo with a tablespoon or so of olive oil to make more of a sauce.  Add on top of grilled fish.
2. Boil some new potatoes.  Add some finely chopped rosemary to the mayo and dollop on top of the potatoes as a side dish to eggs for breakfast or roast chicken for dinner.
3. Steam broccoli and use this mayo as a dipping sauce.

The possibilities are endless.  So halve it for the BLTs if you'd like...but I'm predicting you'll want to keep using this for a few days afterward.

So the sandwiches were a success.  But what about the draft?  Well, we'll have to see.  Bring it on!

Eat, drink, and GET READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!