2009-01-30
Super Bowl XLIII is upon us. Time for a group huddle —
around the snack table, that is.
Super Bowl Sunday is the second biggest day for food
consumption after Thanksgiving. Between kickoff and the final horn in
Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., we, as Americans, are expected to chow
down on almost 15,000 tons of chips, power through 4,000 tons of popcorn and
gorge on some 8 million pounds of guacamole.
This year, why not elevate your party fare and host a bowl
game of your own? For easy prep, scene-stealing presentation and fun
feasting, nothing fills the bill quite like a bread bowl.
Although the custom of eating food from hollowed-out
loaves of bread is centuries old, it really took off as a game-day party
food during Super Bowl XIX in 1985, when the San Francisco 49ers faced the
Miami Dolphins. That was when John Vrattos and some co-workers at Colombo
Baking Co. in San Francisco got the idea of promoting their sourdough bread
by putting spinach dip in a hollowed-out round loaf.
"We demo'd the bread bowls in local supermarkets, and sold
baguettes to be cut up as dippers," said Vrattos, account manager of sales
for Colombo and coauthor of "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook." "We filled
the bread racks with nothing but rounds that entire weekend." He said he
sold 400 to 500 rounds in some stores.
The rest, as they say, is history.
Vrattos' collaborator on the book, Lisa Messinger, says
bread bowls are perfect for entertaining.
"Bread bowls are definitely casual and communal,"
Messinger said. "Everybody shares.
"And talk about not wasting food. Even the lid and the
chunks you cut out of the inside of the bread bowl can be used as the
dippers for the filling. And as the filling goes down, you tear chunks out
of the bowl itself to use as dippers."
Vrattos said the emptied bowl makes the best eating
because it has had a chance to absorb all the filling flavors.
"Whether you are a bread lover or not, eating the bowl is
the best part," said Vrattos. "The bread has taken in every single flavor
that you have put inside it. Always eat the bowl."
For best results, Messinger suggests using a 1-3Ú4-pound
loaf about 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Slice across the dome of the round,
about 1 to 1-1Ú2 inches from the top and, using a tablespoon, gently pull
the inner bread from the round, leaving a 3Ú4-to 1-inch thickness on the
bottom and sides.
Take care not to make the sides and bottom too thin or
your bowl won't be sturdy enough to hold hearty dips. Save the bread innards
for dipping.
It's also important to avoid fillings that are too runny,
Messinger said. A thick chowder or chili, for example, holds up well in a
bread bowl, but chicken noodle soup or consomme would make the whole thing a
sodden mess.
And because the bowl is meant to be eaten, don't make a
filling that is starchy.
"Because your bread is a starch, you don't want to load it
up with a ton of rice or another starch," said Messinger. "Otherwise, there
aren't too many things you could do to make it go wrong."
But, perhaps the biggest selling point of all? Virtually
no cleanup.
"It's so easy for entertaining," said Vrattos. "I had 90
people over for my wife's birthday, and we did a chowder in small bowls, the
little 8-ounce ones.
"We did a nice spring-mix salad in a bread bowl, too," he
said. "I must admit, part of my motivation was that I didn't want to do any
dishes afterward."
SPINACH DIP WITH PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS AND PINE NUTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3/4 cup minced portobello mushrooms
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and
well drained
1/4 cup ground pine nuts
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 to 1 3/4-pound sourdough bread bowl
Bread from hollowed-out bowl, for dipping
Yields 8 servings.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions
and garlic. Reduce heat to low and saute about 2 minutes, or until the
onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, spinach and pine nuts, and
continue to saute an additional 2 minutes.
Add heavy cream, cream cheese, salt and pepper to skillet
and gently stir until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended.
Remove from heat and stir in parmesan cheese.
Spoon warm dip into bread bowl. Serve with pieces of
sourdough bread.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 558 calories, 33 g fat,
14 g protein, 51 g carbohydrates, 71 mg cholesterol, 609 mg sodium, 4 g
dietary fiber.
WARM BAJA SHRIMP TACO DIP
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
12 ounces cooked shrimp, chopped
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 cup loosely packed, coarsely chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno or serrano chile
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 cup shredded fresh cabbage
1 to 1 3/4-pound sourdough bread bowl
Bread from hollowed-out bowl for dipping
Yields 8 servings.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add scallions
and garlic. Reduce heat to low and saute for 1 minute. Add shrimp and saute
1 minute.
Transfer shrimp mixture to large bowl. Add all of the
remaining ingredients except cabbage and bread, and mix gently until well
blended. Fold in cabbage. Spoon warm dip into bread bowl. Serve with pieces
of sourdough bread.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 504 calories, 25 g fat,
20 g protein, 46 g carbohydrates, 108 mg cholesterol, 753 mg sodium, 2 g
dietary fiber.
CHILI DOG CASSEROLE
6 all-beef hot dogs
1 tablespoon butter
1 small onion, cut into rings, then halved
3 cups prepared chili con carne with beans
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese or plain Monterey Jack
1 to 1 3/4-pound sourdough bread bowl
Yields 4 servings.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grill, broil or boil hot dogs
according to package directions. Slice diagonally into bite-sized pieces,
and set aside.
Melt butter in medium skillet over medium-low heat. Add
onion and saute 10 minutes, or until browned and caramelized. Remove from
heat and set aside.
Spoon chili con carne, hot dogs, mustard and caraway seeds
into bread bowl, and mix gently.
Wrap bowl with aluminum foil, leaving top uncovered. Place
bowl on a baking sheet in middle of oven and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle
onions and cheese on top, and bake another 10 minutes. Carefully remove foil
and continue to bake 3 minutes. Serve hot.
(From "The Sourdough Bread Bowl Cookbook" by John Vrattos and Lisa
Messinger, Square One Publishers).
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Caroline Dipping writes about food for The San Diego Union-Tribune.
Contact her at caroline.dipping@uniontrib.com.
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