Are you ready for some football? America is. That day of days, Super Bowl Sunday, is upon us and it’s the most-watched television event in the country. So chances are that, wherever you are, some football will be part of your consciousness on February first.
Kickoff is usually at 6:30 p.m. and the game goes on and on because advertisers invest heavily in this TV spectacle, so the Super Bowl stretches into the night — far longer than any normal football game.
You have to love it or leave it — say, take in a couple of movies. Fortunately, I love football and look forward to this sports spectacular every year.
One year I wrote a food piece for The New York Post with a sports reporter that timed the meal by quarters, twominute warnings, touchdowns, points after, what to do at halftime and various timeouts called by the officials.
The Post at that time, decades ago, was famous for its typos, so I expected the teaspoons and tablespoons and just about every other aspect of food writing to be a hilarious mass of errors. To my incredulity, there wasn’t a single mistake. I think my sportswriter friend must have bribed the guys in the composing room very heavily and I was grateful.
Cooks uninterested in the game, nevertheless co-hosting with someone who cares passionately, don’t have to worry about missing plays. But those of us who do want to see the whole game have to take precautions by cooking ahead as much as possible, dragooning other guests to help who may be along just for the party, and putting a little TV in the kitchen (even though that’s a maddening way to catch any sports event).
Since the Super Bowl does stretch on into the late hours, timing the food flow must be regulated. Chips and dips aren’t going to hack it. More pizza must be ordered on this evening in America than in all of Italy in a month of Sundays.
But here on the East End the selection of take-out food at night is pitiful and delivery almost nonexistent. So it’s back to plan A: Prepare all the party food ahead as much as possible. Chili con carne is a time-honored offering; however, gauging the spicy food tolerance of a group of people can be very tricky if everyone doesn’t hail from Texas.
Also, it’s one of those dishes that nearly everybody thinks they make better than anyone else. It’s helpful to serve only food that can be eaten with one hand and no utensils except for a fork. Also food that holds up well over a few hours or whose temperature doesn’t matter. Anyway, no one is expecting ice sculptures and caviar at a Super Bowl.
Turkey and Spinach Lasagna
Lasagna always seems like more trouble than it’s worth to me, but at least this amount is enough for a crowd or a couple of meals. This recipe is, admittedly, a simplified variation on an Italian classic. Most of the mincing, chopping, and grating can be done in a food processor and, if you do it in the proper order, without having to wash the thing.
Lasagna freezes well and can be wrapped first in plastic wrap, then in foil, which is easily removed for fast defrosting in the microwave. It’s easy to make well ahead of any party. I buy Classico’s “mushroom and ripe olive” sauce in the quart size for use in this recipe — homemade sauce really isn’t necessary. I also use uncooked lasagna noodles. These seem to cook up lighter and thinner than the regular dried noodles. Homemade lasagna noodles are nicest of all if you want to make a life-work of this lasagna. Make two casseroles for a large crowd.
Makes one 13x9x2-inch oblong casserole
2 packages frozen leaf spinach, thawed
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves fresh garlic
1 medium large onion
1 lb. ground turkey
1 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
Salt and coarsely ground fresh pepper
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram leaves
1 jar home-style spaghetti sauce (marinara)
1 1/2 lbs. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
Several scrapings nutmeg
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves, minced
3 cups shredded Gruyere or firm imported Fontina
1/4 cup cubes of whatever: Chaumes, Port Salut, any semi-soft tasty cheese you have on hand
1 8-oz. package “no boil” lasagna pieces
Squeeze the thawed spinach of excessive water (not too dry though) and chop it roughly. Set aside. Use the food processor to mince the garlic and chop the onion. Heat two Tbsp. olive oil in a large, heavy saute pan. Add the garlic, onions, and saute briefly. Add the mushrooms and turkey, stirring to break it into small chunks. Cook over medium heat until it loses color, then season with salt, pepper, and dried marjoram (or thyme leaves). Add the spaghetti sauce and stir well. Turn off the heat.
Stir together the ricotta, egg, nutmeg, fresh oregano leaves, and reserved spinach. Neither American fontina nor mozzarella from anywhere has much flavor, so I prefer to use the much nuttier flavored Gruyere or Emmenthaler (both are imported cheeses similar to what we call “Swiss,” the first one made in France and the latter in Switzerland). Aged gouda, which has a lot of character, unlike the usual domestic gouda, lends a distinctive flavor.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Assemble the lasagna as follows:
Oil your baking dish. Be certain your dish is no larger than the one above and it could be a bit smaller, though not much. Put a thin layer of the turkey spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Lay three of the large noodles side by side, not overlapping. Cover thinly with turkey sauce, then layer evenly a third of the ricotta mixture on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with some shredded cheese, and then add a layer of dry noodles. Spread with a thin layer of turkey sauce, then ricotta, then shredded cheese.
Repeat. On top, dot with the cubes of whatever semisoft cheese you’ve selected — goat cheese is good, too. Sprinkle with several sprigs of fresh thyme for garnish. Cover very lightly with foil and press the edges under to retain the steam that will arise to cook the noodles, but try to avoid having the foil touch the top layer of cheese as it could pull it away upon removal. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and return the dish to the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Don’t overcook or the dish will be dried out. Let the lasagna settle in its dish for about 10 minutes, then serve on warmed plates.
With such a rich dish — and believe me it can be taken to reckless heights of luxury as in an all-white version I once ate that was made with goat cheese, sauce bechamel, and many pounds of ricotta and mozzarella (which I think even more delicious, and richer, scattered with sliced black Italian or Greek olives) — a simple green salad is quite adequate as an accompaniment.
For nibbles around kickoff time, it’s best to serve something simple and not too heavy — I like popcorn and so does just about everyone I know. Marinated herring (store-bought and drained) plunked on Triscuits. Something else salty and fishy, like tapenade, is great with beer or drinks and can be made a day or two ahead without harm to its flavor. Pistachio nuts in the shell give guests something to do and are delicious but often leave a mess. A few bowls of grape tomatoes with sea salt is a nice alternative to nuts.
Someone always seems to be blocking the TV screen trying to get at the bowl of dip and chip arrangement, so if you want to go that route, be sure to put them out in several places around the room. Provide plenty of big, not cocktail size, napkins and if you can find some really pretty and sturdy paper plates to go on top of straw chargers I think they’re permissible for an event like the Super Bowl, but no plastic cutlery please.
