by Chef Gavan Murphy
Mini Beef Sliders, Asparagus Skewered Shrimp, and Tandoori Chicken SkewersSuper Bowl Sunday is THE biggest sports day of the year here in the States. Though this is a relatively new ritual for me, I know that the game is only half the excitement. Yes there are there commercials, which have become wildly popular, but I’d bet that food on this day is just as important as the game itself. You can’t have a Super Bowl party without food, can you? But being a foodie and a health freak, I wondered, does football food have to be bad for you?
The key here is to make healthier choices especially since chances are you’re not drinking water! Here are a few ideas that will score big points even from the pizza crowd.
Mini Beef Sliders
Imagine a bite sized burger well: that’s all there is to it. You can lower the fat content by buying a good quality minced beef.
1. The easiest way to portion is to use a ¼ cup measure for each burger.
2. Each burger will weigh between 2-3 oz each, which means you’ll get approx. 4-5 sliders per lb.
TIP You can do this ahead of time and refrigerate until grill time.
3. After you portion all the meat, season each burger with S&P.
4. Preheat a grill pan or your BBQ on medium high heat.
5. Once ready, cook burgers for 3-4 minutes each side for medium.
The toppings are up to you so don’t be afraid to get creative. I love to add caramelized onions on mine. You can serve with or without buns. Where do you find little buns for little burgers I hear you ask? Call your local bakery and ask for mini/slider burger buns as I do and you’re all set. These are great for kids, too.
Asparagus Skewered Shrimp
This is another easy recipe but looks great on any buffet. I’ve used these a lot on parties and they always have a good wow factor. Estimate for 2-3 shrimp per person and that’ll help you figure out your quantity.
Ingredients
1 lb 21-30 P&D’s (See Below)
Pencil asparagus-1 spear per shrimp
¼ cup olive oil
1 lemon - zested
S&P
P&D's Get medium sized peeled and deveined shrimp (P&D’s). You want to get what’s known as 21-30’s, which means you get between 21 & 30 shrimp per pound. (Pretty obvious now that I told you right?)
Directions
2. Cut each asparagus spear 2 inches from the tip and shave a piece from the end as if sharpening a pencil (I’m showing my age now!)
3. Lay each shrimp flat on your cutting board and form into a U shape.
4. Using a small paring knife pierce the shrimp through the main body, place the asparagus through the hole, shaved end first. See Photo.
5. Once all the shrimp are skewered refrigerate until needed.
6. Mix olive oil, lemon zest, S&P together in a small bowl.
7. To cook: Brush skewers with lemon olive oil and grill on hot grill pan or if you prefer cook in the oven for 10 minutes on 400 F (200C).
TIP Don’t toss the remaining asparagus. Even without the tips they’re great in soups, salads, stir-frys or simply sautéed.
Tandoori Chicken Skewers with Mint Raita
How ‘bout some spice to go with your beer? (Raita? How do you say that? Click to hear.)
Serves6, so adjust accordingly
Ingredients
Chicken Skewers
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts – cut into ¼ ‘ strips lengthwise
2 tbsp tandoori paste (usually found in the Ethnic section of your local grocery)
1 cup non-fat yogurt
1 lime - zested
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
4 ½” long wooden skewers
Mint Raita
1 cup non-fat yogurt
1 tbsp fresh mint – chopped
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Directions
2. Mix the tandoori paste, yogurt, lime zest and S&P in a bowl.
3. Add chicken strips to tandoori mix and marinate for up to 4 hours.
4. For Raita, mix yogurt, chopped mint, S&P and refrigerate.
5. Preheat grill pan on medium heat for 3 minutes.
6. Skewer each piece of chicken and lay on oven tray.
7. Spray grill pan with enough olive oil to coat and sear each tender for 2-3 minutes each side. You can do this in batches if needed.
Slainte!