This column originally appeared in The Herald on Jan. 31, 2006, a few days before the Seattle Seahawks played (and lost) to the Pittsburgh Steelers. -Ed.
Admit it. You’ve never, ever, not once, actually sat down and watched a whole Super Bowl game from start to finish. Have you?
Furthermore, if the truth be told, even if you might have taken a quick timeout to glance at the TV screen once or twice, it was only to catch some of the usually heavily promoted frisky, funky ads. Am I right?
Of course I am. In fact, according to yet another of my highly irregular, totally unofficial and frequently spotty polls, at least 95 percent of the women questioned (not to mention — shock, horror and near disbelief — some men) say the Super Bowl doesn’t interest them.
Ordinarily.
And that’s the operative word here. This Sunday’s Super Bowl is no ordinary game.
This time around, it’s our own Seattle Seahawks, in their first bowl appearance, so it’s an absolute must-watch, gotta-see-it, play-by-play day. Every single minute, from the starting kickoff to the post-game fireworks.
Ah, but that brings up a potential and possibly major monkey wrench in the machinery. Event food. As I see it, the whole thing boils down to just two words: How much? How much food of what types to buy and fix, and how much time the dedicated cook of the day wants, or is willing, to spend pulling it all together.
Not much, is my take. Personally, I see no reason whatsoever (thinking about it appalls me) to get all snarled up in hourslong culinary duties on this particular day of days. Do you?
OK, then, here’s my crockpot game plan. And it’s a winner, because it’s simple, easy and looks after itself, so you’ll be out of the kitchen with time to kill.
Once you have all the ingredients assembled, stirred, covered and bubbling along, all that leaves is eventually dumping in a couple more ingredients, and then having a vat of sour cream, a mountain of grated cheese, a pot of butter, a jug of salsa and a couple of loaves of crusty bread waiting to set out.
Or, if cornbread is your thing, you could always measure out the dry and wet ingredients separately and have them all ready to stir up, pour into a pan and shove in the oven while you lay out the bowls, spoons and napkins.
Ta da! A very simple but satisfying and savory supper. Even the name is a mouthful. To commemorate this first-ever football extravaganza, we’re calling this dish:
Super Bowlful of beef and beans
1 ½ pounds beef stew meat, cut in bite-size (about 1 inch) pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 large or 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
Heaping teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 teaspoon instant beef bouillon
½ cup hot water
2 cans (10-ounces each) diced tomatoes and green chilies
¼ cup (more or less to taste) finely minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (see note)
2 cans (about 15 ounces each) pinto beans, drained
1 small green bell pepper, cut in thin strips
1 small red or yellow bell pepper, cut in thin strips
Grated cheese
Sour cream
Salsa
Turn meat into large (4-quart) crockpot and add onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, oregano, instant bouillon and water. Stir well. Add diced tomatoes and chilies and minced chipotles in sauce.
Stir ingredients thoroughly again, cover crockpot, turn heat to low and cook 8 hours. Stir in pinto beans and pepper strips, mixing well. Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
To serve, ladle into bowls and top with grated cheese, sour cream and salsa. Makes 4 large or about 6 medium servings, but can be doubled if crockpot is large enough. Leftovers reheat well.
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