Putting a Healthy Spin on Football Party Food
By Executive Chef Russell Skall
The New Year has a lot of meaning in our culture. Renewal. A fresh start. And, of course, the most important of all — college bowls and NFL playoffs! Okay, I'm from Wisconsin and these are great days for football fans born and raised watching Vince Lombardi and the Packers. Wisconsin will be in Pasadena again for the Rose Bowl and my beloved "Pack" is dominating the NFL. That means I need to think of food to serve friends and family coming over to my place to watch the games. And when Green Bay keeps winning, I'll need several weekends of menus. The pressure is on!
For any game spread, I like to go for food I can prepare ahead of time and set out for my guests so they can serve themselves. I want everyone to enjoy their meal, but the day is really about watching football (and those great commercials). Chili with all the fixings is always good, and last year I shared my recipe for Game Day Chili.
Lately, I've also been thinking healthy when it comes to football fare. I don't mean veggie sticks or salad, but something more substantial and interesting. And, of course, delicious. I was just reintroduced to farro, a traditional Mediterranean grain that's easy to cook and creates a wonderful base to add many other tasty ingredients. You can use just about any fresh vegetables you have around the kitchen. Your friends and family will love it, and it's pretty easy to tackle (sorry, I couldn't resist the pun).
Here's a wonderful recipe to try. It's a lot of ingredients, but well worth it. And the best part is it's better if you make it a day or two ahead to really let the flavors meld. Now that's my kind of game day dish!
Hearty Rice and Farro Salad
Ingredients:
1 cup red rice, available at most Whole Foods stores (you can also substitute wild rice)
5 cups water
6 oz. farro, available at most Whole Foods stores (you can also substitute wheat berry)
3 tsp. salt
1 small red onion, small dice
1 red bell pepper, small dice
1 celery stalk, small dice
1 carrot, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 Tbsp. arugula, chopped
2 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
3 oz. cranberries
2 oz. Kalamata olives, chopped
3/4 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions:
Place red rice in a medium saucepan with 4 cups water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 to 35 minutes until tender. Drain and cover with cold water to cool rice. Drain again and place in large mixing bowl.
Place farro in a small saucepan with 1 cup water and 1 tsp. salt. Bring to low boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 18 to 20 minutes until farro is tender. Drain and cover with cold water to cool farro. Drain again and place in mixing bowl with red rice. Stir to mix.
Place diced onion, red bell pepper, celery, carrot and garlic into the rice and farro mixture. Stir to mix. Add arugula, sun-dried tomatoes, cranberries and olives. Stir again to mix.
Add olive oil, balsamic, remaining 1 tsp. salt and goat cheese crumbles. Toss gently. Best if placed in a container, covered and refrigerated for 1 day before serving. This salad will keep for up to 3 days.