I can remember my first Seahawk tailgate party as if it were yesterday. The Seahawks were playing the Raiders, who were the heavy favorites. Jim Zorn was our QB and Steve Largent was his target. Sadly, we lost, but the party in the parking lot was a blowout. Roasted tri-tip on crusty garlic rolls, grilled shrimp with garlic butter, Caesar salad, and many more dishes made the loss easier to bear for our little group in the back of the parking lot.
My buddy Tom crafted me a Kamikaze with fresh muddled lime and offered to introduce me to some friends. As I walked through the lot looking at all the great appetizers, juicy burgers, and tempting desserts, I quickly realized that these people were much more than friends. More importantly, they all sat in the same section in the King Dome on the home side near the 10-yard line and had done so since the first pre-season game in 1976.
These were loyal season ticket holders that been there for each other; sharing wins, losses, marriages, divorces, and parents becoming grandparents. Most of all, they were Seahawks fans through and through and spoke about each player as if they were family. I was honored to be a part of this tradition and looked forward to going to the games when my buddy’s girlfriend was too busy to be a plus one.
The bottom line is that I am big Seahawks fan, and nothing gets the game started off in the right direction as an amazing tailgate party with dozens of dishes from a parking lot full a rowdy group of 12s. In this month’s article, I hope to give your game day snacks a twist on the classics.
Deviled eggs are always a welcome sight when I walk by the card table, but why not change things up with a few surprises at the next game? I have provided the standard recipe I grew up eating every holiday but also added Seahawk flair. I took the traditional chicken wings and threw out the bone to turn them into a cheesy dip. Last, but not least, is my Asian–New York deli fusion dish of a Pastrami Reuben Egg Rolls. Have fun with these tailgate appetizers as we root for the Seahawks through the playoffs and onto the Super Bowl. GO HAWKS!
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Deviled Eggs with Unlimited Variations
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Directions: In a medium saucepan, place 24 eggs gently in pan as not to crack them. Cover with cold water and turn burner to medium high. When water begins to boil, cover with lid and remove from heat and set timer for 18 minutes. Let stand until timer rings. Allow to cool.
Cut eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks, and place in a small bowl. Clean egg whites and place on plate. Grate egg yolks with a fine grater. Add mayonnaise, mustard, white pepper, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and Tabasco hot sauce to grated eggs. Mix until smooth. Place egg yolk mixture in center of egg white divets, using a small spoon or a pastry bag with a star tip. Garnish each egg with a small amount of paprika. Chill until ready to serve.
12th Man Devils
- Deviled egg recipe above
- 20 drops of blue food color
- 10 drops of neon green food color
Directions: Follow deviled egg recipe, but before filling the egg white halves, remove ¼ cup of the egg yolk mixture and place in a small bowl. Add several drops of blue food color into ¼ cup of egg mixture and stir to combine into a dark Seahawk blue. Add several drops of neon green food color to the remaining egg mixture and stir to combine into a neon green Seahawk color. Fill the egg white halves with the neon green egg mixture. Then fill the dark blue egg mixture into a pastry bag with a small 1/8-inch-round tip. Top each egg by piping the number 12 in the center of each neon green egg.
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Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip & Tortilla Chips
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Directions: Place chicken breast in a saucepan and cover with water. Heat over medium high heat until the water begins to boil. Continue cooking chicken at a boil for three minutes. Remove saucepan from heat and let stand, flipping chicken over a few times, for about 18 minutes. Remove chicken from poaching water. Allow chicken to cool for a few minutes then shred chicken breast into small bite-sized pieces. Preheat your oven to 350˚F.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add cubed cream cheese, Franks Red Hot Sauce, mayonnaise, blue cheese, black pepper, and garlic. Heat and stir until the cream cheese is melted and creamy. Add shredded chicken, green onions, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1 cup of cheddar. Continue to heat mixture while stirring until the cheese has melted and a creamy sauce is created. Pour the chicken and cheese mixture into a 9 x 9-inch casserole dish. Top with remaining ½ cup of mozzarella and ½ cup of cheddar evenly over top of chicken and cheese mixture.
Place dish in oven and bake until the cheese is bubbling and the top is browned. Remove from oven and serve with a mixture of tortilla chips, crackers, vegetables, or warm crusty bread.
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Pastrami Rueben Egg Rolls
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Directions: Ask your deli to slice the pastrami thin, but thick enough to hold its shape. Roll the sliced pastrami into tight bundles, then slice into thin shreds of beef. Slice the cabbages into thin slices. Cut the onion into quarters, then slice the quarters into thin pieces.
Heat a large sauté pan or wok over medium high heat. Add oil and heat until it begins to smoke. Add onion, green cabbage, and purple cabbage, then sauté until the cabbage begins to wilt. Add the shredded pastrami to the mixture, then quickly stir with a spoon until combined. Add pickle juice, soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Stir the ingredients well to season vegetables and pastrami. Remove from sauté pan and place in a strainer over the sink. Let cabbage mixture drain by compressing it with a wooden spoon. Allow mixture to cool to room temperature.
Open a package of egg roll wrappers and cover with a damp towel. Starting with one wrapper, lay the wrapper on the work table with one of the corners pointing at you. Using a pastry brush, paint a ½ inch stripe of egg wash from the wrapper corner on the left to the top corner, then continue painting to the right corner.
Place ½ cup of the cabbage mixture in the center of the wrapper. Lift the corner facing you up and over the cabbage mixture. Press the wrapper down over the mixture and pull the corner slowly toward you, compacting the cabbage mixture to a compact bundle. Tightly roll the bundle half turn away from you. Pick up the left corner and fold it tightly over the edge of the bundle followed by the right corner. Now roll the bundle away from you, enclosing the mixture inside the wrapper.
Place the finished rolls on a sheet pan dusted with corn starch. When all the rolls are completed, cover the rolls with a damp towel until ready to fry. In a saucepan over medium heat, add butter. When butter is melted, add flour and stir until well combined. Continue stirring the flour and butter mixture until it begins to turn light brown. Slowly add milk and beer, then whisk until white sauce thickens. Add cheese and Dijon. Whisk until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat and hold warm.
In a Dutch oven over medium heat, add oil and heat to 350˚. Add pastrami rolls and fry for 5 to 6 minutes or until the rolls are golden brown. Place crispy rolls on sheet pan lined with paper towels to soak up extra oil. Serve pastrami rolls with warm beer-cheese sauce.
