You don’t have to be a chef to cook like one for Superbowl Sunday

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Niners fans are still reeling from the team’s crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the January 29 NFC Championship Game. A bitter defeat that hurt far more than many before, robbed the legendary NFL franchise from San Francisco of a chance to compete in Sunday’s Super Bowl.

While you won’t be able to watch the Red and Golds on the field this weekend, anyone with access to a kitchen and the right ingredients can take part in another sacred Super Bowl tradition: food.

We contacted several Bay Area celebrity chefs and asked them what they would be preparing for the big event. Whether you’re throwing a Super Bowl party or lounging on the couch by yourself, watching every performance or just for the commercial, here are some delicious meals to enjoy this Sunday.

Marshall Reed | Akopio

Acopio, an upscale Mexican restaurant on San Jose’s East Side, is run by the same family that first opened it in 1981, although the place has been completely reimagined after it was consumed by fire nearly a decade ago.

“We have reopened with a more elegant concept,” said Marshall Reid, head chef at Acopio. The restaurant’s specialty is mole de pato, which includes chilli-smoked duck confit, masa cake and a seasonal mole sauce with vegetables.

Reed will cook up the time-honored Super Bowl Sunday classic, wings, but with his own gourmet flair.

“Football Sunday isn’t complete without wings,” Reed said, “and I don’t think anyone makes them better than me.” He was generous enough to share the recipe with us.

To make Reed’s Signature Chipotle and Coriander Wings, start with an equal parts two spice rub. Roll the three-hinged wings with the resulting mixture, season them with salt and pepper, and then bake at a temperature of 425 ° for 20-30 minutes on a baking sheet covered with a metal grill.

Let the wings cool to room temperature and then cook them – either in a 350° deep fryer for a few minutes, a very hot oven, or an air fryer.

“The secret to crispy skins is to cook them twice,” Reed said.

You can prepare your wings ahead of time and then finish them before your guests arrive by tossing them in habanero sauce or buffalo sauce, accompanied of course with the necessary blue cheese.

Any other tips from Reid for a successful Super Bowl? Lots of cold drinks, a great selection of food and a lunch style party with everyone bringing something. Let’s hope someone signs up and makes these chipotle and coriander wings.

Michelle McQueen | City tariff

Michelle McQueen, chef and owner of the Town Fare restaurant at the Auckland Museum of Art, shared a lot of great tips and tricks for hosting your own Super Bowl get-together, as well as her signature sauce.

“This is my take on spinach sauce,” McQueen said. “Cheese Kale Sauce.” Lucky for us, she shared her recipe on Instagram.

McQueen pointed out the importance of having all flavors: cheesy, salty, sweet, savory. “You want to cover all the bases and it’s a rich and creamy sauce.”

“Then you must have a wing,” McQueen said. Her secret is to marinate the wings overnight in the juice of canned jalapeno peppers (you’ll probably use some of them to make nachos, so you’ll likely have them on hand). The salty juice softens the meat and gives it the perfect spiciness.

McQueen also likes to set up a popcorn bar with custom flavors (Town Fare has amazing kettle corn).

“People like to have things they can put their hands on and grab.” You can do the same with a cocktail bar by setting up a station for homemade mules (think Moscow, Kentucky, Mexico) and Bloody Marys. It is a good idea to place stations around the house so that food or drinks are always at hand.

DIY stations and bars are interactive, fun and easy, just like the big game itself. They are also simple, which gives the host more time to have fun, which is key. “You don’t want to exhaust yourself,” McQueen said.

Dana Junkin | Boulevard

Dana Junkin, chef at San Francisco’s Boulevard restaurant, became addicted to canned fish after a recent trip to Portugal. She says it’s the perfect snack for watching football.

“I don’t like to cook for the Super Bowl,” Junkin said. “I like to relax and watch the game.”

That’s why she offers a curated selection of canned fish, crackers and curds with sauces – and recommends Noe Valley Billingsgate Seafood Store, where you can buy this fish in cans.

Another Yunkin’s secret? Exquisite popcorn. It’s easy to make at home: mix a few freshly chopped grains in olio nuovo (this extra-tasting and bright green extra virgin olive oil), parmesan and nutritional yeast.

Yongkin prefers lighter football-watching snacks like celery sticks and endive with triple cream cheese and truffles. We got hungry just thinking about it. Another nice feature of simple snacks is that they can be prepared before guests arrive.

“I like to have on hand what you prepare ahead of time, like stew and chili,” Yunkin said. After all, less time cooking means more time watching games and chatting with friends.

Wes Rowe | Gambit

Wes Rowe, author of WesBurger ‘N’ More and multiple Standard Deviant chili award-winner, introduces a new culinary project, a Central and Eastern European lounge with a menu featuring regional cuisine (yes, dumplings are on the menu).

Rowe was up to his elbows in deli meats and was making Italian pancakes, one of his favorite items on the Gambit menu, when he spoke to The Standard. That’s exactly what he recommends you make for your Super Bowl party: a giant sandwich.

“There is a hoagi renaissance happening in the city,” Rowe said. “You can make your own with seven layers and call it Seven Hills Hoagie.”

According to Rowe, it’s a simple process. Take a few two-foot-long French buns or baguettes (plan for four to six inches per person), soften them in the oven for a couple of minutes, scrape out some of the bread’s innards.

“We love the Panorama bakery, but if you can’t find it, Acme or Semifreddi will do,” Rowe said.

Brush the inside with shallot dressing and add four slices of provolone for every eight inches of bread. Fill the inside with three of your favorite very thinly sliced ​​meat slices (he recommends mortadella, salami, and Spanish chorizo ​​sausage and tells the deli counter to set the cut to 0.5), for four ounces of mortadella and one ounce of salami and chorizo ​​for each serving. eight inches.

Add a few piquillo peppers, plenty of lightly seasoned arugula, and cut into four-inch pieces.

“It’s just an assembly,” Rowe said. “These are my favorite Super Bowl things, so you’re just drinking beer tonight.”

Serve your friends on Sunday or enjoy someone else cooking it for you – Gambit is launching a lunch service on February 14th from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm Tuesday through Saturday.

Glen Schwartz | Maybeback

Glen Schwartz used to cook at the popular (now closed) Baker and Banker restaurant in Lower Pacific Heights. But today he is the chef of the Maybek restaurant in the Marina. Mayeck’s recently completely revamped the menu and now offers a seven-course degustation menu of gourmet dishes.

“There’s a lot of creative freedom there,” Schwartz said.

But Schwartz’s favorite Super Bowl dish is much more mundane: wings. He plans to cook 40 pounds of them – half smoked, half baked – when he joins his family to watch the big game this year.

Schwartz’s top tip? Advance planning.

“Heavy prep, easy execution,” Schwartz said.

While not everyone has a smoker, Schwartz recommends roasting the wings in a convection oven to keep the skin crispy. He also plans to open a taco bar, pizza and spinach dip.

“You want more than just snacks when you’re drinking.”

But there is is a snack from Schwartz that you can try at home: chips with sour cream and caviar.

“That’s if you want to put all of that into play,” Schwartz said.

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