Super Snacks for the Super Bowl | Cooking with Styles

Carnitas Pulled BBQ

I first discovered Carnitas working at Consuelo's Restaurant in La Mesa. I was the dishwasher and got a meal to start my shift. Let me tell you there's nothing better than a carnitas burrito after a day of surfing when you're 16 years old!

• 3 - 4 lbs. pork shoulder
• 1 peeled onion, cut into eighths 
• 4 - 6 garlic cloves
• 2 oranges, halved & juiced
• 2 limes, halved & juiced
• 1 cup water

Rub

• 2 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 ½ cumin
• 1 ½ tsp oregano flakes
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

Slaw

• ¼ head red cabbage, sliced thin
• Vinaigrette dressing, your favorite
• Jalapeno pepper, sliced thin

Preheat the oven to 325°. Combine the rub ingredients and cover the meat side, leaving the fat cap unseasoned on the bottom of a cast iron pot. 

Juice the lemons and Lime into the pot, surround the pork with onions, lemons, and limes. Finish with water, cover with lid, and place in the oven. Check every hour to keep some liquid in the pot. 

After 3 1/2 hours use a fork to check if the meat pulls apart easily, if not cook for another half hour covered. To crisp up the outside turn heat up to 450° for the last 15 minutes. Allow pork to rest for 15 minutes before you pull it apart to allow the juices to slow down and be absorbed. Once it's pulled apart add your favorite BBQ sauce, and serve on sweet Hawaiian rolls with a coleslaw and sliced jalapeno.

Queso Dip

This Queso dip is a variation of one that my roommates and I came up while living in Park City, Utah. The USDA came through giving away surplus dairy and you could get 5 lbs. of cheese per person so we had a lot of cheese. This recipe has all kinds of variations, but this will get you started on what you can call yours.

• 1/2 lb. sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 12 oz evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup onion diced (save large pinch for garnish)
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Kosher salt
• 1 can of Rotel tomatoes and chilies, drained
• Roma tomato diced
• Jalapeno chili sliced thin
• 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
• Blue corn chips

Over medium-high heat sauté in oil onions, garlic, cumin, and chili for about 3-4 minutes. Add evaporated milk and bring to a simmer, followed by the cream cheese, blend until fully incorporated. Next add sharp cheddar cheese slowly until melted, at the end fold in Rotel tomatoes and chiles and bring back to simmer. Serve in a warm bowl or Fondue pot topped with diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and chips.

Sweet & Savory Brie Puff Pastry Bites

• 1 or 2 puff pastry sheets
• 8 oz. brie Cheese
• ¼ cup honey
• 3 tbsp pistachios salted and roasted, chopped
• cookie sheet

Preheat the oven to 375°. Roll pastry out on a cookie sheet cutting it 1 ½ - 2-inch squares, you don't have to pull them apart yet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes until puffed, remove from oven to cool for 2 - 3 minutes, press down in the center, fill with a small piece of Brie Cheese and return to the oven for another 4 - 5 minutes until golden brown, remove from oven and re-slice squares. Place on warm plate, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pistachios.

Shrimp Cocktail with Avocado

This is a twist on a ceviche recipe we did on Cooking with Styles. Back in the day when I would go to Cabo San Lucas for surfing it was just a small fishing village, we're talking just a couple of hotels. Shrimp seiners would come into the harbor, and you could get a kilo of whole shrimp for $5 so we would stock up. Also, all the restaurants had some type of shrimp item on the menu and Ceviche de Camarones was always on my list. This version takes out the marinading part and we use precooked shrimp.

• 1 lbs. shrimp, cooked U30 or less, even salad shrimp
• 1 cup white onion, diced
• 1 cup Persian or English cucumber. diced
• 1 cup roma tomatoes, diced
• 2 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• ½ cup lime juice
• ½ cup ketchup
• 2 - 3 dashes Tapatio hot sauce
• 2 - 3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
• 3 - 4 Haas avocados, quartered, skin on
• Kosher salt & black pepper for seasoning

Combine all the ingredients except the avocados, allow at least ½ an hour for the flavors to blend. Serve with avocado quarters and corn chips or saltine crackers.

French Bread Pizza

When I was in Little League one of my favorite treats from the snack bar was a Pizzarino! This is my version of a childhood favorite, slightly elevated.

• 1 baguette
• 1 jar pasta sauce, you choose
• 16 oz. mozzarella cheese

Toppings, precooked if needed

• Pepperoni
• Italian sausage
• Grilled veggies
• Sauteed mushrooms
• Red chili flakes
• Parmesan cheese
• Italian parsley, chopped
• Any other toppings of your choice

Preheat the oven to 350°, have the top rack near the top to use the broiler for the last 1 or 2 minutes. Split the baguette lengthwise, cut the loaf in half on an angle, spread a thick coating of pasta sauce on the open side of the bread and top with mozzarella cheese. 

I like to precook most of my toppings with the exception of cured meats because we're really just heating everything up and melting the cheese. Bake for 8 minutes or so, then turn the broiler on to bubble and brown the cheese. Remove from the oven, slice again on an angle, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, chili flakes, and parsley. Try to serve right away.

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