In this week’s The Dish, we’re talking Super Bowl eats!
Whether you’re looking for delicious place to watch the game, or looking for the perfect app to serve at home or bring to someone else’s party, we’ve got you covered.
We head to Gloria Sports and Spirits in Warrington, Pennsylvania where the winner is you when you whip up the easiest, unique and glorious mezze plate.
As we all know, dips and spreads are always a good game plan for game watching. Whenever you can make something ahead of time, you’ve already become the MVP.
“You want to watch the game, drink some beers and you want to be with everybody else,” says Brad Daniels, the chef/owner of Gloria. “If there’s any way you can get ahead and do something that’s really simple and a crowd-pleaser, but still beautiful and elegant at the same time, that’s the goal.”
The star of his mezze plate is a bright green fava bean hummus.
“One of my favorite things that I learned from years of Italian cooking is a simple, basic dip/spread/condiment called favetta,” Daniels says.
Italian cooking has always been at the heart of Brad Daniels culinary career. He also owns Tresini in Ambler, an upscale, rustic Italian restaurant.
“Here at Gloria, we didn’t want to be like another pub. We wanted to be nostalgic. We wanted to be Italian,” he says.
The name Gloria evokes all of that.
“A Sicilian friend of ours reminded us that the 80s song came from Italy first,” Daniels says. “They play it at all the sporting events, the Italian version. It’s our fight song.”
On the menu are elevated game day staples like wings and pizza.
“We wanted to not be a pizzeria, but still hav the best bar pie you can get,” he says.
It’s super thin and super crispy.
“You have to be able to pick up the whole pie with three fingers without it flopping over,” he says.
That’s the standard.
For our game day mezze plate, the fava bean hummus is an easy, make-ahead dip with a few simple ingredients.
You can store it the fridge before game day, and then start to build your platter.
“Get a bunch of vegetables that are brightly colored and super fresh and just build a wreath around the hummus,” he says. “Then you up the game and you add a little bit of your Italian and antipasto favorites to it.”
Think crostini with whipped ricotta, stuffed grape leaves, marinated artichokes, prosciutto poppers – anything you like that you can buy at the store and dress up.
And then, he says, assemble it all in a pizza box!
“Something I always hate is when I bring my app to somebody’s house in stuff that I’m never going to get back,” Daniels says.
“If you bring it in a pizza box, when you’re done, you throw it out. You have to worry about it. You’re not worried about your dishes or platters or casserole dish,” says Daniels. “If you want to put the hummus in a bowl, get one at the dollar store!”
Gloria Sports and Spirits Fava Bean Hummus Mezze Plate Recipe:
Ingredients:
– 2 shallots, sliced thin
– 1 tbsp. minced garlic
– 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
– 1 lb. frozen green fava beans
– 3 tbsp. good quality tahini
– 2 lemons, juiced
– 1 tbsp. salt
– 1 tsp. pepper
– Ice cubes
– Flaky salt and extra virgin olive oil to garnish
Directions:
1. In heavy sauté pan, heat extra virgin olive oil on medium heat and sweat the shallots and garlic together
2. Add salt and pepper
3. Add fava beans and sauté until soft, about 5 minutes
4.Take pan off the heat and add the tahini and lemon juice.
5. Pour ice over top and stir until cooled
6. Purée in a blender on high speed
7. Serve right away or refrigerate until later
To serve, garnish with healthy glug of evoo and pinch of flaky salt.
For the mezze plate, add your favorite veggies and Italian meats and antipasto sides.
Enjoy!
Dining and Cooking