Super Bowl Snack Recipes From Portland Chefs

You won't find any kale or crickets on this edible playlist for "Super Bowl 50: A Cautionary Culinary Tale." Local chefs have contributed toothsome recipes you can share with the tribe gathered around the TV. Here's everything you want for a Sunday sporting spectacle, including a sort-of nachos cage match — yet one of the contenders is raw, vegan and gluten-free.

• Cheesy Buffalo Puffs
• Carnitas For Tacos Or Nachos
• No-Guilt Nach'yos
• Apple Cider Funnel Cake
• Chicken Karaage
• Slow-Cooker Pozole

Cheesy Buffalo Puffs | Snozberry Chef Services

Leslie Smith's Cheesy Buffalo Puffs were inspired by a fig and brie appetizer she has made in the past: "This recipe is fun, easy and elegant. I have a lot of fun with puff pastry." Chicken safety is key: keep the chicken cold before and after cooking and serve the puffs hot out of the oven — don't let them sit around and return to room temperature. Smith's Portland-based business, Snozberry Chef Services, focuses on creative, customized meals made in a professional kitchen using local, seasonal ingredients. The home-delivered meals are designed and packaged to be quick and easy to reheat.

Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 15 minutes | Ready in: 40 minutes | Easy/average

How To Prepare Cheesy Buffalo Puffs

Carnitas For Tacos Or Nachos | Sunshine Tavern

The lunch menu at Jenn Louis' Sunshine Tavern along the hoppin' stretch of Portland's Southeast Division Street features a "brunchish" category, along with sandwiches, burgers, vegetables and fruit, pizza, entrees and desserts. But look for carnitas nachos, topped with jalapeño, cilantro and salsa, among the bar snacks. And that slow-cooked pork shoulder does double-duty in Louis' kitchen, adding deep flavor and succulence to these game-worthy tacos.

Prep: 30 minutes | Cook: 2-1/2 to 3 hours |Ready in: 3 to 3-1/2 hours | Easy/average

How To Prepare Carnitas For Tacos And Nachos

No-Guilt Nach’yos | Eatin’ Alive

Slightly gooey nach'yos, scooped up with the hands, are a little more freestyle than many snacks turned out at the Eatin' Alive commissary kitchen in Southeast Portland. Paige Common specializes in raw, vegan, gluten-free grab-and-go snacks sold in markets, co-ops, specialty vendors and boutique restaurants. Read her recipes twice through to suss out how much taste is packed in a healthful delivery system — or vice-versa. During "the season," find her booth at the PSU Portland Farmers Market in the South Park Blocks.

Prep: 20 minutes | Ready in: 1 hour 20 minutes to 2 hours 20 minutes | Easy |Raw, vegan, gluten-free

How To Prepare No-Guilt Nach'yos

Apple Cider Funnel Cake | Park Kitchen

"Football reminds us of crisp nights spent in the stands cheering on our respective teams while warming ourselves with the indulgences of the season. Apple cider funnel cakes are one of those snacks that speak of the transition from autumn to winter. Our secret at Park Kitchen is to add a little cornmeal to our batter, bringing another dimension of comforting flavors and a satisfyingly crispy crunch." – David Sapp, chef de cuisine, Park Kitchen in Northwest Portland

Prep: 10 minutes | Frying: 25 minutes | Ready in: 40 minutes | Easy | Gluten-free option

How To Prepare Apple Cider Funnel Cake

Chicken Karaage | Pono Farm Soul Kitchen

Chicken Karaage is a Japanese version of deep-fried chicken. Ric Ramos, executive chef at Pono Farm Soul Kitchen in Portland's Hollywood district, makes it with no-muss, no-fuss chicken tenders, so no squabbling over favorite parts. For best results and the crispiest skin, do not substitute another ingredient for the potato starch, which is altogether different from potato flour.

Ready in: 2-1/2 hours | Easy

How To Prepare Chicken Karaage

Slow-Cooker Pozole | Pozole to the People

"Pozole was a staple dish of my family's Sunday suppers, a rare opportunity for us to all sit down and share a meal together. Preparing it was a collaborative effort. My father would cook the pozole, which he learned during his childhood spent in part in Arizona. My mother fried tortillas in a little bit of butter. My brother and I would gather the toppings from our abundant garden — things like radishes, cilantro and scallions." — Chris Bailey, owner, Pozole to the People

Pozole to the People is a jarred pozole base made at the Portland Mercado's Micro Mercantes kitchen and sold at New Seasons Market. To make Slow-Cooker Pozole at home, shop for whole dried chiles loose in the produce section or packaged in the Latin American foods aisle. An 8-ounce package should contain at least six whole chiles. You might also find cans of whole chipotles in adobo.

Prep: 45 minutes | Cook: 4 hours | Ready in: 4 hours 45 minutes | Easy

How To Prepare Slow-Cooker Pozole

Snack-O-Rama Recipes

Cheesy Buffalo Puffs | Snozberry Chef Services

About 10 pastries
Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked, chilled chicken, rough-chopped to measure. (Dark meat is flavorful but use any leftover chicken.)
• 1 tablespoon wing sauce, such as Frank's RedHot*
• 1 sheet thawed puff pastry**
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon water
• 4 teaspoons shredded cheese, such as cheddar, blue cheese or Swiss
• Flour for rolling dough (grated Parmesan or dried garlic granules may be substituted)

* For a sweeter flavor, substitute barbecue sauce. Be careful not to drip it outside the pastries, as the sugar will burn.
** Around 10-by-10 inches and 1/8-1/4-inch thick. Pepperidge Farm works fine, but Dufour is preferable for flavor. Bob's Red Mill gluten-free puff pastry can be substituted.

To prepare

1. Heat the oven to 400 F.
2. Line a sheet tray or baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Dice chicken and, with fingers, pull into small enough pieces to pinch for the filling.
4. Mix the diced, pulled chicken with the wing sauce in a bowl. Strain to remove excess liquid.
5. Roll out pastry on a flat surface, dusting with flour to prevent sticking, until 1/8-inch thick.
6. Use cookie cutter or mold to cut 20 approximately 1-1/2-inch shapes into dough.
7. Stir beaten egg and water lightly.
8. Brush egg wash on half of the shapes, then place 1/2 to 1 teaspoon chicken mixture and a pinch of cheese in the middle of each.
9. Use the other half of the dough shapes to sandwich the filling.
10. Press down the edges of each pastry with a fork to seal.
11. Gently puncture the top of each pastry with fork once to ventilate during baking.
12. Arrange pastries on parchment-lined tray or sheet at least 1 inch apart and brush the top of each with egg wash.
13. Bake approximately 15 minutes, or until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 F.
14. Top each puff with a toothpick or eat with fingers.

Serve hot. Chicken becomes unsafe sitting at room temperature.

Variations

• Serve with narrow carrot/celery sticks instead of toothpicks
• Add cooked bacon bits to chicken mixture for more flavor and texture
• Make ahead and freeze, unbaked, for future use. Bake directly from frozen (never bring to room temperature) and do not remove from oven until internal temperature reaches 165 F.

Carnitas For Tacos Or Nachos | Sunshine Tavern

6 servings in tacos
Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cumin seed
• 1 tablespoon ground bay leaf
• 5 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoon cayenne
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 4 pounds pork shoulder cut into slabs about 6 by 1-1/2 inches
• 1 large yellow onion, julienne
• 2 thick strips orange zest, approximately 1 by 3 inches
• Water

To prepare

1. In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, toast cumin seed until fragrant. Set aside to cool, then finely grind in a spice grinder.
2. Combine cumin seed, bay leaf, light brown sugar, cayenne and salt in a medium bowl and dredge each piece of pork though spice mixture, coating evenly.
3. In a large pot, layer onions and pork. Fill the bowl (containing any remaining spices) with water and pour over pork until pork is just covered.  On the stove, cook at a gentle simmer until pork is very tender. If it reaches this point before the braising liquid reduces, remove pork from the pot. Increase heat to a rapid simmer and reduce liquid to 3 cups. Return pork to pot and continue cooking at a medium simmer until liquid is evaporated and pork caramelizes in rendered fat.

Serve accompanied by warm corn tortillas, cilantro leaves, chopped onion, sliced avocado, crema (Mexican sour cream) and sliced jalapeño.

No-Guilt Nach’yos | Eatin’ Alive

Serves 15 to 20 football maniacs
Ingredients

• 4 red bell peppers, stems and seeds removed
• 4 cups raw cashews, soaked for 1 to 2 hours, drained (discard soak water)
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast*
• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
  *available in bulk section of many grocery stores and co-ops

• 1 cup raw almonds
• 3 cups raw sunflower seeds
• 1/3 cup cumin powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon chipotle powder
• 2/3 cup water

• Salsa, such as Papa Loco Salsa from Hot Mama Salsa (available near the hummus in grocery refrigerator case)
• Pickled jalapeños

To prepare

1. To make 8 cups of "cheez," blend peppers, cashews, garlic, yeast, water, salt and turmeric in a blender until smooth. (To get the cheez super-smooth, use a high-powered blender.) Pour into a bowl and set aside.
2. To make 4 cups of nut meat, pulse almonds, sunflower seeds and spices in food processor until finely ground. Pour into a large bowl. Add water and mix with your hands until fully incorporated; you're going for a crumbly consistency like ground beef. Set aside.
3. Pile your favorite corn tortilla chips onto a serving platter. Sprinkle with nut meat and then cover with cheez.  Top with a dollop of salsa and pickled jalapeños.

Serve within 1 hour of assembly. Accompany with a gluten-free brewery beverage such as Spur & Vine hopped apple cider from Square Mile Cider Co. or Cascade Fresh Hop Pale Ale from Ground Breaker Brewing. Store cheez and nut meat separately in the refrigerator for up to seven days; for best flavor and texture, return to room temperature before serving.

Apple Cider Funnel Cake | Park Kitchen

8 to 10 halftime snack servings

Ingredients

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup apple cider*
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour**
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon allspice, ground
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Canola oil for frying (amount will depend on the size of your cooking vessel)

*Quality greatly affects the funnel cakes' flavor. We recommend buying locally pressed cider, such as that from E.Z. Orchards Farm Market in Salem.
** To make this recipe gluten-free, we recommend substituting Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour

To prepare

1. In a deep cast-iron skillet, wok or saucepan, heat 2 inches of canola oil to 350 F. (If using a home deep fryer, fill to appropriate fill line and set to 350 F.)  Beside your stove or work area, set up a large plate lined with multiple layers of paper towels, along with tongs, chopsticks or a long-handled wire basket fry strainer.
2. In a small, deep mixing bowl, combine eggs, apple cider and milk and whisk to combine thoroughly. Use, if you have one, an immersion hand blender to insure the ingredients are fully combined.
3. In another large bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, allspice, cinnamon and baking powder. Stir to distribute ingredients evenly.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly to hydrate the mixture and form a batter.
5. Fill a gallon-sized resealable plastic bag with the batter and seal carefully, removing as much air as possible. This batter can be made a few hours before needed and refrigerated; however, it will lose its leavening overnight.
6. Once the oil is up to temperature, cut a small corner at the bottom of the bag to create a piping bag. This batter will expand as the cake cooks, so make sure the opening is smaller than that of a drinking straw to ensure proper finished size.
7. Make the funnel cakes one at a time. Place the bag just above the pan to avoid splashing and pipe slowly in a circular motion to begin forming the funnel cake. The batter will sink at first and then begin to float as it cooks. Piping continuously, connect the initial pieces with more batter in a crosshatch pattern. Once you have piped a 5-inch cake, lift the bag and set it aside.
8. Allow the funnel cake to fry on the first side for approximately 90 seconds. Then flip it over, using tongs or chop sticks, and cook an additional 90 seconds, until deep golden brown on both sides.
9. Using a wire strainer, tongs or chopsticks, remove the funnel cake from the oil and place on the paper towel-lined plate to cool.
10. Repeat with the remainder of the funnel cake batter.

Variations

• For a savory treat, sprinkle with infused sea salts, such as those from Jacobsen Salt Co.
• Top with takeout pulled pork and coleslaw — we suggest Podnah's Pit in Northeast Portland — for a Southern riff on the tostada.
• Drizzle with salted caramel sauce, such as that from Xocolatl de David, for an indulgent dessert.

Chicken Karaage | Pono Farm Soul Kitchen

Enough for 5 to 7 sports fans
Ingredients

• 1 cup soy sauce
• 2 cups sake
• 1 cup mirin (or 2 tablespoons sugar)
• 1/2 cup oyster sauce
• 1/2 cup rice vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sambal (chili-garlic sauce)
• 2 ounces (about 4 cloves) minced fresh ginger
• 2 ounces (about 4 cloves) minced garlic
• 2 pounds chicken tenders
• 2 cups mayonnaise
• 2 ounces (3/8 cup) Sriracha
• 2 ounces (3/8 cup) sambal
• 1 teaspoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 ounces (about 6 cloves) minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon grapeseed or vegetable oil
• 3 cups rice bran or vegetable oil
• 2 cups potato starch, such as Bob's Red Mill
• Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare

1. Make the ginger-soy marinade: Combine soy sauce, sake, mirin, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sambal, ginger and garlic and mix well. Marinate the chicken tenders for 2 hours, then strain.
2. While the chicken is marinating, make the spicy mayo: Cook the garlic in a small pan on low heat about 8 to 10 minutes. Then combine mayonnaise, Sriracha, sambal, tamari, sesame oil, garlic and oil in a mixing bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the rice bran oil in a large skillet until it reaches about 350 F.
4. Lightly coat the marinated chicken in potato starch, then pan-fry until golden brown, approximately 2-1/2 minutes on each side.
5. Place chicken on a plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with the spicy mayo dipping sauce on the side.

Slow-Cooker Pozole | Pozole to the People

8 servings
Ingredients

• 6 dried guajillo chiles
• 6 dried chipotle or nyora chiles*
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Kosher salt
• Vegetable oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 pound boneless pork shoulder, whole
• 8 cups chicken stock or water
• 4 cups canned white hominy, drained
• Various toppings: shredded cabbage, sliced radish, lime, diced onion, tortilla chips, epazote

*The pasilla can be used in place of any of these chiles

To prepare

1. Remove stems and seeds from chiles and place in a bowl.
2. Boil 4 cups of water and pour over chiles to cover by an inch; soak for 30 minutes. (Retain 1 cup of soaking water for purée.)
3. Put chiles and about 1 cup of the soaking water into blender with garlic and pinch of salt and blend until smooth.
4. Heat a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté onions with cumin, oregano and paprika until soft and translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent browning. Once soft, remove onions and put into slow cooker pot.
5. Add a couple more tablespoons of oil to pan and increase heat to medium-high. Add the pork and sear; keep turning until all sides are browned.
6. Add the pork, chicken stock or water, 1 cup of the chile purée and a good pinch of salt to the onions in the slow cooker pot and combine. Cook on low setting for at least 4 hours.
7. Halfway through cooking, add the hominy to allow it to soften.
8. After the 4 hours, shred the pork shoulder with a pair of forks.
9. Season to taste with salt.

Ladle into bowls and offer various toppings. Serve with your favorite Latin American lager or fresh limeade.