Are You Ready For Some Football? No? How About Some Wings?

I grew up in a family that was completely disinterested in following professional sports. No one watched football or baseball, there was no "big game" or team to root for. It just wasn't something anyone cared about.

There was a brief flirtation on my part with the '86 Mets...because that was the talk of the kids in Junior High.

When I was 22, I was semi-into the Knicks. I remember this because I was at a bar watching the playoffs when they interrupted the game because O.J. Simpson took off in the white Bronco.

I happened to marry a man who also was not a sports fan. There was a nostalgic interest in the Philadelphia Phillies of his youth, but nothing more than that.

Our union resulted in a son who also has zero interest in pro-sports.

So, when the Super Bowl comes around each year, its not the thrill of the game that gathers us around the tv.

It's the food. And the commercials. Sometimes the halftime show.

But mostly the food.

Food that isn't going to win any awards from Dr. Oz.

This is a day where people will construct entire models of football stadiums out of cheese and bread and guacamole and rice krispie treats!

But I needed to at least make an attempt to lessen the crap factor. So I made some adjustments.

We had queso...but it wasn't made from Velveeta and Rotel. I made it from scratch.

We had guacamole that the boys made. We had multigrain tortilla chips.

We had falafel. Not very traditional, but then again we aren't too traditional either. I'll blog that in another post since it was from cookbook #17 of 98.

We also had the ultimate football food. Wings.

I am not a big wing fan at all. Obviously the vegetarian husband isn't either. The kid? LOVES them.

There is only one place where I will eat wings.

Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza

Every time we go to Florida, we have to go to Anthony's at least once. They have the best pizza and wings.

I could go more often to Anthony's in White Plains, NY or on Long Island...but that would not be very good for my health!

The wings at Anthony's are baked...there is no flour or coating on them. Just some spices, and they are perfection. This is coming from a girl who typically wouldn't touch a chicken wing with a 10 foot pole.

So, with Google leading me...I found an article from a local Florida paper where some old yenta from Delray Beach wrote in asking for the recipe for the wings from Anthony's. Miraculously, they supplied it!

Obviously we aren't all working with coal-fired ovens and it's nearly impossible to replicate the wings entirely...but this recipe came pretty darn close! The only thing I changed was cooking them a bit longer to get them nice and caramelized.

Coal Oven Roasted Chicken Wings

Adapted from Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza.

5 pounds chicken wings

1/4 cup peeled garlic cloves

2 tablespoons dried rosemary

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

Kosher salt, to taste

Caramelized onions and focaccia bread, for serving

1 Place chicken wings in a large nonreactive bowl or roasting pan. Whisk remaining ingredients together in a small bowl, season with salt, to taste. Pour marinade over wings, tossing to coat. Cover wings and refrigerate for 24 hours. Stir occasionally; do not over-marinate.

2 Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Place wings in a baking dish, single layer, skin side up. Cook for 25 minutes, turning wings over halfway through cooking process to brown both sides. Serve with onions and focaccia, if desired.

Makes 5 servings.

So if you ask me who I'm rooting for?

It's Team Anthony's all the way.