Red Hot Politico Party Menu

About author / Amy Powell

World traveler; gourmet 30 minute meals; lover of exotic ingredients; winner on FoodTV's Chefs vs City; graduate French Culinary Institute. Her recipes will tantalize your taste buds.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the last year, you might have noticed there is a presidential race going on. And if this has been the race of all races, then, folks, we are at the home stretch. Depending on who’s reporting, the final two are in a dead heat.

With so much excitement this election season, there have been numerous opportunities to be involved in the spectator sport of politico watching. If you wanted, you could have thrown at least one primary party and perhaps a debate viewing every month since January, and that’s not even counting the three day convention extravaganzas in August and September.

If for some reason you missed out on those dozens of great excuses over the last month to throw a politically themed soiree, do not fret. The coming month, with the finish line in sight, will allow for at least three more such opportunities in the form of the Presidential and Vice Presidential nominee debates. And unlike a primary party which involves hours of thumb twirling and speculation while votes are counted, the debates are one and a half hours of action-packed verbal volleying.

With that in mind, over the next couple of weeks I will offer you two menus to suit your political tastes. One red, one blue, one right, one left. You can make the menu that fits your political leanings or you can mix them up and call yourself an independent.

I’ll start us off this week with some recipes fit for the red states and an appetizer spicy enough to set alight a debate of its own. I don’t know if a chicken knows the difference, but to the political beast there is a distinct right wing of the animal and a left wing. So what better starter for conservative themed debate menu, than some Red Hot Right Wings.

Start with some fresh (right-handed) chicken wings, cutting if necessary at the joint to form a drumette and a wing. Toss them in salt and pepper then fry them up for a few minutes in a couple inches of vegetable oil. Drain the cooked wings on paper towels then douse them in a potent combo of melted butter and two kinds of hot sauce. The finished wings are fiery enough to send red running through your veins.

For a main course, a red state menu deserves some good old fashioned red meat. And nothing works for a party better than some juicy, red and delicious burgers. Now, if you were really throwing your weight behind the Republican camp, you might go out and try to find yourself some Mooseburger. Outside of Alaska that might be a bit difficult so for the rest of the country I’d recommend sticking to beef.

Cook up those burgers topped with some real American Wisconsin cheddar. Finish it off with a red pepper sauce made of pureed roasted red peppers mixed with sour cream, mayonnaise, and a bit of cayenne for an only slightly piquant sauce, a bit more moderately spiced that the extreme hot wings that started us off.

To finish it all off, there is nothing like Red Velvet cupcakes to bring the meal, and the debates to a close with a smooth finish. Before starting in on the burgers and wings, whip up a box of Devil’s Food Cake mix, throwing in a couple of tablespoons of red food coloring into the batter until it turns a dark red. Bake cupcakes according to package directions, then frost with a slightly conservation topping mixing low-fat cream cheese with marshmallow fluff and powdered sugar to taste. Thin the frosting out with milk if necessary until it is spreadable consistency.

This is one exciting race and regardless of the outcome, or the history-making aspects of the two parties' tickets, the best thing about it all is that for once people are really talking and taking part in the system. So even if you have been living under that rock for the last year, now is the time to crawl out from under it, get registered to vote, and get informed about who you are voting for. And what can be better than a little 'political party' as we get informed, eat some delicious food, and watch the candidates sprint to the finish.

Serves/Makes: 4

• 1 1/2 pound 85% lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 ounces canned roasted red peppers
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 4 ounces Cheddar cheese
• 2 leaves green lettuce
• 1 medium beefsteak tomato
• 4 hamburger buns

Serves/Makes: 10

• 10 pounds chicken wings, tips removed, separated at joints
• 1/4 cup ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup Sriracha hot sauce
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• chopped cilantro or green onions
• 3 limes, juiced and zested
• 3 quarts vegetable oil, for frying