Use these five recipes to make your favorite stadium food at home
You can really go to bat for your baseball fans with recipes inspired by ballpark snacks and treats.
Ballparks across the country each have a unique approach to the food they offer fans. In St. Louis, for example, a contest that ended in March asked fans to send in their ideas for a new menu item to add to the choices at Busch Stadium: The winner was the Red Bird, which would be easy to make at home. It’s a breaded chicken breast tossed in buffalo wing sauce and served on a bun with Provel cheese and ranch dressing. (It’s sold at the Double Play Tap & Grill in section 135 and at the Perficient Perch in section 359 at the stadium.)
St. Louis Cardinals fans have their favorites: One is the Four-Hand Nacho Platter made with corn tortilla chips topped with Monterey Jack cheese sauce, pico de gallo, pickled jalapeno peppers, crumbled queso fresco, sour cream and green onions. Add your choice of beef, pork or carnitas chicken, if you want. You can get the Ultimate Stadium Nacho Tater Tots (with the same toppings as the nachos), too. Either one of these “snacks” can set you back as much as $16!
Want to instantly hike a dish’s popularity? Put it in a Cards red helmet. Dinger’s Donuts are a popular item at the park. The fried mini doughnuts are served warm in either a plain paper container (you get 14 for $6) or a take-home Cardinal’s helmet (a whopping 50 for $15), topped with sugary stuff like chocolate, maple or vanilla glaze, chopped nuts, sprinkles or cinnamon sugar.
Want to know what food choices you’ll find at Busch (and where they’re sold)? Go to m.mlb.com/stl/promo/food.
But, if you want to make some of these snacks — the ones above are pretty easy to duplicate (and a lot cheaper to make at home) — they’re not too difficult to whip up in your kitchen if you can’t be in the stands. Plus, I’ve included a couple of away-game choices, too. Play ball!
Corn Dogs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Dash pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup evaporated milk
Oil for deep-fat frying
12 to 16 wooden skewers
12 to 16 hot dogs
In a bowl, whisk the first eight ingredients. Whisk in egg and milk just until blended. Transfer batter to a tall drinking glass.
In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Insert skewers into hot dogs. Dip hot dogs into batter; allow excess batter to drip off. Fry corn dogs, a few at a time, 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown, turning occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 to 16 corn dogs.
Fried Mini Doughnuts
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening, plus more for deep frying
1/2 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup canned evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch ground mace
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
COATING:
3/4 cup granulated sugar, or 3/4 cup granulated sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, or sifted confectioners' sugar
Melt the 2 tablespoons shortening in a small saucepan. Set aside to cool slightly but remain liquid.
In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and melted shortening together on medium speed. Add the egg and beat well. Add the evaporated milk and vanilla, continue beating until the mixture is light, about 2 minutes.
Sift the flour, baking powder, nutmeg, mace and salt into a medium bowl. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture on low speed until just combined. The texture of the dough will be soft and loose. Turn dough out of the bowl onto a large piece of plastic wrap and wrap it well. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
Roll the chilled dough out on a very lightly dusted workspace until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Dip the edges of a 2-inch round cutter in flour and cut the dough into discs. Place cut dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Heat about 2 inches of shortening in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 375 degrees. Line a large plate with paper towels.
Working in batches, fry the doughnuts, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer the doughnuts from the oil with a slotted spoon or skimmer to the prepared pan. Cool. Repeat with remaining dough, taking care the oil comes back to the correct temperature between each batch.
For sugared doughnuts, roll the doughnuts in sugar or cinnamon sugar while they are still warm.
For confectioners' sugared covered doughnuts, allow the doughnuts to cool completely before rolling in the confectioners' sugar.
Ultimate Barbecue Tater Tot Nachos
14 ounces frozen tater tots (half of a 28 oz bag)
1 cup shredded pork or chicken
2 cups shredded cheese
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
4 slices thick bacon
1 medium fresh jalapeno seeded, and diced (pickled jalapenos can be used instead)
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives, cilantro or green onions for garnish
Cook the tater tots from frozen according to the package instructions.
While the tots are baking, cook your bacon in a skillet over medium low heat until crisp. Drain and crumble.
Once the tots are warm, remove from the oven, leaving the oven on while you work.
Place half the tots in the center of the lined baking sheet. Top with half of your toppings, with the exception of the garnish.
Top your pile with the other half of the tots and the rest of the toppings, except the garnish.
Bake an additional 5-10 minutes until the toppings are warmed through and the cheese is melted. Garnish and serve immediately.
Notes: Double the recipe and make the whole bag of tots if serving at a party.
Deep-Fried Cheese Bites
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 pound cheese curds or cubed cheddar cheese
1 cup beer
Place 1/4 cup flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add cheese curds, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat.
In an electric skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 375 degrees. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk beer and remaining flour. Dip cheese curds, a few at a time, into batter and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Yield: 12 servings.
Slow Cooker Candied Nuts
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
1 1/2 cups walnut halves
1 cup unblanched almonds
In a greased 3-quart slow cooker, mix butter, confectioners' sugar and spices. Add nuts; toss to coat. Cook, covered, on low 2-3 hours or until nuts are crisp, stirring once.
Transfer nuts to waxed paper to cool completely. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 4 cups.
Taste of Home Everyday Slow Cooker & One Dish Recipes Annual 2015
This story was originally published April 17, 2017 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Use these five recipes to make your favorite stadium food at home."