Super Bowl : The Odd Couples: Pros and Pans

As charity dinners go, Taste of the NFL might be the most incongruous. Think about it. What the title brings to mind is hot dogs and beer, not Champagne and smoked scallops with coconut cream curry. And nobody expects to find gridiron greats standing over greased griddles--no matter how famous the chef standing next to them may be.

But hunger relief makes strange kitchenfellows. Last year Minneapolis restaurateur Wayne Kostroski had a sudden inspiration: Why not pair famous chefs from each of the National Football League cities with a famous player? The goal: Raise money for Share Our Strength, the organization started by restaurateurs to combat hunger in America. People scoffed at the idea--nobody thought of football fans as food fanatics--but the naysayers ended up eating crow. The event raised more than $90,000. This year Kostroski hopes to do better.

Chances are, he might. When Taste of the NFL II takes place Saturday at the Century Plaza Hotel, 1,500 guests are expected. Twenty-eight of America’s best chefs, assisted by a team of famous former football players, will be serving football fans the assembled food. Steve Thurlow of the New York Giants will help Bobby Flay of New York’s Mesa Grill make smoked shrimp cakes with mango- tomatillo salsa; Dick Anderson of the Miami Dolphins will be there helping Allen Susser of Chef Allen’s in Chicago make Chocolate Truffle Souffles; there will even be Los Angeles Ram Myron Pottios and Raider Dwayne O’Steen, stirring the pots with Citrus’ Michel Richard and Campanile’s Mark Peel and Nancy Silverton. Tickets to Taste of the NFL II are being sold for $125 each at all Bristol Farms stores. For more information, call (310) 450-6060.

John Carver, executive chef, Pricci Restaurant, Atlanta, will be making this recipe with the assistance of Tommy Nobis, formerly of the Atlanta Falcons. If our experience in The Times’ Test Kitchen is repeated, this dish won’t last long. This is a wonderful recipe.

VITELLO TONNATO (Cold Roasted Veal With Spicy Tuna and Caper Sauce) 2 pounds veal top round, cleaned of all sinew Salt, pepper 1 bay leaf, crushed 2 sprigs fresh thyme 2 tablespoons oil 3 small carrots, peeled and diced 1 small onion, diced 2 stalks celery, diced 3/4 cup chicken stock Tuna Sauce Capers Lemon slices

Season veal to taste with salt and pepper, bay leaf and thyme. Heat oil in roasting pan over high heat. Add veal and brown evenly on all sides.

Add carrots, onion and celery and roast at 350 degrees until meat tests rare and reaches internal temperature of 140 degrees. Remove meat to serving plate. Reserve vegetables for use in Tuna Sauce. Place pan back on burner over high heat. Add chicken stock and cook, scraping meat bits, until stock reduced by half. Pour over meat and vegetables and set aside to cool.

When ready to serve, slice veal very thin and place on chilled plates. Spoon Tuna Sauce lightly around around edges of meat. Do not cover meat with sauce. Garnish with capers and lemon slices. Makes 8 servings.

Each serving contains about: 345 calories; 344 mg sodium; 97 mg cholesterol; 28 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 21 grams protein; 0.29 gram fiber.

Tuna Sauce 1/2 (3-ounce) can tuna 1 egg 3 anchovy fillets Juice of 1/2 lemon 1 tablespoon white vinegar 1 tablespoon capers Reserved vegetables and cooking juices from veal roast 3/4 cup olive oil 3 tablespoons chicken stock Salt, pepper

Place tuna, egg, anchovies, lemon juice, vinegar and capers in blender, plus reserved vegetables and any juices from bottom of plate. Puree until smooth.

With blender running at low speed, slowly add olive oil. Adjust thickness with chicken stock if too thick, add more oil if too thin. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

Cindy Black of San Diego’s Cindy Black’s Restaurant will be assisted by former Charger Ed White as she serves this extremely flavorful salad. The duck is purchased already smoked from a Chinese market or deli, which makes the salad simple to prepare.

SMOKED DUCK AND SHIITAKE SALAD 1 cup sesame oil 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar Crushed hot red pepper 1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger root 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced 2 ounces sweet red pepper, finely diced 8 ounces smoked duck meat, shredded 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced 12 ounces fresh spinach, cleaned 4 ounces enoki mushrooms Black and white sesame seeds

Combine 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, crushed hot pepper to taste and ginger root in bowl. Whisk to blend. Let dressing stand 15 to 20 minutes to allow flavors to blend.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil in saute pan over low heat. Add shiitake mushrooms. Saute gently several minutes until mushrooms are tender. Add red pepper, duck meat and button mushrooms. Cook over low heat until duck is warmed through. Remove from heat.

Combine duck and mushroom mixture and spinach in large mixing bowl. Add reserved dressing and toss salad well to coat. Divide among 4 chilled plates. Garnish with enoki mushrooms and sprinkle with black and white sesame seeds. Makes 4 servings.

Note: Smoked duck can be purchased at Asian markets.

Each serving contains about: 883 calories; 112 mg sodium; 48 mg cholesterol; 72 grams fat; 50 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 7.91 grams fiber.

Former New Orleans Saint Rick Mauti will be coming from the Big Easy to help Bayonna’s Susan Spicer stir up some Shrimp Remoulade. This dish is a perfect representative of New Orleans: The flavors are big, and the dish is easy.

SHRIMP REMOULADE 2 teaspoons whole-seed mustard 2 tablespoons cider or wine vinegar 1 teaspoon chopped anchovy 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 small onion, chopped 1 cup olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions 1/4 cup chopped celery 2 tablespoons chopped parsley 2 tablespoons horseradish Juice of 1 lemon Salt, pepper Cayenne pepper Hot pepper sauce 24 medium to large shrimp, cooked, peeled and deveined Shredded lettuce Lemon slices

Combine mustard, vinegar, anchovy, garlic and onion in food processor or blender. Pulse few times, then slowly pour in olive oil with motor running. When all oil added, sauce should be medium-thick and creamy. Stir in green onions, celery, parsley, horseradish and lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cayenne pepper and hot pepper sauce.

Toss shrimp with 1/2 sauce and chill. Serve on shredded lettuce, with remaining sauce and cut lemon slices on side. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about: 351 calories; 151 mg sodium; 43 mg cholesterol; 36 grams fat; 2 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams protein; 0.17 gram fiber.

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