Cook Like An NFL Player And Help Fight Hunger, Too

Americans fight hunger each and every day through a number of different means, and NFL players are no exception. Not only are they whizzes with a football, but professionals of the NFL have been helping fight hunger for the past 22 years through their nonprofit organization Taste of the NFL. Founded by Wayne Kostroski (winner of the James Beard Humanitarian of the Year award in 2010), the nonprofit rallies the country's best chefs and the NFL's greatest together to create awareness and support hunger relief at a food and wine-tasting event on the eve of the Super Bowl. To date, they've raised more than $14 million through their events and this year they're bringing the party down to New Orleans for Super Bowl XLVII.

In the past, organizer have welcomed more than 2,000 guests to the Party with a Purpose event and have served more than 45,000 serving samples from chefs, and this year will be no exception. Talented chefs from around the country, including chefs from each of the 32 NFL markets, and current and former NFL players will showcase their delicious culinary specialties for guests to enjoy.

Because we can't get enough recipes, the Cook editors at The Daily Meal were excited to get a look at some of the dishes the chefs and NFL players are creating for this year's event. Some dishes you can expect to see are crawfish gnocchi from the famed Commander's Palace of New Orleans and Idaho potatoes with a New Orleans-twist from Indianapolis' Recess and Room Four Restaurant. Along with these delicious dishes, NFL players like record-setting Andy Russell, Qadry "The Missile" Ismail, and Ken Dilger will be in attendance to be judged on not their yards passed or plays made, but their cooking skills. These recipes are a sneak peak of what to expect this year at the Taste of the NFL event, but to experience the real deal, visit Taste of the NFL to buy your tickets to the 22^nd annual event and support the fight against hunger.  

Shrimp Creole

Created by New York City's Kamal Rose and former NFL player Bill Ard, this shrimp recipe is a true representation of its New Orleans surroundings. A dirty rice filled with chicken liver, kidney beans, and aromatics makes it stand out from most versions of the Southern specialty.

Gnocchi Bolognese

Davio's in Boston is known for their classic Italian specialties, and for Taste of the NFL's event in 2012, chef Steve DiFillippo and former New England Patriot Steve Grogan created this hearty gnocchi Bolognese for guests to try.

Idaho Potatoes with "Hoosier-Style" Vitello Tonnata 

Vitello tonnato is a classic Italian dish of sliced veal with a mayonnaise-based sauce. For this recipe, chef Greg Hardesty of Recess in Indianapolis puts a Hoosier-touch to it by replacing the veal with pork and adding cayenne and pickled okra.

Truffled Crawfish Boil Gnocchi

A crawfish boil is a New Orlean's specialty, which is why chef Tony McPhail of the famed Commander's Palace chose to create a recipe for it for Taste of the NFL's event in New Orleans.

Anne Dolce is the Cook Editor at The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @anniecdolce