As spring training commences, we’re thinking not only of La Russa, Pujols and the rest of the Cardinals, but also of all the food that always tastes better at the ballpark. We can all agree that no game is complete without a nice, greasy hot dog, but for some of us, baseball season also means pretzels in all their salty, doughy deliciousness.
The king of the St. Louis pretzel world is undoubtedly Gus’ Pretzels, which began operations way back in 1920. Many families make the pilgrimage to Gus’ storefront on Arsenal Street for these chewy treats, but these locally made pretzels are also available at area grocery stores. A stroll through the freezer aisle at the Brentwood Dierbergs one recent chilly afternoon meant nabbing a pack of Gus’ pretzel twists to take home for the family. The package says the pretzels can be popped in the microwave, though we chose the conventional oven method. Four minutes at 425 degrees gave us the perfect after-school snack for a couple of hungry kids.
The pretzels are just fine on their own, complete with a sprinkle of crunchy salt, but why not get creative? The pretzel sticks could stand in for bread sticks at any weeknight meal, and they’d be great as an accompaniment to beer cheese soup, such as this tasty version. You can even create your own spring training treat by slicing the twists crosswise and using them as a creative hot dog bun. Now, bring on the boys of summer!
This article appears in February 2011.