It’s Tailgate Time

I suppose it’s possible for me to care less about football. But it’s hard to imagine a level of interest lower than I have already. You’ll never find me picnicking at a football game and in fact when I was recently asked if I was willing to prepare a tailgate meal to be raffled off by a local church I agreed only on condition that I didn’t have to go to the game. Fortunately they were amenable to my stricture so I’ll be cooking at the church and the winner and guests will be watching the game on TV.

However, my objections are to football, not to picnics — which I love doing. And although this event won’t be a picnic it did get me thinking about foods suitable for fall picnics and tailgating.

One of the tricks to successful picnicking is having a few suitable munchies packed on top. It helps to have something to munch on while you’re setting up. This is because you never manage to begin a picnic until you’re already starving. It’s considered impolite to eat olives straight out of the jar using your fingers and even worse is holding the jar to your mouth and shaking the globes into your ravenous maw.

Note: Everything included here can be made (or partially made) the day before so it’s easy to get off to quick start on game day or for that leaf-peeping expedition.

Feta-stuffed Peppers: These are delicious hot, cold, and in between and they’re almost as good the second day as the day you make them. Consequently I love making them for picnics. Pack them at the top of cooler so they’re easy to reach, then munch on them while you unpack everything else. And they have no crumbs so they’re also suitable for eating while in the car.

Hummus bi Tahini: Pack a bag of raw veggies — cauliflower, carrot sticks, celery, broccoli — and a tub of hummus on top and you’ve got another great munchy. My version of this classic middle-eastern dip is a bit tart and a bit spicy because that’s the way I like it. But I once had a Lebanese woman tell me it was the best hummus she’d had in this country — which I considered a major complement.

Grape & Rosemary Focaccia: If you’re not having sandwiches as the main element of the meal, then a loaf of bread is a great addition. This focaccia is extraordinarily good. And even though it’s as easy to make as a yeast bread can be, I don’t make it often because I have been known to eat an entire loaf of it myself. It combines sweet, yeasty, resinous (the rosemary), and salty flavors with a wonderfully chewy/crisp texture.

Cheddar Chowder: When I was a kid (and it still snowed in East Tennessee) we’d make expeditions to the Smokys to go sledding. My mother would pack a lunch and she frequently included Knorr Ox-tail Soup to which she’d add a small dollop of red wine. As kids we thought this was quite a treat. I haven’t seen that soup mix in years, but this Cheddar Chowder is a delicious alternative and like the Knorr soup can be drunk from a styrofoam cup, which makes it convenient.

Mufaletta: If you’re thinking sandwiches, this is the sandwich to make. First, it’s justly famous because it’s extraordinarily good. They’re better if made in advance and then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap — the bread soaks up flavor from the olive mix and the meats. The best mufalettas I’ve had were about four hours old. And although I recommend making the mufaletta bread, Kaiser rolls or Italian bread are also good.

Pan-fried Chicken: Back when we made those sledding expeditions and got to have soup with a bit of wine in it, my mother often made fried chicken the night before to take with us. Now this is pan-fried chicken breaded in flour and this means that although it’s delightfully crisp straight out of the frying pan, by the next day it is no longer crisp and is, in fact, a bit soggy. Nevertheless, that cooling off period produces what is in effect a different chicken dish. But one that is as tasty as the original.

Seafood Pasta Salad: This salad is equally good as a side dish or main dish. It includes shrimp, smoked salmon, and crab and is dressed with lemon juice and oil instead of mayonnaise. I’ve also included canned sardines and smoked oysters in it and, because it is a salad, sweet bell pepper and cherry tomatoes (I strongly recommend Nature’s Sweet) are also in the mix. Some red onion would not be amiss either.

Ranger and Applesauce Cookies: Brownies are a great picnic dessert, but I have a soft spot for soft cookies. I’m not sure why. I’m not particularly a cookie fan and in fact about the only time I eat them is when I bake cookies for a picnic. But I do indeed bake cookies for picnics and these are two of my favorite recipes.

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