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Kick off the fall sports season with recipes that are sure to score
Regardless of what’s happening on the playing field, you can always count
on there being lots of action outside
the stadium.
Tailgating is a time-honored tradition – one that’s as old as the sports we celebrate. But
Joe Cahn, the self-proclaimed Commissioner
of Tailgating, says tailgating isn’t exclusive
to football.
“They tailgate at the Kentucky Derby, hockey games, at NASCAR races – anywhere there’s a celebration of the community,” he says. “You
get in the parking lot of any big sporting event, and we’re all one. You can bring a sandwich
you picked up at a store or lay out a spread
to rival the best restaurant in town. Here, everyone’s equal.”
Cahn should know; he’s visited every NFL stadium in the United States and documented
the art on his Web site, tailgating.com. A chef
by trade, Cahn says the food is what makes each tailgate so unique, with different regions serving up different fare.
“The climate is the major difference – it affects the types of foods that are served and how they’re served,” he says. “For example, [in August or September] when it’s still warm out, tailgates are lighter fare; people pack picnics. As it gets cooler, the grills come out.
“New England has its chowder; Kentucky has burgoo; Vancouver has seafood; and, in California, they tend to have more wine and salads. It’s the best cooking class in the country.”
Ingredients
6 ounces pizza dough (can be purchased
in grocer’s refrigerated section)
¼ cup virgin olive oil, for brushing and drizzling
½ teaspoon minced fresh garlic
mozzarella slices
2 Tablespoons freshly grated pecorino Romano
6 Tablespoons chopped canned tomatoes,
in heavy puree
8 basil leaves
Procedure
Prepare a hot charcoal fire, setting the grill rack 3
to 4 inches above the coals. On a large, oiled, inverted baking sheet, spread and flatten the pizza dough
with your hands into a 10- to 12-inch free-form
circle, 1/8-inch thick.
When the fire is hot, use your fingertips to lift the dough gently by the two corners closest to you, and drape in onto the grill. Catch the loose edge on the
grill first and slide the remaining dough into place
over the fire. Within a minute the dough will puff slightly, the underside will stiffen, and grill marks
will appear.
Using tongs, immediately flip the crust over, onto
the coolest part of the grill. Quickly brush the grilled surface with olive oil. Scatter the garlic and cheeses over the dough and spoon dollops of tomato over
the cheese. Finally, drizzle the pizza with one or two tablespoons of olive oil.
Slide the pizza back toward the hot coals,
but not directly over them. Using tongs, rotate
the pizza frequently so that different sections
receive high heat; check the underside often
to see that it is not burning. The pizza is done
when the top is bubbly and the cheese melted,
about 6 to 8 minutes.
Ingredients
10 to 12 chicken drumettes
1 Tablespoon Cajun pepper, plus
more for seasoning wings
1 bottle chipotle pepper sauce
Honey
Procedure
Preheat a grill to medium-high. Season
the wings with Cajun pepper. In a medium bowl, combine the chipotle pepper sauce with 1 tablespoon Cajun pepper, and honey, to taste. Place the wings on the grill and as you cook them, turn them and brush each time with the pepper sauce mixture. Make sure the wings cook long enough on each side so they get crispy around the edges.
Remove the wings from the grill and
brush again with the pepper sauce mixture before serving.
Ingredients
12 ears fresh corn, unshucked
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter,
room temperature
3 limes, zest finely grated
1 bunch fresh chervil, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ pound queso fresco, finely grated
¼ cup cayenne pepper
Procedure
Soak the corn in a large container of water for
1 hour. Prepare the grill. Put the soaked cobs on
the hot grill and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, turning frequently. The corn is done when it feels soft when you press on it.
While the corn is grilling make the lime butter: In
a small bowl combine the butter, lime zest, chervil, and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well and spread onto a large plate. Spread the queso fresco onto another plate.
Take the corn off the grill and carefully peel back the husks (it will be hot). Remove the corn silk and
tie the husks in a knot so you can hold on to it like
a handle. Roll in the lime butter and then roll in the queso fresco; sprinkle with the cayenne pepper. Place on a large platter and serve immediately.
Tailgating 101
Food and football have always gone together. In the fall of 1869, the first organized football game took place between Rutgers and Princeton. The first tailgating party was a fish and wild game supper held before the game. “They ate the leftovers after the game,” says Chris Warner, author of A Tailgater’s Guide to SEC Football.
Warner says the first football games occurred during the day – before stadium lighting, so it wasn’t until the invention of modern lighting
that tailgating really grabbed a stronghold.
“Normally people would hop from house
to house to different parties,” Warner says. “Because the games were played at night (because it was too hot, especially in the South, to play during the day), that left all
day to attend these gatherings.”
In the early 1970s, however, tailgating took
yet another form as games began to be broadcast on network television. Games were played early in the day so that the networks could broadcast as many games as possible.
“This really cut into the party time,” Warner says, “so people would just drop the tailgate
of their truck or station wagon and have a picnic in the back before the game.”
Today, the practice of tailgating is bigger and better than ever, with books written and television documentaries made about it. Warner says one main reason for its increased popularity is because “it’s the one time when we all get together and actually interact with one another. Gone are the days when you sat on the front porch to shoot the breeze with your neighbors. Tailgating is associated with good food and good friends – both things people in the South hold dear.”
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