The Eagles make their season debut on Monday Night Football in a few weeks. For those who love to tailgate, it’s another season of gathering before the game to share good food with friends.
Tailgate parties are relatively new when compared to the shindigs hosted by the horsey set. For many years, the British set up elaborate outdoor meals during polo matches and horse shows. I don’t know how Americans came around to tailgating before football games, but the party stretches from coast to coast.
Now we have The Tailgater’s Cookbook by David Joachim ($14.95, Broadway Books, paperback). It’s chock-full of more than 90 recipes and tips for your parking-lot party. Joachim lives near Emmaus and is the author of several successful cookbooks, a number of which are designed to help men become more adept in the kitchen.
Chapters include "The Tailgater’s Tool Kit," "In the Cooler," which offers recipes for dips, spreads, sandwiches and salads that go well with any kind of barbecue, and "Tailgater’s Menus," which includes what to make when the Eagles beat Dallas. A recipe for a Philly cheesesteak is also available here.
Joachim offers a game plan and many do-ahead tips. He states every party should include two big coolers – one for food and one for drinks. And don’t forget the ice – that is until the December snows come along.
Here are some recipes from The Tailgater’s Cookbook:
Spinach Artichoke Dip
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup mayo
1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts,
drained and finely chopped
1 (10-ouncce) package frozen chopped
spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Directions:
Warm the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium. When hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook until soft, about five minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook until heated through.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator up to two days.
Serves 12.
Note from Phyllis: Joachim likes to serve this dip in two hollowed-out round loaves of bread. He suggests purchasing a few loaves, cutting them up and storing in an airtight bag for toting to the party. On arrival, all you have to do is gently reheat the dip.
Black-Eyed Pea Salsa
Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons of sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 (15-ounce) cans black-eyed peas, rinsed
and drained
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 medium-ripe tomatoes, seeded and
finely chopped
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 red jalapeno chilies, seeded and chopped
Directions:
Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, oil and salt in a medium bowl until blended, about two to three minutes. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cover and chill in the refrigerator at least one hour or up to one day.
Serves eight.
Note from Phyllis: Joachim recommends removing the salsa from your cooler 20 minutes before the party begins. He says this salsa is a little on the sweet side so you can reduce the sugar content to 1 or 2 tablespoons, if you like.
Chinese Noodle Salad
Ingredients:
1 pound dried Chinese wheat noodles or linguine
About a 1/4 cup of snow peas
1 cup hot vegetable or chicken broth
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/4 cup unsweetened rice vinegar
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
Directions:
Cook the noodles according to package directions until tender, but not mushy.
Slice the snow peas lengthwise into thin strips.
Mix the broth and sugar in a large bowl until the sugar melts. Whisk in the peanut butter, ginger, tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, hot pepper sauce and cilantro.
Just before draining the noodles, transfer 3 tablespoons of the hot noodle water to the bowl and whisk in. Drain the noodles and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Add the noodles to the bowl along with the snow peas. Mix thoroughly and scatter the sesame seeds over the top. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Remove the noodles from the cooler 20 minutes before the party begins.
Serves eight.
Note from Phyllis: Joachim says his young son particularly likes this dish because kids love peanut butter.
Bloody Mariachi
Ingredients:
3 cups tomato juice
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons good tequila
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 teaspoons adobo liquid from canned
chipotle chiles
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
Celery sticks, optional
Directions:
The morning of the party, fill a 2-quart thermos with ice and/or cold water and chill in the refrigerator for five minutes. Dump out the contents and mix in everything but the celery salt and celery sticks. Stir and taste to see if any ingredient is lacking.
At the party, pour about 3/4 cup of the Bloody Mariachi into an ice-filled glass or cup. Add a pinch of celery salt and celery stick.
Serves six.
Note from Phyllis: This is a Mexican version of the classic Bloody Mary. Canned chipotles can be found in specialty stores and the international food aisle of supermarkets.
