Projo Football Food and Spirits

Here's a nice accompaniement to sandwiches for Sunday night's game.

LOADED BAKED POTATO SALAD

4 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled
1 pound bacon, crisply cooked, and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces (fat reserved, if desired)
4 ounces unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 cups grated or shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream (regular or low-fat)
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Cook whole potatoes in boiling, unsalted water until tender. Refrigerate until chilled, then chop into one-inch pieces.
Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl along with the remaining ingredients and thoroughly combine. Add some of the reserved bacon fat if desired.
Chill at least 2 hours before serving. Adjust the seasoning prior to serving.

Note: Any condiments or toppings typically added to a loaded baked potato may be used for this recipe.

Fenway Frank: Boiled and grilled Fenway-style, the Fenway Frank is a Hebrew National dog served on a New England-style bun and covered with mustard and relish.

Since it's down to the Red Sox and the Colorado Rockies, we can eat Yankee Stadium's cole slaw without jinxing anything.

Top Dog Slaw Recipe

2 lb green cabbage, chopped
1 1/2 cup red onion, small dice
3/4 cup dill pickle, grated
1/2 cup red bell pepper, small dice

Dressing:
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp celery seed

Directions:

Combine all slaw ingredients. Pour dressing over top and mix well. Season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Source: ABC News' Feasty Boys' Recipes for Baseball Eats

Grilled Salmon with Cherry Tomato-Basil Relish

For the relish:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup firmly packed fresh basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the salmon:
Four 6-ounce salmon fillets or steaks
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil

To make the relish: Cut the tomatoes in half if they're small, or in quarters if they're large.

In a wooden bowl and using a pestle, mash the garlic and salt to a paste, then stir in the vinegar. Whisk in the oil, then add the tomatoes and basil, gently tossing everything together. Set aside.

Prepare a hot fire in a charcoal grill. Season the fish with sea salt and pepper.

Oil the grill rack well and lightly brush the fish with oil. Grill the fish, turning halfway through the cooking process, for a total of 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness, or until slightly charred on the edges and still slightly translucent in the center. Serve with the relish.

Makes 4 servings.

-- Associated Press

Roasting vegetables at high temperatures is great technique for bringing out deep, sweet flavors in produce by sealing in juices and caramelizing their natural sugars.

But taking it one step further by broiling and actually charring them not only gives you those deep sweet flavors, it also imparts a savory smoky dimension.

The eggplant flesh breaks down into a creamy puree that can be scooped out with a spoon and used in dips and spreads. The rich, creamy texture coats pasta well as in this recipe for rotini with smoky eggplant and red pepper sauce.

ROTINI WITH SMOKY EGGPLANT AND RED PEPPER SAUCE
1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise (about 1 pound)
3 red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into quarters
8 ounces rotini or other small pasta
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat a broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Place eggplant halves, cut-side down, in the center of the baking sheet. With a small sharp knife, prick through the skin of each half in several places. Arrange the peppers, cut-side down, around the eggplant.

Broil the vegetables until the pepper skins have blackened, about 20 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a plate and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 10 minutes to loosen the skins.

Meanwhile, return the eggplant to the broiler and cook until the skin has blackened and the flesh is completely softened, about another 10 minutes.

While the vegetables cook, bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the olive oil, parsley, lemon juice and garlic.

When the eggplant is done, let it cool slightly then use a large spoon to scrape the flesh from the skin and onto a cutting board. Chop the flesh to a chunky consistency and transfer to the bowl with the lemon juice and garlic mixture. Stir well.

Peel and discard the blackened skin from the cooled red peppers. Coarsely chop the peppers and add them to the eggplant mixture. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce and toss thoroughly to coat. Season with salt and black pepper.

-- Associated Press

I'm making this for the season opener, since it's too hot to cook. I have some cold chicken, so I broke the recipe up to accommodate starting with either raw or cooked breasts, or the equivalent whole parboiled chickens.

Cold Curried Chicken Salad
3 whole chicken breasts, split (about 3 lb.), cooked, cut up

If you need to cook the chicken*:
2 carrots, pared and cut up
2 stalks celery, cut up
1 sm. onion, peeled and sliced
6 whole black peppers
Salt
1 bay leaf
3 c. boiling water

1/2 c. thinly sliced celery
2 c. diced unpared tart apple
1/2 c. coarsely chopped green pepper
2 tsp. grated onion
3/4 c. mayonnaise or cooked salad dressing
3 tbsp. light cream
1/2 to 1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp pepper, white if you have it
Finger rolls (optional)

In large bowl, combine cooked chicken, sliced celery, apple, green pepper and grated onion.

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream, curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt and white pepper. Mix well.

Add to chicken mixture. Toss lightly to combine. Refrigerate until serving time, at least 1 hour.

Spoon salad onto large platter. Garnish. Serve with finger rolls. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

*If you need to cook the chicken:

In 4 quart kettle, combine chicken breasts, carrot, cut up celery, sliced onion, black peppers, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, bay leaf and the boiling water.

Bring to boiling; reduce heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from broth. Cool then refrigerate until well chilled. (Refrigerate broth for use another time.)

Remove and discard skin from chicken; cut meat from bones in large pieces. Proceed with cold chicken instructions.