It’s Tailgating Time: Welcome to the Neighborhood

It’s that time of year again, when family and friends gather in stadium parking lots for America’s favorite block party!
By Dava Guerin

It could be any neighborhood block party in Bucks or Montgomery County on a crisp, fall weekend—the smell of charcoal on the grill; colorful decorations adorning folding tables with hot dog rolls, ketchup, mustard, potato salad and chips for all; men sporting green Eagles Jerseys; women swapping recipes; and everyone bonding, thanks to one overriding tenet—”if it’s Sunday during football season, it’s time to party.” America’s biggest block parties take place in America’s newest neighborhoods—at stadiums—and at least during football season, the neighbors seem to all get along.

Just ask the self-appointed “Commissioner of Tailgating,” Joe Cahn, a former New Orleans chef who tailgates in stadiums approximately 46 times a year and knows these “neighborhoods” well. For Cahn and many others, tailgating provides the total game day experience, and turns ordinary parking lots into a sports fan’s home away from home.  He even has a website, www.tailgating.com, which gives advice on how to create the perfect tailgate experience.

According to the “Commish,” tailgating either originated with the first game of football—Rutgers versus Princeton—in 1869, or at Yale in 1904 when fans packed picnics or grilled beside their carriages. Of course, now the carriages are out; the 27 million Americans who tailgate annually come together  in buses, RV’s, stretch limos and Hummers, and yes, sometimes simple cars, to  form what Cahn calls, “the last, great American neighborhood.”

“I often say that tailgating is like a wedding reception—everyone wants to be there—even if they can’t make the rehearsal dinner or the ceremony,” Cahn said. “Another reason for its soaring popularity is that we’re all so technologically isolated because of the proliferation of cell phones, iPods and computers, so tailgating is a very real way of making a human connection,” he added.

What does the “Commish” recommend? He says to: dress in team colors; plan your menu; make a list of the items you need; fly a flag; decorate your site in team colors and pennants; meet your  tailgate neighbors; share your food and swap recipes; leave the area clean; and bring antacid, comfortable shoes, sun block, jumper cables, and of course, a friend. Chef Jim Coleman, who owns Normandy Farms restaurant in Blue Bell, PA, is not only an award-winning chef, author, television and radio personality, but also a former high school football player who happens to love tailgating. Recently, he was one of the judges for a national search for the best tailgate recipe in the nation, created by H. J. Heinz. For the past eight seasons, the company has had the naming rights to Heinz Field, home of the 2006 Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“It’s gotten to the point that the folks who take their tailgating seriously, take their cooking even more seriously, and  plan their menus with the same level and care that I would,” Coleman said.  “Some of the recipes I tested along with the Heinz chefs were absolutely fantastic, and it’s amazing to me how much creativity is out there.”

One winner of the Heinz tailgating contest, Patricia Harmon, is a 66-year-old Beaver County, Pa. retiree who has entered more than 500 online cooking contests over the past 12 years. This former courthouse secretary-turned-recipe contest connoisseur has won $10,000 in cash, an all-expense paid trip to Italy, and hundreds of free products for her many creative recipes. However, despite her many prizes, she is most proud of her winning tailgating treat, known as “The Best Wurst Chicken Caliente Sandwich.” “I turned my love of cooking into a hobby, and it’s especially rewarding to offer tailgaters out there an easy-to prepare recipe that will be a big hit with their friends and fellow tailgaters alike,” Harmon said enthusiastically. One of the joys of tailgating is that it brings people with a common interest together in a celebratory setting. This nuclear, yet, diverse, family of tailgating enthusiasts spends game days cavorting, screaming, laughing, and overeating, all in the spirit of the moment.

Nicole Allen, 27, a communications manager for Apple Tours, has been an avid tailgater at the Eagles games since she was 17. “I enjoy tailgating at sporting events because you meet fascinating people who share the same interest in sports,” she said. When asked what her favorite tailgate experience was, she recalled one of the last games held at Veterans Stadium. “I was grilling hamburgers and hot dogs and hanging out in the back of my Jeep. Everyone was very excited that day. It was a special moment because we all had a place in our hearts for the stadium, and it was the last time we would see it before it was demolished. ” Allen has some tips for tailgaters, too. “I suggest they get there at least four hours before the game, secure a parking space, and make sure the grill is turned off before putting it back in the car when they leave.”

Another veteran tailgater, SEPTA Transit police officer and Havertown, Pa. resident, Michael Boring, 38, aka: “Itchy,” whose web site, www.eagles-tailgate.com, features his own tailgating take, believes the experience provides “the most electrifying environment imaginable.”  “Tailgating has become a time honored ritual.  It has evolved from an Ivy League picnic to an elaborate pre-game food and drink fest. The passion and camaraderie are among the best feelings one could have,” said Boring.  “The majority of those who attend are close friends, but not in the generic sense. They are more like family, only missing the blood lines.  They share the same passion as I do about the Eagles and tailgating.”

So the next time you think about a place where everyone gets along, no one locks their doors and fun is shared by all, look no further than your nearest stadium parking lot. It’s a block party in America’s newest neighborhood, and a touchdown for anyone lucky enough to live there for a day.

Dava Guerin is Bucks & Montgomery Living Magazine’s People Editor.

The Taste of Tailgating

Recipes from some of the top restaurants in your own backyard.

La Bonne Auberge
1 Rittenhouse Circle
New Hope, PA 18938
www.bonneauberge.com | (215) 862-2462

Chef Gerard Caronello’s Jumbo Lump Crab Salad

1 pound of pasteurized jumbo lump crab meat
4 stalks of celery (chopped)
1 red pepper (chopped)
1/2 of Spanish onion (chopped)
1 soup spoon of fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon of fresh chopped basil
1 soup spoon of small capers
4 cloves of chopped garlic
1 soup spoon of Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1/2 cup of virgin olive oil
1 soup spoon of red wine vinegar
1 lime squeezed
Serve 6 to 8 people.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and add the crab at the last minute, taking great precautions not to break the lumps.

The Freight House
194 W. Ashland Street
Doylestown, PA 18901
www.thefreighthouse.net | (215) 340-1003

Moroccan BBQ Shrimp Kebab
2 U-15 shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 pineapple golden (cut 1” square)
1 red pepper (cut 1” square)
1 yellow pepper (cut 1” square)
16 cherry tomatoes
16 10” bamboo skewers
Serves 6 to 8 people.

Starting with onion, alternately place 3-4 of each item on a double set of skewers. Set skewers ½ “apart for easier handling while grilling.

Moroccan BBQ
2 cups ketchup
1 cup soy sauce
½ cup pineapple juice
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼  brown sugar
½ teaspoon black peppercorn
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ teaspoon mustard seed
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise pod
1/8 cups cilantro (chopped)
Serves 6 to 8 people.

Place all ingredients in thick bottom, non-reactive pot, (stainless or enamel), with 1 cup of water and simmer until reduced by half. Strain and reserve. Marinade kebab in BBQ 1 hour before grilling, reserve 1 cup warm for brushing right before serving.

From Maria Liberati (“The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions”)

Avocado a l’Italiana (Italian Style Avocado Dip)
2 ripe avocados
1 lemon juiced
4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons chopped sun dried tomatoes (packed in oil, drained)

Mash the avocado. Add in all other ingredients. If you are taking this spread with you, place in plastic container and place plastic wrap against surface of avocado spread before you close the container. You can use this as a dip for breadsticks, cut vegetables and tortilla chips.

From Maria Liberati (“The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions”)

Bocconcini di Pollo (Chicken Nuggets, Italian Style)
1 lb of chicken breast
1 tsp dried or fresh rosemary chopped finely
1 tsp dried sage
1 egg
1/3 cup of plain bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size chunks. Beat the egg in a bowl with Tuscan picnic. Place chicken chunks into beaten egg, and then the bread crumbs. Heat the oil in a frying pan. Place in the breaded chicken chunks, a little at a time and fry a few at a time until they are golden in color. Remove with a slotted spoon. Place on paper towel to absorb any oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and eat cold or heat on the grill in the aluminum foil at your tailgate event.

The Lambertville Station
11 Bridge Street
Lambertville, NJ 08530
www.lambertvillestation.com | (609) 397-8300

Chili
3 lb ground beef
4 medium onions chopped
1 tsp fresh chopped garlic
12 tbs cider vinegar
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
2 oz vegetable oil
35 each whole allspice
5 each bay leaves
4 tbs ground ancho chilies
1 ea cinnamon stick
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 dashes Worcestershire
1 qt veal stock
Salt & pepper to taste

Sachet: Bay leaves, allspice & cinnamon. Cut meat into two inch cubes and brown in oil. Add garlic and onions. Add tomato sauce and vinegar and boil for five minutes. Add remaining ingredients and sachet. Simmer for four hours.

The Lambertville Station

BBQ Sauce
5 shallots peeled
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
½ cup molasses
8 cups ketchup
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbs butter
1 tbs cumin
2 tbs lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste

Add the following ingredients into a large saucepan and heat for 3 minutes on medium heat: Butter, shallots, red wine vinegar, sugar and molasses. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer. Use a hand blender until smooth.

Serve up these smokin’ recipes on a Jamie Oliver “Big Boy” Portable Charcoal BBQ, for sale at Cookery Ware Shop at 66 Peddler’s Village in Lahaksa. The Big Boy BBQ is easy to pack and carry and perfect for the park, beach or even the balcony. For questions regarding the charcoal BBQ, contact Cookery Ware Shop at (215) 794-8477 or visit www.cookeryware.com.