William Penn Life, 2002 (37. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2002-07-01 / 7. szám
Treasured Recipes itk CLf Pick of the picnics There’s been a lot of talk around here lately about picnics. Much of the talk is about the WPA’s summerending picnic Sept 14 at Penn Scenic View. (,..psst...look at the page next to this one, the one with the word “PICNIC” on it There ya’ go, sport.) Everyone’s invited, and I’m here to personally encourage all my dear readers to attend. The success of any picnic relies on two things. One is a fun, friendly group of people. Since there will be lots of WPA folks at our picnic, you can rest assured that “fun” and “friendly” will be bywords for that day. The second key to a picnic’s success is the food. I know the folks preparing the food for our picnic. Let me tell you, dear readers, you are in for some GOOD eats. These folks know how to pack a kolbász casing. And manning the gulyás kettle will be Mickey Milcsevics. Nobody, and I mean nobody, knows how to “stir the black pot” like Mickey. You can get in the act by making your own szalonna sütés. And, let’s not forget all the yummy pastries and tangos. Good people. Good food. Good times. Sept. 14. Penn Scenic View. Be there. Thrill of the Grill Be it ever so modernized, there’s nothing like cooking outdoors AS I STOOD SWEATING OVER MY grill this past Memorial Day, I noticed that I was not the only one wielding a long-handled spatula that day. My neighbors on either side, their next-door neighbors and (judging from the plumes of smoke rising behind their homes) my neighbors across the street were all cooking outside. As the air grew thick with the scent of charring meat, I thought about the nearly universal fascination with outdoor grilling and how its changed over the years. I can recall my father dumping charcoal from a large paper bag into a shallow round pan that stood on aluminum legs that looked as if they would collapse if even one more briquette was added. He'd then squeeze some lighter fluid over the charcoals, stop, ponder the coals, then squeeze on just a wee bit more. With a quick flick of his wrist, he'd strike a match, toss it onto the pile and lean back to avoid the woosh of flame that shot up from the grill. After a short while, the flames died down, the charcoal turned from black to greyishwhite, and it was time to start cooking. These days, there are still many folks who swear this is the only TRUE way to grill outdoors. But, how many of us have succombed to temptation, that is, have found irresistible the ease, convenience and (let's face it) impressiveness of the modern GAS grill? Some of these propane-powered behemoths are more versatile than the average kitchen. Not only are they large enough to grill enough meat to feed the National League All-Star team, but also sport warming trays, cooling racks and side burners. I'm waiting for one with an optional microwave. It makes me wonder why we cook outdoors at all. Ah, but then you taste the grilled meat. Even if they're cooked over gas-heated lava rocks, hamburgers off the grill just taste better. I quess we could discuss why that is, but I prefer to leave the reasons for others to ponder. Why spoil the fun? Just grab me an ear of corn off the upper rack. 1 like to eat just about anything off the grill, but perhaps my favorite is barbecue spare ribs (sült oldalas in Hungarian). Naturally, you need to start with good meat. The real secret to great ribs, however, lies in the sauce. Here's a quick and easy recipe for tasty ribs. It comes from “An Outstanding Collection of Treasured Hugarian Recipes and Family Favorites" available for a $5 donation to the WPA's Scholarship Foundation. Barbecue Spare Ribs (Sült oldalas) 2 lbs. spare ribs salted and cut into serving pieces Vi cup catsup (or is it ketchup?) 2 tsp. prepared mustard 2 tblsp. cooking oil V* tsp. black pepper Vi tsp. salt Mix the catsup, mustard, oil and seasoning in a bowl. Place the uncooked ribs in a larger container and cover with half of the sauce mixture. Cover the container and place it in the refrigerator for about an hour. Fire up your grill. Place the ribs on the hot grill and let cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the ribs, cover with remaining sauce and grill until well done. Serve hot. (por more lively ribs, add a dash of cayenne pepper to the sauce mix. Yee-haw!) fig[ | 8 Hilliam Pfiw Life. July .2002
