Picnic foods that are conversation starters
All I need to get in gear for a summer picnic is an invitation, my sun hat, my pals, a sunny day and a yummy dish that travels well and keeps in the heat. There will be smoke, there will be meat. And only halfway through the season, I’ve already picked my favorite side dishes that seem to go with everything.
Even though the recipes come from cookbooks or online sources, picnic dishes are forever associated with the person who brings them.
Anne’s Cornbread Casserole
Not quite a bread, not really a pudding, this spoonable cornbread dish is slightly sweet with summer corn flavor. It pairs well with everything on the table. “My best friend, Connie Lindsey, gave me this recipe,” says Anne Makowski of Scott. “I make it for block parties and family events because it feeds a bunch of people and is a real crowd pleaser. Leftovers are good for breakfast.”
Marty’s Fish Fry Coleslaw
Marty Sporrer of Mount Washington is a jack-of-all-trades at St. Teresa of Avila Church in Ross. Every Friday in Lent, he wrangles 100 pounds of cabbage into the slaw served to the 1,200or so parishioners who show up for the church fish fries. His secret is the “double-cut”, where the cabbage is neither shredded nor minced, but finely chopped into what looks like veggie confetti. He buys it in wholesale bags, but you can knife-chop, double-cut a smaller amount. Mr. Sporrer warns, “Never use a food processor. And always use cold mayonnaise.” You can sample the slaw along with St. Teresa’s whole fish fry menu on Fish Fry Friday, Aug. 17, duringthe church’s annual festival.
Bobbi’s Peach Cobbler
When the Georgia Peach Truck came to town last July 1, Bobbi Lasto and her husband, “Fish Fry Marty,” stood in line at Rollier’s to pick up a huge box of peaches. After sharing the fruit with
neighbors, Bobbi set to freezing and baking. Her golden, juicy cobbler is sensational. Though her recipe calls for Georgia peaches, our Pennsylvania peaches are just as delicious. Recipe online at post-gazette.com.
Chris’ Baked Beans
Chris Fennimore is producer/host, “QED Cooks,” and he’s made a ton, literally, of good food on his television show since it debuted in August 1993. The baked beans he conjured with his guests, the BBQStu grilling team, whose company is based in McKeesport, are the best I’ve ever tasted; sweet, salty and gooey. We both attend an annual picnic in June, and if he ever shows up without a pan of these beans, I’ll holler at him. The 25th anniversary programof “QED Cooks” will airlive at 10 a.m. Aug. 4.
There was also barbecued drumsticks but I never did track down who made this dish. Browned, fat, fallingoff-the-bone chicken drumsticks lolling in a vinegary red barbecue sauce appeared on every plate I saw, and they were gone before anything else on the picnic buffet. Their flavor is haunting me.
I have a nifty, new picnic bonnet this year, from Tenth Street Hats. It lives in the trunk of my car along with a cotton blanket, a bottle opener, plastic flatware and dishes, a book of short stories and scissors for cutting wild flowers. There are still two months of good weather to go. It’s best to be prepared.