By Donna Cornelius
In this part of the country, college football game days are stressful enough without fretting over what to serve to hungry tailgaters.
You can put all your efforts into worrying about your favorite team with these crowd-pleasing recipes from Jefferson State Community College’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute.
Chef Todd Jackson, who put together a deliciously simple pregame menu, has been an instructor in the program since 2002.
“In high school, I worked at a barbecue restaurant,” he said. “I went to Auburn to study engineering, but that math thing got in the way.”
He returned to Birmingham, his hometown, and enrolled in Jefferson State’s culinary program, graduating in 1993. He was the dining room manager and executive chef for Regions Bank before joining the institute’s faculty in 2002.
Jackson shared some tailgating tips:
• Pick up a roasted chicken (or two) from the grocery store. The ready-made versions are tasty and easier than roasting your own birds.
• Serve salsas and dips with flour tortillas. Put the tortillas on the grill for a few minutes, let them cool and then put them in plastic zip bags.
• For a pretty platter of food, buy salami or other sliced meats from the supermarket deli. Add feta cheese and tomatoes and top with your favorite salad dressing.
• You can put together wraps the night before and refrigerate them as long as the ingredients don’t have too much liquid.
• Put everything in plastic zip bags for easy transport. The bags don’t take up much room in coolers, either.
Chef Kenneth Moore, the institute’s director of purchasing and catering, said he thought drinks for tailgates should be light and refreshing.
“The Vanilla Bean Lemonade is one of my personal favorites,” said Moore, who’s also an instructor in the program. “And I love incorporating fresh herbs and simple syrups into drinks.”
As another stress-relieving tactic, gin or vodka can be incorporated into any of the drinks.
The institute offers four degree options: culinary apprentice, hospitality management, food service/culinary management, and baking and pastry. Culinary students operate Bistro proVare, a fully-functioning “classroom café” that’s open to the public during the fall and spring from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The institute is at Jefferson State’s Shelby-Hoover Campus, 4600 Valleydale Road.
For more information about the program and the bistro, visit jeffersonstate.edu.
Buffalo Chicken Wraps
8-inch or 10-inch flour tortillas (You’ll need about 6 tortillas, depending on how full you want to stuff them.)
Meat from 1 whole roasted chicken, chopped or shredded
2 cups mayonnaise
4 tablespoons hot sauce or buffalo sauce
Salt and pepper
Lettuce
Tomato
Directions: Mix mayo with hot sauce, salt and pepper. To assemble, lay out lettuce and tomato. Toss chicken in sauce mixture and place on top of lettuce. Roll up the wraps and go. Cook’s notes: These can be made the day before. You also can just use the chicken salad by itself or serve it with grilled flatbreads or flour tortillas.
Corn and Collard Green Slaw
6 cobs of corn
½ bag of collard greens
2-3 cups mayonnaise
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Directions: Grill the corn and cut off cob. Cut collard greens into thin strips. Mix mayo and other ingredients. Combine all and let sit overnight.
Green Tomato and Cucumber Salsa
3 green tomatoes
1 seedless cucumber
½ red pepper
3 tablespoons sugar
1 cup red wine vinegar
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper
Directions: Dice all vegetables. Add sugar, vinegar, lime juice, salt and pepper. Cook’s note: Add jalapeños or hot sauce for a spicier salsa.
Strawberry Crescent Rolls
1 can crescent rolls
1 jar strawberry preserves
Honey
Directions: Lay out rolls and spread a thin layer of preserves on top. Roll them up and bake according to the instructions on the can. After they’re baked, drizzle a small amount of honey on top.
Broken Clock (or A Clockwork Orange)
3 cups orange juice
2 cups pineapple juice
4 to 6 ounces vodka or gin
2 cups thyme simple syrup (2 cups granulated sugar, 2 cups water and 5 sprigs of fresh thyme)
5 orange slices and thyme sprigs for garnish
Directions: Make the simple syrup. Combine sugar and water in a boiler and bring to a simmer. Add the thyme sprigs. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Combine the orange juice, simple syrup and pineapple juice. Allow to rest for at least an hour. Put vodka or gin and juice mixture into a shaker over ice. Pour into individual glasses and garnish each with an orange slice and fresh thyme sprigs. Makes nine 6-ounce servings.
Blackberry Lemonade
4 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (about 24 lemons), strained
2 cups hot water
4 cups cold water
1 ½ cups sugar
1 to 2 pints blackberries, pureed
2 lemons, sliced
Directions: Juice the lemons, making sure to strain out the seeds. Combine lemon juice, hot water and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add cold water and blackberry puree. Allow to rest for at least an hour. Serve over ice with lemon slices. Makes 10 8-ounce servings.
Vanilla Bean Lemonade
4 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (about 24 lemons), strained
2 cups hot water
4 cups cold water
1 ½ cups sugar
2 vanilla bean pods, sliced in half lengthwise
2 lemons, sliced
Directions: Juice the lemons, making sure to strain out the seeds. Combine vanilla bean pods, lemon juice, hot water and sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add the cold water. Allow to rest for at least an hour. Remove vanilla pods and serve over ice with lemon slices. Makes 10 8-ounce servings.
