Major League Snack

MLB's opening night is Wednesday April 4th, and opening day is Thursday April 5th.

Today eating in ball parks goes way beyond the 20 billion hot dogs consumed in MLB ball parks. Fans have unanimously agreed that AT&T Park in San Francisco tops the list with the best offerings of stadium food. Who could refuse a Dungeness crab sandwich with homemade garlic fries tossed with fresh garlic? That does not mean that good BBQ ribs in Kansas City and sushi have replaced the old standby Cracker Jack. Although now sold in bags instead of boxes, they are still available in all 30 Major League parks, with Boston's Fenway Park tossing a thousand bags a game to munching fans. So what makes CJ's so special?

Cracker Jack is so much more than candy caramel-coated popcorn and peanuts. There is also that special little surprise in each box which still brings smiles to faces on kids of all ages. Did you know these one-of-a-kind prizes are sought after by collectors fetching north of 50k dollars? Hey that’s cool! - which by the way is the meaning behind the term ‘Cracker Jack’ in the 1890’s. I do think the name Cracker Jack is fitting, somehow ‘Cool Jack’ just doesn't have the same ring.

Watch this classic TV commercial from the 1960’s featuring Jack Gilford.

Bruschetta

What to grill this weekend? How about some bread? Bruschetta is one of my most popular recipes and is so simple to prepare. It is an ideal snack to enjoy while you are waiting for the main dish on the grill to be finished. 

Ideally, use day old or very dense thickly-sliced bread. The addition of the smoke from the grill adds magical flavor to the crust and it’s toppings. There is no limit in toppings for your bruschetta, just let your imagination run free. Think of your bread crusts as an artist’s canvas. 

Join me for a bruschetta tour through Italy. Which, BTW, the variety in bruschetta toppings vary from region to region.  

When canal-side in Venice, I must have my bruschetta with Baccala' Mantecato, that is topped with whipped salted cod. This cod is making me thirsty! Vino prego!

While in Siena, I’ve enjoyed grilled toasts di fegato, that's made with garlicky chopped liver.

The southern part of Italy is the region to feast on the superior quality of fruits from Italy's fertile soil, particularly Naples. Ahh, delicioso pomodoro. This is the bruschetta most people envision - crowns of sweet ripened tomatoes, basil and olive oil.   

Before you take your first bite, let me transport you to my favorite place in Positano; Trattoria La Tagliata where Bartolo is the family's grill chef. He will take really good care of you - while you nibble on his bruschetta, enjoying the priceless view of the Amalfi Coast and await his grilled specialties.

Something wonderful happens to country-style bread when it’s brushed with olive oil and grilled. It’s smoky flavor adds another layer to olive oil, fresh tomatoes with lots of caramelized garlic, parmesan cheese, and capers. Dry day-old bread makes the best bruschetta, so this is a good way to use up yesterday’s loaf of Italian, French, or sourdough bread. Serve bruschetta with salad or soup, or as a snack with a chunk of sopressatta.

This recipe is from my first book, and to pass along just how much everyone enjoys bruschetta from the grill it’s my very first recipe in the book, page 14.

Bruschetta 
From Grilling with Chef George Hirsch | The cookbook By George Hirsch with Marie Bianco © 1994

Makes 6 

3 cups seeded and diced plum tomatoes
24 cloves caramelized garlic
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon capers, rinsed
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 slices round country- style bread, sliced 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
6 basil leaves, chopped
Grated parmesan cheese 

To make the topping, combine the tomtoes, garlic, parmesan cheese, capers, salt and pepper.

Brush the bread on both sides with olive oil and grill 10 to 15 seconds on each side. Press down on the bread with a spatula so that the bread picks up grill marks.

When the bread is grilled, top off the slices evenly with the tomato mixture and place them in a foil pan on the grill. Close the hood and heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan and sprinkle each bruschetta with basil and parmesan cheese.

Ragusa

Yes, it's universal, and the concept is pretty much the same, though the variations of pizza are huge! I have willingly featured some version of pizza in just about every one of my TV series to date. If I'm not cooking it, I am always on the lookout for good pizza in my travels to share with you.

I have a sixth sense for pizza and boy did I strike gold in Dubrovnik, Croatia, of all places - that's Yugoslavia pre 90s. You may question my pizza radar, but I ask you to keep in mind the many cultural occupations of mediterranean rulers in Croatia; Austrian, Italian, German, Turkish, French and Hungarian - since the seventh century.

The prosperous history of the walled city of Dubrovnik, aka Ragusa in Italian, is as clear as the deep waters surrounding it is blue. The medieval white marble covered streets and its rich architecture are examples of how powerful this Adriatic trading-port kingdom was. Today it is a popular tourist destination and popular sailing port. Within the confines of the city wall, the pedestrian streets and narrow alleys are lined with boutiques, pastry shops and cafes with a relaxed atmosphere.

At the far end of the main walk and at the entrance of the prominent St. Blaise Church is the open market with fruits, vegetables, local honey and nuts. I purchased a bunch of grapes and continued with my search for pizza. Within a few alleys from the main walk I found it - Pizzeria Oliva. I ordered a simple margarita pizza and paired it with a refreshing cold Karlovacko Pivovara Beer. Even if pizza wasn't invented in Croatia, the quality of the pizza is excellent. The dough is homemade, topped with local cheese; and the pies are wood-fired oven baked. Karlovacko is the local brew, in existence since 1779; which BTW has been a Heineken property since 2003.

Pizzeria Oliva, Lučarica 5, 20000 Dubrovnik Croatia

images: George Hirsch

Dublin Coddle Hotpot

This traditional supper dish of Bangers (sausages), bacon, onions and potatoes dates back to the early eighteenth century. It was a favorite of Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels and Dean of Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin. In Dublin, a coddle is a dish that can be prepared ahead of time and left to cook in a very slow oven, or a slow cooker. This is an ideal menu choice for when you can’t stand over the grill or oven to watch it cook. 

Comfort food at its best—I find this dish is also an easy prep, especially if you are out in the yard busy in springtime activities. Set up the dish, let it slow cook and you’ll have a meal ready for a crowd later in the day, or a few hours later. 

As common sense with ingredients in all recipes, the sausages in this dish should be the best quality pork sausages for optimum results. My butcher friend Peter O’Sullivan from Co. Kerry, Ireland figured if we paired his sausages and my grilling recipes we would have a hit! Peter also told me he is a third generation sausage maker and the only thing that has changed in the recipe in a hundred years is there is less fat and the ingredients were pretty simple, no preservatives.

Note: Coddle means to cook slowly and gently below the boiling point.

Combining the flavor of the grilled sausages and slow cooking of the vegetables makes this hearty dish ideal for serving for a St. Pat’s celebration or on Spring's unexpected chilly nights. Keep it in a Dublin theme and serve with Guinness and brown bread. 

Dublin Coddle
Makes six – eight servings | George Hirsch

4 pounds Yukon or new potatoes, well scrubbed and cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1 pound pork sausages, grill until brown – not fully cooked, room temp.
2 large sweet onions, peeled and cut into two inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into two inch pieces
8 cloves caramelized garlic, puree with flat of knife 
1 pound slab bacon, sliced - browned - cut into one inch pieces
1 - 2 cups beef or chicken broth, variable 
1 cup Guinness or use additional broth
4 Tablespoons fresh flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Fresh ground black pepper 

After grilling and chilling sausages, it may be left whole or cut into smaller pieces, depending on the size of sausages on how you are serving this dish. I also like leaving the skin on the potatoes for added flavor and nutrients.

Layer ingredients into a cast iron pan with a tight fitting cover, or a slow cooker in this order: onions, carrots, bacon, sausages, potatoes, pinch of thyme, parsley and pepper. Repeat until all ingredients are used up. In a small sauce pot, mix caramelized garlic with broth, heat to simmer, then pour the broth and Guinness over the top of sausage and vegetables. 

Slowly cook on a low temperature grill on indirect heat for three hours (cover closed), or 300 degree F oven for 3-4 hours or in a slow cooker on low for 7-8 hours, or high for 3 to 4 hours. After a couple hours, occasionally check the liquid in the bottom of the pan to make sure there is at least 1 inch of liquid remaining in the bottom at all times. Add additional broth as needed. 

Serve immediately.

More Than Potatoes

I had an enjoyable afternoon tea, at yet another one of my favorite Ireland locations with great history, Adare Manor, with mega TV chef and cookbook author Rachael Allen (Yes, the Allen Family from Ballymaloe). 

VIDEO: Watch the Segment. Rachel and I shared our foodie stories and the like beginnings in our culinary careers. See why Ireland's cuisine is more than just potatoes.

George Has Tea with Ireland's Rachel Allen