Tailgating in comfort in the great indoors

I hate cooking and eating in parking lots.

Decades ago, I turned against tailgating after being forced to attend a subzero Pittsburgh Steelers football game at which I ate pedestrian, lukewarm chili and then used crushed corn chips as road salt to creep across the icy asphalt to a portable commode.

All this, despite the fact that there were a perfectly good boneless leg of lamb and a fireplace at home.

So I applaud football stadiums, Lincoln Financial Field not among them, that are restricting tailgating to people who hold tickets to the game.

The Eagles' stadium might consider it, though, to help raise the level of dining during football games.

"Indoor tailgating" - socializing and eating while watching football on television - means being close to beloved wooden spoons, spices, refrigeration, microwave ovens, unlimited foil, and other culinary comforts that human beings have developed over the centuries and which should never be forsaken in the name of a blood sport.

Which, incidentally, is how some say tailgating began its evil infiltration into American culture. The roots of tailgating lie, weirdly, in 1861's first major battle of the Civil War, according to Stephen Linn of American Heritage Magazine.

Union supporters who lived around Washington, D.C., flocked to the site of the First Battle of Bull Run at Manassas, Va., with baskets of food.

They socialized and watched, expecting, Linn writes, the exciting defeat of the Confederates. But things got bloodier than they had ever dreamed, and the picnickers fled back to the nation's capital.

"Historians generally agree this was a case of the right idea at the wrong time, war not being a spectator sport," Linn writes.

Eight years later - he doesn't note whether the Washingtonians were too freaked out to make future trips to battlegrounds - picnicking during a "sporting" event found a more suitable home in college football, which was first played in New Brunswick, N.J., between Rutgers and Princeton, Linn adds.

After World War II, the nation was flooded with station wagons, affordable, portable grills, and men who considered it manly to cook ostentatiously in the open air.

Since then, tailgating has blossomed into a culture all its own, one that treats people who aren't enthusiastic about it as spoilsports.

OK, maybe.

Which brings us to the beauty of indoor tailgating: It permits cooks to pretend to be part of football festivities without watching any part of the game, because we are "busy in the kitchen."

All of this is why I am pleased to discover a new cookbook that takes into account indoor tailgating.

At first glance, The NBC Sunday Night Football Cookbook would seem to be a tome filled with manly, easy-to-fix, portable, casserole-style or grilled recipes.

The book was compiled for "Taste of the NFL," which is held to raise money for local and national hunger-relief organizations. Proceeds from its sale go to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization.

But the book is a surprising mix of recipes that defy the stereotype of football players and fans as merely bratwurst-and-beer guzzlers, suggesting they are adventurous eaters who just might embrace its trendy, two-page recipe for Pork Belly With Collard Green Risotto, Feta and Pickled Okra.

Or not.

Many of the recipes, which come from both chefs and football players or their relatives, are sophisticated and more complicated than your average Joe or Jane might want to tackle. Several use phyllo dough, but, just as indoor tailgating trumps outdoor, this trumps fluffy hot dog buns.

While there's plenty that's challenging for beginning cooks in this book, there's just as much for rookie chefs.

In a nod to rib and pulled- pork lovers, Philadelphia's own Jack McDavid of Jack's Firehouse has contributed a fairly simple marinated and glazed pork dish that would certainly appeal to football food fiends of an order higher than the stereotype.

The orange-glazed pumpkin cookies are pretty much a dump-and-stir concoction. They were contributed by Ann King, the wife of sports reporter Peter King, and are soft, flavorful and seasonal. The few dozen I made for a bake sale recently were bought up in a flash after word of their goodness spread.

Likewise the sophisticated but easy Asian Salmon Spread, which reminds me of pate-style recipes that were popular for good reason in early-1990s California cuisine.

The lamb sliders with yogurt sauce from an Atlanta restaurant are also excellent, but even more so eaten during football season in the good frame of mind that results from partying indoors, in front of the television, in a comfy chair, near a fireplace, with clean bathrooms at hand.

It almost makes me like football season.

Makes 4 servings

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1 8-ounce boneless, skinless salmon fillet

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 serrano chile, diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons thinly sliced scallion

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sesame seeds, toasted

Sesame or other crackers

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1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rub the baking sheet with the olive oil. Spread the salmon with 1/2 teaspoon of the sesame oil and put it on the baking sheet. Roast for about 10 minutes, until just opaque in the center. Put the salmon in a medium bowl and let it cool for about 5 minutes.

3. Add the chile, chopped cilantro, mustard, scallion, remaining sesame oil, ginger, and soy sauce and mix to combine well, breaking up the salmon into small pieces.

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sesame seeds. Serve with crackers.

Per serving (without crackers):

189 calories, 12 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace sugar, 15 grams fat, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 119 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

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Makes 8-10 servings

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For the tzatziki:

½ cup plain Greek-style yogurt

½ tablespoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons grated cucumber

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the burgers:

1 1/3 pounds lean ground lamb

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 to 10 small rolls of any kind, split

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1. To make the tzatziki, in a small bowl combine the yogurt, garlic, cucumber, oil, juice, parsley, salt and black pepper. Set aside.

2. For the lamb burgers, in a large bowl, combine the lamb, garlic, fennel, parsley, salt and pepper. Form the mixture into 8 to 10 small, thin patties.

3. Heat a large, cast-iron griddle over high heat and brush with oil. Add the lamb burgers and cook for about 2 minutes on each side for medium.

4. Lightly toast the rolls on the griddle, then sandwich a lamb burger in each and spread with tzatziki. Serve immediately.

Per serving (based on 10):

318 calories, 14 grams protein, 21 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams sugar, 20 grams fat, 63 milligrams cholesterol, 1,166 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes 4 servings

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1/2 cup ancho chili powder

Salt

Four 16-ounce porterhouse pork chops

2 cups apple juice

1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

Freshly ground black pepper

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1. Combine the chili powder and 2 teaspoons salt and spread over a large plate. Rub the pork chops with the mixture, place on a plate, and cover with plastic. Refrigerate 4 hours.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the apple juice, maple syrup and lemon juice over medium-high heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook until reduced to a glaze, about 10 minutes.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

4. Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator and brush with glaze on both sides. Place on the baking sheet and bake until a meat thermometer registers 150 degrees for medium, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes, then place on serving plates and serve.

Per serving:

642 calories, 103 grams protein, 26 grams carbohydrates, 20 grams sugar, 12 grams fat, 249 milligrams cholesterol, 1,518 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

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Makes 42 cookies

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2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon pure orange oil (see note)

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1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.

2. Sift the flour and mix it in a large bowl with the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the pumpkin, egg and vanilla until smooth. Using a wooden spoon, gradually stir in the flour mixture until blended. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until firm around the edges. The centers will be soft to the touch. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then remove to wire racks and cool completely.

5. Make the glaze by combining the sugar, milk, butter, vanilla and oil in a small bowl and stirring until smooth. When the cookies are cool, use a dull knife or spatula to spread glaze on top of them. The cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for 3 days.

Note:

Note: Orange oil is available at specialty food stores and is more intense than orange extract, which also may be used.

Per cookie: 101 calories, 1 gram protein, 18 grams carbohydrates, 12 grams sugar, 3 grams fat, 12 milligrams cholesterol, 66 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

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