09/03/99

A Labor Day Labor of Love

Planning a last-minute picnic for the long weekend ahead? Try my friend Chef Richard's special barbecue sauce on your grilled steaks, served with squash and watermelon - easy to prepare and delicious!

Chef Richard thinks the whole concept of Labor Day is confusing. "OK," he says, "So the dictionary says that it's a legal holiday in honor of labor, but we aren't going to do any. Does that sound right? Or, is the plain truth simply that any excuse for a three-day weekend is good enough for all concerned. Maybe I'm laboring too hard over this."

"I actually think of this coming weekend as summer's last hurrah," Richard says. Labor Day is a harbinger of autumn, a foreshadowing of crisp days and cool nights. One season ends and another begins, and the ritual of life continues. All of us are products of our past. As children we enjoyed long summers off from school and dreaded that fateful day when vacation ended. I suppose that is the significance of Labor Day; in spite of our reluctance, time marches on.

"As a chef, I do know that the coming legal holiday most definitely requires a cookout. I suppose, if you never worked a day in your life you might consider ordering take-out or heating a frozen TV dinner in the microwave. But if you are a true worker bee like me, you need to refill your propane tank and stock-up on the cold drinks.

"But wait a minute; this is all starting to sound like -- like, well, like work! You mean we get a day off from work, and we have to work all day in honor of ... work! I know, it sounds crazy to me, too. Honestly though, it's a lot of fun. Just consider this day of cooking, eating, and celebration a labor of love."

For some unexplainable reason, the Labor Day cookout is usually one of excess. Don't spare the grill power, damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead. Invite as many friends, relatives, or strangers as you dare, and go for a blowout. The following are some ideas on what to prepare.

Grilled Flank Steak
with Orange Barbecue Sauce

(Serves 8)

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 Flank Steaks, trimmed - About 4 LB.

Sauce:

Salad oil - To taste
Garlic, peeled, chopped - 3 cloves
Onions, peeled, chopped - 1 medium
Ketchup - 1 cup

Dijon mustard - 3 Tablespoons
Blackstrap Molasses - about a cup
Red Wine Vinegar - about a cup
Brown Sugar - about a cup

Fresh squeezed orange juice - 10 oranges
Ground cloves - one Teaspoon
Ground cinnamon - 1/8 Teaspoon
Dried Chipolte Chilies, minced 2

To make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, sweat the garlic and onions in a little oil. Add all of the rest of the ingredients, mix well, and bring to a simmer. Turn down low and cook for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain and let cool completely. The night before the cookout, slather the steaks with about half the sauce.

Preheat the grill to medium hot. Grill the steaks evenly on both sides until done to your liking. Remove the steaks from the fire and let them rest for 10 minutes. Slice them on the bias and pile on a platter. Warm the remaining sauce and serve on the side.

Green and Yellow Squash Wedges
With Balsamic Vinaigrette Marinate

(Serves 8)

INGREDIENTS:

Green Squash - 3 large
Yellow Squash - 3 large
Dijon mustard - 11/2 Tablespoons
Balsamic Vinegar - 1/3 cup

Salt - about a Teaspoon
Freshly ground black pepper - about a Teaspoon
Basil leaves, chopped - about a cup
Garlic, minced - 1 Tablespoon

Wash the squash and cut off the ends. Cut each piece into 3-inch lengths. Cut these into quarters, lengthwise. Mix the rest of the ingredients together, whisking vigorously. Pour the mixture over the squash and marinate for 1 hour. Grill over a hot fire for 8-10 minutes, turning as needed. Serve piled on a platter.

Watermelon Basket

(Serves about 10-12)

INGREDIENTS:

Large Watermelon, evenly colored and symmetrically shaped - 1
Cantaloupe - 2
Honeydew - 1
Blueberries - 1 quart
Strawberries - 1 quart

This is a great way to serve dessert for a large crowd, and the kids will love it. First, you need to cut off the top of the watermelon so that it can become "basket" for the fruit. With the melon resting on whichever side is the flattest, use a small, sharp knife to cut a saw-toothed line around the top of the melon. This is just like cutting the top off of a pumpkin at Halloween.

It's important that you take off only enough of the top to allow you to scoop out the insides, because you want most of the melon to become a "basket" for the rest of the fruit. Now scoop out the watermelon insides and pick out the seeds, if it's not seedless. Cut the meat of the melon into small chunks and place in a large bowl. Peel the cantaloupe and honeydew melons and cut their meat into similar small chunks and add to the watermelon. Wash the berries and add them to the rest of the fruit. Mix gently and place inside the watermelon basket. Place on a tray and serve to your hardworking, labor honoring, guests. Enjoy!

A NOTE ABOUT CHEF RICHARD: Richard Moriarty is a food writer and Educational Department Manager at the Center for Culinary Arts in Cromwell, Connecticut. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and is also a restaurant consultant specializing in kitchen design. He believes food is what links us all together, and that good cooking is one key to better communication. Chef Moriarty can be reached online at remoriarty@snet.net.

The Center for Culinary Arts at New England Technical Institute is one of New England's finest training grounds for the Culinary Arts. The Center offers both day and evening classes for those passionate about food and interested in studying the Culinary Arts. The programs are modeled after the traditional European apprenticeship programs, where students learn by doing. Students at the Center are training for one of the country's fastest growing industries, employing more than 9.5 million chefs, cooks and kitchen professionals. For more information or a personal tour of the facility, call 860-613-3350 and ask to speak to Mike Frechette.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.