Mario Tailgates NASCAR style

By JULIETTE ROSSANT It is now safe to be an out-of-the-closet NASCAR food fan because Mario Batali has written the book on it: Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style: The Essential Cookbook for Nascar Fans (Sporting News Books 2006). "Tailgating NASCAR style" means spending days camping out at the track with a camper, pick-up truck, or top-of-the-line deluxe, no-expenses-barred rolling mansion. Mario starts with a guide to tailgating that lists essential tools like: Kiddie Pool The vast infield of Daytona is awash in kiddie pools, in which not just the rugrats are cooling off. Even Dad will take a dip. Lowering yourself into the pool and hoisting yourself out is sufficient exercise to justify having another burger. (p. 13) (Is Mario talking from experience?) He calls the recipes in the book "simple and sturdy" (p. 10) and they are. Some might argue that they aren't very imaginative or challenging, probably close to the kind of recipes NASCAR fans already make, but closer inspections reveals such home food items have been kicked up several notches. Readers should keep in mind that anyone using this cookbook is expected to be cooking on the back of a pick-up. There are breakfast dishes from Breakfast Tortilla Cassarole (p. 20) to a humorously named Eggs in Hell (p. 25) -- just eggs fried in tomatoes, jalapenos and hot pepper. Mario invokes NASCAR in all the recipe notes like this one from Eggs in Hell: These spicy guys will wake you up in more ways than one. The great thing about this dish is it serve well at room temp, so there is no rushing around like a front-tire changer when the eggs are finished cooking. They can just sit on the table until everyone is ready to eat. (p. 25) Mario's Italian background comes out in Mortadella Skewers (p. 62) served with a horseradish cream sauce, and Grilled Pizzas (pp. 56-8) and Prosciutto-wrapped Grilled Asparagus (p. 49) but as you'd expect, most of the recipes are for carnivores, great barbecue recipes, many named after races or tracks like Pocono Hangar Steak Fajitas (p. 90); the Pocono Speedway has the nickname Coat Hanger, he says in the notes. There is also Chili-rubbed Rib Eyes Fit for The King (p. 79) – not Elvis but Richard Petty. Mario cooked penne all'amatriciana for drivers at the Dover International Speedway, and Petty asked for a steak. Thus the recipe in case he shows up again. (Unfortunately, there is none for the penne in this book.) As you might expect if you're familiar with Mario, Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style is filled with photos of the flaming-orange chef himself, this time in a new NASCAR setting as he cooks and hangs out with drivers and fans alike. You could walk around the field getting autographs in the book from your favorite drivers: there is one of Mario waving the green flag and another with the checkered flag. There are also pictures of 2 Brothers Barbecue sauce (see Super Chef, pp. 96 and 114; also previous article) and this excellent sauce is featured in recipes for Texas-style Smoked Babyback Ribs (p. 103) and Texas-style Barbecued Chicken (p. 126) though Mario does provide his own recipe: Mario's Kick-ass Barbecue Sauce (p. 127). The book ends with some recipes for vegetables, desserts and drinks, including one for the refreshing Mexican drink Horchata (p. 201) which sounds just a bit out of place among the beer-drinking NASCAR crowd, but hey, go for it! Citations: Gothamist Book details: Publisher Amazon.com Barnes & Noble Other reviews: Kirkus Review LA Daily News Detroit Free Press San Francisco Chronicle (AP) Charlotte Observer Los Angeles Times Previous articles: Mario Batali: 2 Brothers Mario Batali: Tailgates NASCAR Style Newsweek Cites Juliette Rossant on Mario Batali Juliette Rossant: Forbes Tastemakers - Mario Batali Mario Batali: Molto Italiano Newsweek Bets on Mario Batali's Basting Brush Anita Lo Defeats Mario Batali on Iron Chef America Iron Chef Pizza Wars: Batali vs. Puck Nancy Silverton & Mario Batali's Mozza Molto Mario Massacres Mahi Technorati Tags: superchefblog, Juliette Rossant, super chef, celebrities, chefs, food, restaurants, cooking, branding, cuisine, blogging, food blogging, NASCAR, Mario Batali --> back to superchefblog