Another great picnic! Thanks so much to Cathy and the organizers. This morning, I'm still thinking about Mike's eggplant dish, Alan's noodles, Brad's beef salad, and so much more.

I've had a few requests for the recipe for the Thai-style apple salad, so here goes . . .

INGREDIENTS:
apples (I used approximately 8 small/medium Honeycrisp apples -- any tart, firm apple should do)
2 cups fresh lime juice (I had small, juicy limes and this was about 15 limes)
2 tablespoons Red Boat fish sauce (adjust to taste)
palm sugar (I used about a puck's worth)
chilies, sliced
crushed dry roasted peanuts
herbs, torn (I used nasturtium and thai basil, but use whatever you like)
toasted rice powder (optional)
shallots or red onions, thinly sliced (the picnic salad had shallots, but onions work, too)

Other than the ratio of lime to fish sauce, I didn't measure anything (sorry!). What I can share is that 2 cups of lime juice will make a party-size amount of dressing, so pull back if you're feeding a smaller crowd.

DRESSING:
Mix lime juice and fish sauce in a bowl. Add palm sugar so you're adding enough sweetness to slightly counter the acidity of the lime juice. Refrigerate if you're not using immediately. This can be done a day ahead of time.

SALAD: Cut apples into matchsticks and repeatedly pause to place cut apples into dressing to prevent browning. My apples had tender peels, so I left them on. This should be completed 3-4 hours before serving. This time gives the apples a chance to absorb the dressing. Slice and add the shallot or red onion at this time. Refrigerate. Toss occasionally.

30 minutes to an hour before serving, place the dressed apples in a strainer to drain.

Place dressed apples in a bowl and mix with freshly-torn herbs, peanuts, rice powder, and chilies.

Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Ronna

HI,

We certainly did luck out on the weather. As I drove north to home, it was raining hard.

Delicious food as always! Kellie, who came for the first time, was certainly an enthusiast with all her British and Italian street foods.

People who surprised us with their presence, please let us know what you brought. It would be fun to have a complete list of who really came and what was offered.

GypsyBoy challenged me to recall who has been to every picnic. Jazzfood? Giovanna? CAthy2. SteveZ? Octarine? We thought Cynthia, though she admitted to missing one.

Regards,
Cathy2

I don't think I've missed one.

I've been to all of 'em.

People who surprised us with their presence, please let us know what you brought. It would be fun to have a complete list of who really came and what was offered.

It was a last minute decision for me to bring the "Peruvian-influenced" chicken wings so thanks for bearing with my generic "appetizer" RSVP in the meantime. Thanks to all for sharing the terrific food and company!

And BR - I'd LOVE that recipe for the beef heart nam tok. If you're willing to post here, terrific, otherwise let me know and I can PM you!

nr706 wrote:I don't think I've missed one.

I thought so, too, just didn't remember a while back. This is the working list I have from the first. While 91+ were registered, there would have been more but it was on a major Jewish holiday:

Aaron Deacon Burnt ends 1
Amata Yucatecan coconut pie 1
Ann Fisher Three Baylor Watermelons 2
Anna Z. Sobor Soccer ball 2
Antonius Cianfotta 'all'anziana' (aka boumiano, samfaina, etc.) 2
Antonius insalata di tonno e fagioli 0
blueswench Patented potato salad 4
Bruce Lard for frying 2
Bruce Greens 0 Y
Bruce Black eyed peas 0
Cathy2 Raccoon 4 Y
Cathy2 Piatak Hot Links (2 lb for tasting) 0
Cathy2 Scott Petersen hot links (1.5 lb) 0
Cathy2 Parker House hot links (1.5 lb) 0
Cathy2 Polish Sausage - Fox Lake, Volo (smoked)
Cathy2 Peoria Packing hot links 0
Chicagostyledog Green River 0
Chicagostyledog O&H Kringles 2
Cynthia Chips, foil trays and bread 1
Cynthia Bread 0
Cynthia Foil trays 0
D4V3 Kupaty, Georgian sausage 1
dees_1 Disposable bowls: 119, 8 inch paper plates: 28 0
dees_1 16 oz solo cups: 20, 9 oz solo cups: 35 0
dees_1 9 oz foam hot/cold cups: 11, Paper cups: 16 0
dees_1 Plastic dinner forks: 43, Plastic forks: 8 0
dees_1 Plastic tea spoons: 86, Plastic snack size spoons: 20 0
Erik M Apple Cider 2
GAF Tabbouleh 1
Giovanna Drinks 1
Giovanna Torte (Plum) 0
Giovanna Herb vinagrette from Patricia Wells 0
Giovanna Plastic cups 0
gleam homemade ice cream 2
gp60004 Pickles 2
Gwiv Soda pop, water 0
Gwiv Cheap white bread 0
Gwiv Pulled Pork, South Carolina style mustard sauce 2 Y
Gwiv Coolers, portable tables, chairs, Weber Smokey Mountain 0
Hammond Cookies 2
jazzchef ensalada caprese 3
JoelF Tomatillo salsa + 3
John Chase 2
JOJO LaBriola and possibly Turano 1
Josephine Keg of something good 1
Josephine Cups 0
Launays Tunisian salad or tabbouleh 2
Leek Brownies 2
Messycook Beacon Hill Brownies 2
Mhays my mother's chimichurri recipe 2
mhl Soda pop 0
mhl baseball bat, kite 3
MikeG Two Leaf lard pie 4
Mrs. Datchineseguy Coconut custard 1
M'Th'Su Wolf Turds 4
Nr706 Home made beer 2
Octarine Jamaican Patties 1
Panther in the Den Cheese, sausage, salami 2
pdaane Miesfeld's brats 1
Pigmon North African Hoagie 1
Pucca Cookie dough brownies 1
Ramon Pinata with candies 3
Ramon Baseball bases 0
Ramon Goi Ga (Vietnamese Chicken Salad) 0
Ramon Hot dogs and buns 0
Rene G Bolshevik Sausage 1
rgl201 Brazilian banana pudding 2
Saint Pizza German Potato salad 4
Saint Pizza Bag of Ice 0
Saint Pizza 2 Black garbage bags 0
SGFoxe 70 Plates, 50 Cups, 16 sets tableware 1
SteveZ 48 bottles water 0
SteveZ Elegance in Meat Hot Dogs 2
SteveZ Spicy Southwest Black Bean Salad 0
TonyC 5 bags of ice 1
TonyC Garbage bags, Paper napkins, 0
TonyC additional plastic knife/spoon/fork sets 0
TonyC paper towels, baby wipes 0
Trixie Pea Burgoo 1
Vital Info Infused liquors 4

REB wrote:Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Ronna

It looked stunning. Can't wait to try it.

About how many pounds of apples do you think you used?

Can I just pulverize rice for rice powder or do you think it better to purchase?TIA

Cathy2 wrote:We certainly did luck out on the weather. As I drove north to home, it was raining hard.

Don't let her fool you. That Lambrecht "Chicken Farm" is a center for animal sacrifice to the voodoo gods to keep inclement weather away from the LTH Picnic.

I don't think I've been to all the picnics, but the weather has never been less than wonderful. I think my favorite bite of the day is probably the porcini pate... but so many wonderful things.

Cathy2 wrote:

nr706 wrote:I don't think I've missed one.

I thought so, too, just didn't remember a while back. This is the working list I have from the first. While 91+ were registered, there would have been more but it was on a major Jewish holiday:

i was there at the first picnic;i dont know why i'm not on this list....but i have the memories. i only missed one picnic- arriving home from the toronto film festival the day of the picnic, i think...

pairs4life wrote:Can I just pulverize rice for rice powder or do you think it better to purchase?TIA

Toast it in a dry pan first, then run it through a spice or coffee grinder.

In our house it's been nicknamed "dried fried clam chowder" after a line in a Dr Seuss book, and there's usually a half-cup container sitting in my spice cabinet.

The thai salad formula is pretty flexible: firm fruit or vegetable (unripe papaya, carrot, cooked cubed eggplant...), dressing (I usually pound some garlic and chiles together as part of it, and cilantro stem/root works especially well in the larb/nam tok varieties), herbs, onion/shallot (which could be considered part of the dressing), garnish: toasted dried shrimp is a little funky for some, but work well -- grilled shrimp is particularly good too, peanuts is another one I frequently use, halved cherry tomatoes....

I'm sort of obsessed with these salads these days.

justjoan wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:

nr706 wrote:I don't think I've missed one.

I thought so, too, just didn't remember a while back. This is the working list I have from the first. While 91+ were registered, there would have been more but it was on a major Jewish holiday:

i was there at the first picnic;i dont know why i'm not on this list....but i have the memories. i only missed one picnic- arriving home from the toronto film festival the day of the picnic, i think...

You are right. I didn't see any posting from you on the planning thread, but I saw your comment on the post event comments:

justjoan wrote:good company, good food, no rain and mud puddles to play in produced a perfect day. special thanks to cathy for organization and gary and bruce for cranking out those encased meats and other hot stuff. i'm only sorry i didnt get to meet everyone. thanks to all, justjoan

Kudos to everyone! It was another outstanding lineup all around.

Here's the recipe I used, except I just combined the coconut with the meat rather than coating the meatballs. These freeze very well, so making a large batch is recommended. Next time I'm trying it as a small long loaf and slicing it, to cut down on prep time.

http://meljoulwan.com/2013/03/05/bora-bora-fireballs/

BORA BORA FIREBALLS
Prep 10 min | Cook 30 min | Makes about 42 meatballs

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon plus 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 cup canned crushed pineapple, sugar-free, packed in its own juice (DO NOT USE FRESH PINEAPPLE!)
2 tablespoons coconut aminos or homemade substitute
1 1/2 teaspoons dried ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
3-4 scallions, white and green, very thinly sliced (about 1/4 cup)
1/2 fresh jalapeño, seeds and ribs removed, finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 pounds ground pork

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, then add the coconut. Toast, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper. Set aside to cool.

Drain the cup of canned pineapple in a sieve placed over a bowl to catch the juice. Press the pineapple pulp against the sieve with a wooden spoon to extract the excess moisture. Place the pineapple in a large mixing bowl and save the juice for later.

To the pineapple, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cayenne, coconut aminos, ginger, garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and eggs. Beat with a wooden spoon until combined. With your hands, crumble the pork into the bowl and knead until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Arrange the bowls of pineapple juice, spiced coconut, and seasoned pork for easy access. Measure a level tablespoon of pork to make a meatball, lightly douse it in the pineapple juice, then roll it in the coconut, pressing the coconut shreds into the meat by lightly rolling the ball between your palms. This is a rare case in which more isn’t better — don’t go too cuckoo with the coconut. Line up the meatballs on the prepared baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.

Slide the meatballs into the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until sizzling and golden brown. These taste great with Oven-Roasted Cauliflower Rice and/or Sunshine Sauce.

A splendid day, as usual! Thanks to all those that make this event possible.

Recipe requests: The layered Indian dip and the Peruvian wings, please.

I had to make a game day decision and brought the sandwiches from BeefBelly. In retrospect, I'd have brought something more easily cut into sample portions. I also brought the Carolina Reaper chiles. Sorry if anyone hurt themselves. My buddy Liam arrived pretty late but brought papadam and chutney.

JoelF wrote:

pairs4life wrote:Can I just pulverize rice for rice powder or do you think it better to purchase?TIA

Toast it in a dry pan first, then run it through a spice or coffee grinder.

I don't think you can purchase it and it has a short shelf life. Start with sticky rice, toasted on medium low heat shaking pan often so as not to burn the rice. Depending on quantity, this could take an hour or more. You can do it on higher heat in 20 minutes but move the rice around rapidly -- burnt rice will ruin a dish.

Once the color of caramel, remove the pan from the heat, cool and either grind in mortar and pestle or put through a coffee grinder. I ground mine on the coarsest setting -- it should not be a fine powder; it should be gritty.

bluepig wrote:And BR - I'd LOVE that recipe for the beef heart nam tok. If you're willing to post here, terrific, otherwise let me know and I can PM you!

I made this same salad a few years ago and posted the general recipe here.

I didn't change too much this time around, though I did add lemongrass to the marinade and finished the dish with some tomatoes.

I should also note that my herb measurements are not exact and I used less green onion (and more of the lighter parts) this time. I mixed in some of the herbs/onions/shallots and fish sauce and lime juice. Then I tasted, adjusted the flavors, tasted again, then topped with more fresh herbs, toasted rice and hot chile powder. Needless to say, it's easy to customize with whatever herb combination you like -- I used mint, cilantro and culantro.

A couple of other notes: I used a cheaper fish sauce for marinating and better Red Boat for finishing. And I mixed in some bottled Florida key lime juice to the finishing sauce (with the juice from fresh limes) -- about 1/3 key lime juice. I can't remember where I read this suggestion (Pok Pok perhaps?), and I also read that the key limes from Mexico are nothing like the key limes we know from Florida.

BR wrote:

bluepig wrote: I also read that the key limes from Mexico are nothing like the key limes we know from Florida.

Very true, key limes from florida are more aromatic and also somehow more delicate. Growing up in Miami, I knew nothing else (and I wouldn't make a pie with mexican limes). I've substituted their leaves for South East Asian kaffir lime leaves but there is still a variance there.

Great getting to meet so many storied names.

whocanitbenow wrote:

BR wrote:

bluepig wrote: I also read that the key limes from Mexico are nothing like the key limes we know from Florida.

Very true, key limes from florida are more aromatic and also somehow more delicate. Growing up in Miami, I knew nothing else (and I wouldn't make a pie with mexican limes). I've substituted their leaves for South East Asian kaffir lime leaves but there is still a variance there.

Great getting to meet so many storied names.

Persian limes are pretty much a staple in Southwestern cooking. Cartel activity in Mexico dried up their production in 2013-2014.

They started importing key limes from Mexico. Most of what was imported were small key limes that lacked a lot of juice and were very hard. The first shipment of those key limes were so hard that I thought I broke my thumb trying to squeeze one.

I do NOT find the Mexican key limes to be as good as the Florida variety.

BrendanR wrote:Recipe requests: The layered Indian dip and the Peruvian wings, please.

Regarding the Indian 7-Layer Dip, to quote Glinda, You've had the power all along, my dear!

Well, at least since 2009. Small changes to the recipe listed: The pan size is 9x13, not 11x13; I added about a half-tsp of white pepper to the mashed potatoes, and minced two cayenne-like (but milder) red chiles into the yogurt.

I made the Gold Rush cocktail - you can find lots of variations, mine was the following

(these are ratios - I used cups, if you were making just one you would do ounces)
3/4 fresh citrus juice (I used 1 lemon, 1 meyer lemon, 1 orange)
3/4 honey syrup (1-1 honey, water, warmed up to blend, chilled overnight)
2 bourbon

mix, add zest from fruit, let chill in fridge 2 hours. Strain over ice. If I were doing this at home I'd likely just put a citrus rind twist into the glass.

I think it would be great with a mix of lemon, lime, blood orange. In the winter take it warm for colds and flu.

pairs4life wrote:

REB wrote:Let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy!

Ronna

It looked stunning. Can't wait to try it.

About how many pounds of apples do you think you used?

Can I just pulverize rice for rice powder or do you think it better to purchase?TIA

Hiya. Not sure how many pounds of apples I used, sorry. Probably somewhere between 2 and 3 pounds.

I made the rice powder with glutinous rice, toasted on low heat until it turned golden, the color of brown rice. I did use the coffee grinder, but I think the mortal and pestle is the way to go if you're just doing a small amount.

Ronna

Cathy2 wrote:GypsyBoy challenged me to recall who has been to every picnic. Jazzfood? Giovanna? CAthy2. SteveZ? Octarine? We thought Cynthia, though she admitted to missing one.

I cannot recall if I missed one. Don't think so...

Panther in the Den wrote:

Cathy2 wrote:GypsyBoy challenged me to recall who has been to every picnic. Jazzfood? Giovanna? CAthy2. SteveZ? Octarine? We thought Cynthia, though she admitted to missing one.

I cannot recall if I missed one. Don't think so...

I would think you have been to all. It was almost a memory tease, because we just as often remembered people we missed.

My Mom did enjoy your Mai Tai. Thank you!

Regards,

When do we get pictures?

I have to live vicariously.

Thanks to all for doing what you do, I miss you.

bean wrote:When do we get pictures?

I have to live vicariously.

Thanks to all for doing what you do, I miss you.

Any pictures taken seemed to be via smart phones. I have seen some on facebook, I hope people will post here, too.

Thanks!

Regards,
Cathy2

Sorry to have missed this one-
we had a great time in Scotland and Ireland.
Pictures, Pictures??

FWIW, I believe I've been to all of the Picnics, too, so far.

Thank you, Cathy, for your continuing Good Works--they're well-appreciated!

If you're still building the list, things I remember bringing include Scottish shortbread on at least three occasions, and a sorghum cake once. May have brought other things, but 11 years is a long time.

Why no pictures???

Recipe requests: The layered Indian dip and the Peruvian wings, please.

The Peruvian wings were based on the recipe here http://www.onceuponachef.com/2013/01/peruvian-style-roast-chicken-with-green-sauce.html.

I substituted (obviously) the 4 pound whole chicken for 4 pounds of chicken wings. I used lemon juice instead of lime juice (because that's what I happened to have on hand when I made the marinade the first time many months ago, and discovered it was still tasty and never switched to lime juice) and added about 2 tablespoons of lemon zest to the food processor before mixing everything for extra flavor. I think the key is to marinate overnight to really get the flavors developing. I roasted the wings in the oven at 425 the whole time - for about 25 minutes. I also finished under the broiler for 2 minutes just to get them a little crispy.