Slow cooked ribs and smoky burgers tend to steal the show this time of year.
But Evan Kleiman's guest on this past week's episode of Good Food reminds us not to overlook the role of the side dish. In Susan Straight's family, side dishes are not only the glue that holds the picnic together, they're also an expression of individuality in a large family.
What's your signature side dish?
Straight married into her large family and creating her own side dish was key to her acceptance.
The other women's side dishes were well-established: corn salad, string beans with potatoes, macaroni and cheese. Straight was able to make her mark with a play on Hoppin' John--saffron rice with black beans and hot sausage.
Kleiman and Straight also speak in depth about tradition and continuity. In Straight's family--and probably many of our families--these barbecues aren't just about eating food and side dishes as status symbols. It's about coming together as a family year after year.
To hear the entire interview and the whole Good Food episode, visit the Good Food website.
Susan Straight's essay "A Family You Can't Divorce" is featured in the anthology, I Married My Mother-in-Law, $11.90 on Amazon.com.
Related: Comfort Food Dinner Party Menu
(Image: Flickr member habitatgirl licensed under Creative Commons)
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My wife makes an incredible potato salad. Doesn't get much simpler than that but all the potatoes are carefully selected, perfectly cooked and there is a lot of dill and tiny chopped pickles.
She also makes a bean salad that is always a hit. White beans, leeks, multi-colored peppers, spicy anaheim peppers, thyme, shallot, vinaigrette...I'm probably missing some things but it's a perfect bbq side.
I like to make a napa cabbage salad based on a cabbage slaw recipe from Alice Waters' Vegetables book. Julienne cabbage with cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, olive oil, salt. After the salad marinates in the vinaigrette for awhile the cabbage becomes just slightly tender but still has a squeeky crunch. Overall, the salad is tangy, crunchy and refreshing.
view art's profile
I make potato salad -- since moving, I have changed over to Swiss potato salad. The potatoes are cooked in stock, and soaked in white wine with some olive oil and salt & pepper. Very, very simple and yet very effective (the wine really matters).
On hot days, I make a huge jar of watermelon gazpacho: watermelon, cucumbers, jalapeno, red onion, cranberry juice... delicious cold
I am famous for a pressed sandwich with prosciutto, goat cheese, roasted peppers....
view mschatelaine's profile
I make a sweet potato pudding from baked or microwaved potaoes,that is a hit with kids, molasses baked beans get scraped clean also. The best side dish I ever encountered at a pot luck was made by a kid who grated raw potatoes and baked a pudding called "sweet potato pone." It went untouched for a long time because no one know what it was, then it was devoured and everyone demanded the recipe.
view Kate (NC)'s profile
My friends like when I make couscous curry salad, with a big squeeze of citrus, fresh cilantro, toasted pine nuts, and dried cranberries. Stuffed mushrooms on the grill using whatever is in the pantry work well, too.
view OneWallKitchen's profile
I have been known for my bean salad: three kinds of canned beans, cilantro, onion, tomato, olive oil and vinegar.
But, this weekend I tried something new, and it was a huge hit. It was based on a recipe I got from epicurious.com
Two cans chickpeas, two tomatoes, a cup of corn, 1/4 red onion, 1/2 c. cilantro, two chipotle peppers plus 2t. of the sauce, 1/4 c. mayo, the juice of a lime, some cumin, salt and pepper. It was awesome.
view Kassie's profile