The Indoor Picnic

how to throw a bucolic barbecue without leaving home and hearth

February is the perfect time for an indoor picnic. By now you'll have recovered from the end-of-the-year's endless round of revelries, but spring's first zephyr--and the promise of the warm outdoors--is still a long way off. The most natural site for a winter picnic is directly in front of a glowing fireplace. Guests then can gather near the hearth, preferably picnic style on the floor, and grill to their hearts' content. Like any well-bred picnic, your party should be a communal cook-in. As host, it's up to you to supply at least the main course; co-picnickers can be called upon to supply a magnificent bean salad or a box of delicious mignon éclairs. You should also furnish all the necessary accouterments--a hibachi or two, tableware, barware, brushes for basting, extralong tongs, and spatulas and forks for scooping food from the grill.

Too many cooks can spoil a broth, but not a picnic. In fact, to keep a picnicker from cooking is an implied insult. While some of the party thread swordfish on skewers, others can be basting the baby lobster tails or split squabs. Martini mixers will be twirling away while others open bottles of wine, and the couple in the corner, oblivious to the world, will brew its own version of Irish coffee.

Guests bearing liquid gifts will probably show up with whiskey, gin and vermouth, which do yeoman's service on any bibbing occasion. Perfect for an indoor picnic is a gallon vacuum jug filled with bloody marys that have been premixed with ice, then drained into the jug and now stand ready to be served on the rocks in old fashioned glasses. Chilled all-purpose wines such as Riesling should come to the party with the cold bloom still on the bottles. Among reds, the eye-opening flavor of zinfandel is the perfect complement for charcoal-broiled meats and seafood. For those who like to swig rather than sip, we recommend the new two-and-one-quarter-gallon "tapper" keg of draught beer. At extra-large turnouts, the standard half keg of beer will fill to the brimming over a hundred ten-ounce mugs.

Other welcome items are such appetizing taste appeasers as hot potato salad made with oil and vinegar rather than mayonnaise, underscored with parsley and dill: noodles Alfredo fairly swimming in cream, butter and parmesan cheese; and kidney-bean salad with minced baked red onions and tomatoes. Desserts should be of the kind that can be easily held in the palm of one hand--apple or apricot turnovers in a puff-paste dough, macaroons made from almond paste, frosted petits fours, cheeses such as Swiss appenzeller, French port-salut or German tilsiter, ripe Comice pears and Stayman Winesap apples.

A hibachi is perfect for the man who likes to play with fire. You'll need two double-sized hibachis for a picnic party of eight to ten. Place them side by side, not back to back, to avoid grilling hands and wrists. If you lack a fireplace, the best technique is to light your hibachi outdoors. When smoke no longer gets in your eyes, bring the fire equipment inside. Place it on a stove or near a ventilating fan or hood. If your barbecue party stretches into several hours, build a double bed of charcoal about two inches thick. Stack extra coals on the right and left sides of each brazier to provide even fire on flaring ends.

Indoor picnics are largely cook-it yourself affairs. There should be plenty of vegetables for kabobing. Viands such as baby lobster tails or split squabs aren't comfortable on a rapier and should be placed between the two faces of a wire grill before committing them to the flames. For all impromptu skewering, we recommend disposable bamboo skewers. One end of each bamboo strip is a sharp point for stabbing the food of your choice. On the opposite end, you should allow about an inch of free space for easy turning. Incidentally, it isn't always necessary to marinate skewered foods for hours or days. A generous brush before broiling and again before turning the food, and a light brush afterward will subtly bequeath the rich flavors of soy sauce, barbecue sauce or even drawn butter to foods on the hibachi.

Quantities suggested are for six portions. Just what a portion is has never been scientifically spelled out. Some men, and women, too, will expect two or three portions. The more intimately you know the appetites of your picnickers, the more accurate your estimation of the following bait.

[recipe_title]Basting Sauces[/recipe_title]

(Approximately one pint)

Soy Sauce: Into a blender pour 2/3 cup soy sauce, 2/3 cup dark Jamaica rum, 2/3 cup salad oil and 1/2 teaspoon onion powder. Spin blender 1 minute at high speed. Oil will eventually separate. Stir frequently while basting.

Barbecue Sauce: Lower 4 large fresh, firm, ripe tomatoes into a large pot of rapidy boiling water for 20--30 seconds. Remove tomatoes from pot and hold under cold running water to cool. Remove skins and stem ends. Cut tomatoes into medium-size dice. Spin in blender at high speed for 1 minute with 1 cup catsup, 1/4 cup salad oil and 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce.

Herb Basting Sauce: Heat 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon and 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme in 1/4 cup olive oil over very low flame for 3 minutes. Heating "releases" flavors of herbs. Pour into electric blender. Add 1-1/4 cups olive oil at room temperature, 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons shelled pine nuts or pistachios, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 large clove garlic, minced, and 1/2 cup white-wine vinegar. Spin blender for 1 minute at high speed.

[recipe_title]Vegetables for the Sword[/recipe_title]

Button Mushrooms: 1 lb. very small white, firm, fresh mushrooms. Remove stem ends parallel with cap. (Ends can be minced, sautéed and folded into omelets or scrambled eggs.) Place mushrooms in large saucepan with 1/4 cup salad oil and 1/4 cup water. Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt. Cover pan with lid. Simmer over moderate flame until mushrooms are just tender. Don't brown. Drain and chill.

Green Peppers: Slice 3 large green peppers in half through stem end. Remove stems and insides. Cut into 3/4-in. squares.

Water Chestnuts: 2 six-oz. cans, drained. Water chestnuts won't brown on the skewer, but their incomparable crunchiness will remain until they're swallowed.

Tomato Halves: (Although cherry tomatoes seem like an ideal vegetable for the skewer, their tough skin and weak as-a-drink-of-water flavor are always a letdown in the mouth.) With small, sharp paring knife, remove stem ends of 6 firm, ripe tomatoes. Cut each tomato in half crosswise. Stab each tomato with two bamboo skewers. The double-skewer treatment will keep the tomatoes from revolving when turned.

[recipe_title]Meat Platter[/recipe_title]

Beef: 3 lbs. boneless shell steak, tenderloin steak or sirloin steak cut 1 in. thick. Cut away all fat from rim of meat to prevent flare-up. Cut beef into skewer-size pieces about 1 in. square and 1/2 in. thick.

Ham: 2 lbs., canned or cooked, boneless, in one chunk. Cut into 1-in. squares,1/4 in. thick, or as close as possible to these dimensions.

Spareribs: 5 lbs. fresh spareribs boiled 30 to 40 minutes or until tender, drained, chilled and cut into serving-size pieces, about 4 by 4 inches. Cleaver may be used for dividing into portions. Cut off and discard loose fat where possible.

Beef and Oyster Patties: Drain 7-3/4 oz. can whole oysters, reserving 3 tablespoons liquor. Put oysters in blender, add liquor and spin blender until oysters are puréed. In mixing bowl combine puréed oysters, 1-1/2 lbs. chopped lean beef, 2 beaten eggs, 1/4 cup bread crumbs, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce. Shape into 6 patties, 3/4 in. thick.

[recipe_title]Blanched Bacon[/recipe_title]

Although it's meat, bacon is used for wrapping around shellfish such as oysters or scallops to guard their tenderness and to add its countrylike mellow flavor to chicken livers and to ingredients such as mushrooms and water chestnuts. Blanching or parboiling prevents the uncontrolled flare-up when raw bacon is placed above a charcoal fire. There may be a slight flare-up after blanching, but it won't be nearly as fierce. Place 2 lbs. sliced bacon in wide, shallow saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Place tight-fitting lid on pan. Bring water to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Drain bacon. Cut each slice into thirds for wrapping around other morsels destined for the skewer.

[recipe_title]FIRESIDE FOWL[/recipe_title]

Skewered Chicken: 3 whole breasts, boned and skinned. Remove narrow fillet from top portion. Cut fillet crosswise into three pieces. Cut breast into 1/2-in.-thick slices for threading on skewer. If slices (concluded on page 160)Indoor Picnic (continued from page 94) are long and dangling, fold in half before jabbing with skewer.

Chicken Livers: 1-1/2, lbs. fresh chicken livers. Wash well. Cut pairs in half. Place in cold salted water in saucepan over moderate flame. As soon as water comes to boil, drain livers. Chill before threading on skewers.

Squabs: 6 squabs, 14 to 16 ozs. each. Have butcher split squabs and cut each into four portions, detaching shoulder and wing bone from breast for uniform broiling. Place squab pieces between broiler grill. Set rack in high position. Broil until brown on both sides. If flesh in breast section is slightly rare, the flavor will be delightful as in mallard duck and other game. Small Rock Cornish game hens are equally adaptable at a charcoal party.

Fish and Shellfish

Scallops: 1-1/2 lbs. bay or sea scallops. Leave bay scallops whole. Slice sea scallops into halves or thirds. Season generously with celery salt before broiling. Drawn butter is the best baster.

Shrimps: 3 lbs. fresh shrimps in shell. Before impaling shrimps, remove shell and vein running down back. Put skewer through tail and head ends of each shrimp. Don't split shrimps. Keep as far above fire as possible, since excessive heat shrivels shrimp flavor and flesh.

Oysters: 4 dozen medium- to large-size, freshly shucked. More than any other shellfish, oysters will become tough when exposed to too strong a fire or when kept on a fire too long. Flavor is best when insides of oysters are merely warm, not hot. If oysters are longish, fold before skewering. Bacon is the oyster's protector.

Sword fish: 3 lbs. 3/4-in.-thick steak. Buy the pink-rather than the yellow-fleshed variety during the winter. Remove skin. Cut into cubes about 3/4 in. thick.

Salmon: 3 lbs. 3/4-in.-thick steak. Cut salmon into 3/4-in.-thick cubes, but leave skin on to keep morsels firm over fire. Pierce through flesh rather than skin side.

Baby Lobster Tails: 6 nine-oz. packages baby rock-lobster tails, 4 tails per package. Thaw tails at room temperature. With heavy, sharp French knife, cut through thin membrane of each tail to separate into halves. Break shell by hand so that inner flesh side faces up, butterfly style. Place lobster tails in hinged wire broiler rack. Baste generously with butter. Broil 3 minutes, shell side down. Broil 3 minutes--no longer--shell side up. Serve immediately.

"Every mile is two in winter," George Herbert wrote. Perhaps't was true in the 17th Century, but nowadays you, your friends and your special girl will get maximum mileage out of winter by keeping your alfresco outing indoors.