A
ARTICLE
Wednesday, June 27, 2001
From pitchin' to kitchen
Ex-Phillie Tug McGraw was known for putting out fires. Now
he's starting them - as a chef and cookout specialist. Perk up
your Fourth with his pork roast, and other dishes.
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Recipe | Rembrandt's Amaretto Zabaglione
By Marilynn Marter
INQUIRER FOOD WRITER
Fourth of July celebrations in Philadelphia invariably focus on food. This time of
year, after all, is the traditional start of local harvests of corn, tomatoes and
berries.
Looking ahead to the holiday, local sports celebrity - and fledgling foodie - Tug
McGraw and his wife, Diane, shared their favorite family cookout recipes at a
gathering of friends at their home in Rose Valley.
As star relief pitcher for the 1980 World Series-winning Phillies, McGraw holds a
special place in the hearts of Philadelphians.
But few realize that he's something of a farm boy. Or that his father and
grandfather once worked as butchers.
Indeed, McGraw's interest and background in food are so strong that they have
set him on a path to a second career since his 1984 retirement from baseball.
After living in Los Angeles for two years, and with two sons entering high school,
McGraw and his wife chose to come "home" about four years ago.
Now they run McGraw & Co. Inc., a sports and entertainment marketing firm that
also manages his personal appearances.
McGraw, 56, is the public persona, the dreamer and "disher," with a sports
metaphor for every situation. (Even giving directions, he described a location as "a
par 7" from the nearest intersection.) And he pitches jokes and opinions as deftly
as he did baseballs, expanding on his screwball specialty.
For her part, Diane McGraw, a former director of several municipal sports
commissions, is the doer, the producer.
To hear him tell it, McGraw aspires to become a cross between wacky celebrity
chef (and his role model) Dom DeLuise and a male Martha Stewart.
Already, he is doing cooking demonstrations and, with his wife, producing
homestyle cookouts for local charity events. He also has attracted a following for
the Irish coffee booth he sometimes sets up at events.
When he ran low on the Phillies shirts and caps he used to donate to
fund-raisers, McGraw put himself on the block, offering to cook dinner for the
highest bidders and their guests at charity auctions.
He recently fulfilled one such commitment at an 80th-birthday bash for former
Philadelphia City Council member Thatcher Longstreth.
He has appeared on behalf of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Arthur
Ashe Tennis Center, the Savoy Company, and more, sometimes serving as
celebrity auctioneer as well as contributing auction items.
And in March, Media's Iron Hill Brewery produced a limited-edition batch of Bull
Pen Red beer, distributed with "Tug mugs," in his honor.
The McGraw family is one of his, hers and theirs - his three children, her two, and
their son, Matthew, age 5. But McGraw says simply and proudly, "I've got six
kids."
Meanwhile, he enjoys his own "home plate" serving dish, a gift from Diane, and
his new 18-piece barbecue tool kit, a Father's Day gift from Matthew.
"My family lived in the Napa Valley and raised pigs," McGraw said. That, and the
abundance of rosemary that grows there like ground cover - and the valley's
proximity to Gilroy, Calif., considered the garlic capital of the world - explain his
choice of ingredients for the pork roast entree he served at the couple's pre-Fourth
party.
Other home cooks, he notes, might opt for different seasonings and/or substitute
beer or whiskey for the wine, which helps keep the meat moist.
Another family specialty is the technique for grilling corn handed down by
McGraw's Aunt Millie, still going strong at age 92 and living on her small farm in
Napa.
"We soak the corn, unshucked, for an hour in a mixture of water and milk with a
generous helping of sugar," McGraw said. (For a dozen ears, use a gallon of
water, a quart of milk, and a half cup of sugar.)
After soaking, the corn is grilled, still in the husk, for about 20 minutes. When
cool enough to handle, it is shucked, rolled in butter, and served.
"Then we go after it like beavers," McGraw said.
To round out the menu, Diane McGraw and the couple's guests, Suzanne and
Tom Gorman of Malvern and Philadelphians Jan and Joann
Zarkin, added some of
their own summer favorites.
For the salad, Diane adapted a "cottage garden" mix that she says reflects her
Scottish heritage.
Her appetizer was fried bits of Parmesan cheese, a delightful recipe the McGraws
picked up at Michael's restaurant in South Philadelphia.
She makes them by cutting the cheese into bite-sized pieces and sauteing them
in balsamic vinegar over high heat for about three minutes to soften the cheese as
it forms a slight crust.
The Gormans brought a couscous salad. She is a singer-songwriter; he is a
senior vice president of Morgan Stanley Co., the brokerage firm.
Jan Zarkin, owner of Rembrandt's Restaurant & Bar in Fairmount, has been a
buddy since McGraw retired from baseball. He and his wife came bearing dessert,
a summery version of the Italian classic zabaglione (pronounced zah-buy-YOWN).
Its wine mousse base has been a traditional dessert of Italy's Piedmont region for
centuries. (The earliest known recipe is found in a book published in neighboring
Lombardy in 1662.) Made with barolo or moscato wine, it was served as a tonic.
The warm, winter version is more of a delicate souffle. But Zarkin's chilled variation
(new to his restaurant menu) incorporates elements of the Italian semifreddo and
an English trifle - amaretto cookies and fresh fruit.
It's a cool treat for a hot Fourth.
Marilynn Marter's e-mail address is mmarter@phillynews.com.
741
N. 23rd St., Philadelphia, PA 19130
(Corner 23rd & Aspen Sts. in the Art Museum Area)
215-763-2228 Fax 215-763-7017
Outside of Philadelphia? 1-800-REMBRANdts
Email: jzarkin@rembrandts.com
This page last updated on Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Last updated on Tuesday, August 15, 2006