Pack it up, take a meal on the road, in style

(Pasta Fagiola travels well for a tailgating party/Gannett News Service photo)

Packing up food and taking it on the road is a simple pleasure in life.

Picnics in summer or tailgating in fall are ways to bring family and friends together to enjoy a special show, concert or game.

Today's Busy Cook page in the Journal features recipes for tailgating from Joe Leone Introna, award-winning chef and owner of Joe Leone’s Catering and Italian Specialties in New Jersey.
He has crafted a playbook for high-end tailgating recipes, elevating a simple cookout/picnic to an art form.

Here are two vegetarian recipes included in Introna's repertoire, courtesy of Gannett News Service.
I love the rustic taste of a bread salad, especially with end-of-summer tomatoes and homemade mozzarella.
And the combination of fennel, cabbage and green apples makes a crisp tangy salad to pair with a variety of main meals.

(Save day-old bread to turn into a rustic panzanella salad/Gannett News Service photo)

Panzanella Salad

1. 4 or 5 plum tomatoes, cut in quarters
2. 2 large red onion, sliced thin
3. 2 large cucumbers, cubed with skin still on
4. 1 pound boccocino mozzarella (small balls)
5. 1 bunch basil, chiffonade
6. 3 cups italian bread (preferably day-old), cubed
7. 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
8. 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
9. salt to taste
10. pepper to taste

• Place vegetables in a bowl.
• Add mozzarella and toss.
• Place cubed bread on a flat sheet pan and bake 10 minutes in a 400-degree oven.
• Add bread cubes to vegetables and toss together with olive oil, vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
• Served chilled.
• Makes about 6 servings.

(Green apples and fennel combine to make a crisp, tangy salad/Gannett News Service photo)

Fennel, Cabbage and Green Apple Salad

1. 2 bags mixed cabbage slaw
2. 8 Granny Smith apples, sliced thin
3. 1 bulb fennel, sliced thin
4. 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
5. 1 cup apple juice
6. 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise (or to taste)
7. 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8. 1 1/2 teaspoons celery salt
9. 1 lemon, juiced
10. salt to taste
11. pepper to taste

• Thinly slice the apples and sprinkle with the juice of one lemon to prevent from turning brown.
• Add cabbage, fennel, vinegar, sugar, apple juice, celery salt and mayonnaise.
• Toss together and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve chilled.
• Makes about 6 servings.