LABOR DAY BBQ W/TEQUILA!

The recipes that we've selected for this mouthwatering Labor Day barbecue are from "The Tequila Cookbook" by Lynn Nusom. Permission to print granted by Golden West Publishers, 4113 N. Longview, Phoenix, AZ 85014.

This book is a compilation of recipes using tequila, a distilled liquor made from one of 400 species of agave plant. The blue variety agave is successfully grown only in the Mexican state of Jalisco, and in portions of Michoacan & Nayart. The town of Tequila is in the latter, near Guadalajara.

To qualify as tequila, the liquid must pass the following four tests established by the Mexican government:

1. It must be made from the juice of the blue agave.
   
2. It must come from one of the areas mentioned above.
   
3. After being fermented, the agave juice must be distilled twice.
   
4. The final product must contain at least fifty-one percent distilled agave juice and no more than forty-nine percent can be the result of distilled cane sugar.

GRILLED MUSTARD STEAKS

• 4 (6 - 8 oz.) SIRLOIN or RIB EYE STEAKS, approx. 1/2" thick
  
• 1 tsp. coarse ground BLACK PEPPER
  
• 2 Tbsp. HONEY MUSTARD
  
• 1/2 tsp. WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
  
• 1 cup TEQUILA
  
• 1 tsp. PEQUIN CHILE FLAKES

Place the steaks in a shallow dish. Mix pepper, mustard, Worcestershire, tequila and chile together and pour over steaks. Marinate in the refrigerator for 3 - 4 hours, remove and let stand at room temperature for 1/2 hour. Remove the steaks from marinade and grill over hot coals to taste, basting twice with the marinade. Discard the remainder of the marinade. Serve the steaks with potato salad and whole onions roasted over the barbecue. Serves 4.

"MAKE YOU PROUD" POTATO SALAD

• 2 lbs. WHITE POTATOES, peeled, boiled & diced
  
• 3 - 4 ribs CELERY, diced
  
• CELERY TOPS, diced
  
• 4 - 5 GREEN ONIONS, diced (include greens)
  
• 1/2 cup BLACK OLIVES, pitted & sliced
  
• 1/2 cup GREEN OLIVES with pimentos, sliced
  
• 1 Tbsp. fresh CILANTRO or PARSLEY
  
• 1/2 cup SOUR CREAM
  
• 1/2 cup MAYONNAISE
  
• 1/4 cup TEQUILA
  
• 2 Tbsp. DIJON MUSTARD
  
• 1 Tbsp. LEMON JUICE
  
• 1 Tbsp. fresh DILL WEED (or 1 tsp. dried)
  
• 1/2 tsp. ground BLACK PEPPER
  
• 1/2 tsp. SALT
  
• 1 tsp. crushed RED PEPPER FLAKES (Pequin)

Put the potatoes, celery, celery tops, onions, olives and cucumbers in a large salad bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss lightly. Garnish with sliced olives and sprigs of cilantro or parsley. Serves 8 - 10.