In the town where I grew up, July meant hot, humid weather.
Sometimes the heat would be broken with a dramatic thunderstorm,
but I have memories of sitting on a curb, watching the Fourth of
July parade, and feeling hot, hot, hot.
In the town where I grew up, July meant hot, humid weather. Sometimes the heat would be broken with a dramatic thunderstorm, but I have memories of sitting on a curb, watching the Fourth of July parade, and feeling hot, hot, hot.
In this part of the world, the weather isn’t quite as predictable. It may be hot during the day, cooling off with the evening westerlies, or it may be overcast and cool all day.
This means the cook isn’t quite as desperate to stay out of the kitchen for temperature reasons. At the same time, the Fourth of July is a family day, and whether the festivities are at home or transported to a picnic site, anything that can be made in advance will make the day more fun for everybody.
Grillmeister Mitch L. Mariani II is in charge of the main courses for this day, and I’m focusing on some dishes that can be prepared in the morning, or even the day before, to free up the cook or cooks for fun and last-minute attention to the grill. Be sure to see David Cox’s suggestions for wine and beer to accompany the meal, which are included in this column.
Here is the menu:
– Raw veggies for a starter
– Homemade lemonade for those not drinking David’s suggestions
– Grilled chicken and tri-tip a la Mitch
– Minimalist potato salad
– Corn bread with butter and honey
– Ratatouille
– Fresh cherries and ice cream
This also seems like a good time to revisit food-safety basics. Remember that cold foods should be kept cold and hot foods, hot. This means 40 degrees or below for cold foods, and 140 degrees or above for hot ones.
The veggies, potato salad, butter, cherries and ice cream should be transported and kept in a cooler until serving time. If the day is very hot, use big bowls filled with ice to support the veggie platter and potato salad bowl so they stay cool.
The ratatouille is best made ahead, chilled and then allowed to come to room temperature or heated for serving.
The ice cream, of course, should be kept buried in ice in the cooler until serving time. It will probably have melted just enough to be good serving consistency by the end of the meal.
Raw veggies
Most supermarkets offer ready-made trays of raw veggies, but I am not a big fan of raw broccoli, so I put together my own. That way, in addition to baby carrots and cherry or grape tomatoes, you can use radishes, colorful bell pepper slices, zucchini and cucumber slices, and even veer into antipasto territory with marinated artichoke hearts, olives and pepperoncini.
Homemade Lemonade
from Martha Stewart Living
Makes 2 quarts
20 lemons for about 3 cups fresh juice, plus one for slicing
2 cups superfine sugar
4 cups water
Step 1: Children can be enlisted to help squeeze some of the lemons. It also helps to have a lever-operated citrus press.
Step 2: Strain the juice into a large pitcher.
Step 3: Add the sugar, and stir until dissolved
Step 4: Stir in the water and some ice. Garnish each serving with a lemon slice.
Minimalist Potato Salad
Serves 8
This is my mom’s recipe. It’s best when started the night before so the potatoes have a while to marinate.
2 pounds waxy potatoes (five or six, either red or white thin-skinned)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
I cup sliced celery (about 3 stalks)
1/2 cup sliced scallions, including part of green)
1 cup mayonnaise, plus more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Step 1: Halve the potatoes, but do not peel. Put in a large pan with salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until tender but not falling apart.
Step 2: Drain into a colander, and run cold water over them. As soon as they’re cool enough to handle, peel and cut into large (3/4-inch) chunks into a glass or ceramic bowl.
Step 3: While still warm, sprinkle with lemon juice and salt and pepper, and toss. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
Step 4: Add the celery, scallions and mayonnaise, tossing well after each addition. Adjust the seasoning and chill until serving time.
Ratatouille
Adapted from the New York Times Cook Book. Serves 8
1/3 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, sliced
3 zucchini, well-scrubbed
1 medium eggplant
3 tablespoons flour
3 green peppers, seeded and cut in strips
6 ripe tomatoes, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons capers
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the garlic and onion, and saute over medium heat until the onion is transparent.
Step 2: Slice the squash, and peel and cube the eggplant. Flour the pieces lightly. (Shaking in a bag works well.)
Step 3: Add the squash, eggplant and green peppers to the skillet; cover and cook slowly about one hour.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, until the mixture is thick. Season with salt and pepper. Add capers during the last 15 minutes of cooking.
Corn bread
from the Quaker Oats Corn Meal package. Serves 9
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease an 8- or 9-inch pan.
Step 2: Combine dry ingredients.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil and egg. Stir into the dry ingredients until just moistened. Do not over mix.
Step 4: Pour into prepared pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes until light golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cherries
Pick these up at a roadside stand for best flavor and freshness. Wash just before serving by dunking quickly in a bowl of cold water.
Kids younger than 3 probably shouldn’t eat cherries with pits because of the choking hazard.
Everybody else can see who can spit their pit the farthest.
Happy Independence Day.
And now for the drinks
Some things always remind me of the Fourth of July – the smell of smoke and sulfur from the fireworks, picnics, checkered tablecloths and the proud flying of our flag.
Mitch and Elizabeth have put together a feast of comfort food – grilled chicken, cornbread, potato salad, tri-tip and dessert. It doesn’t get much better than that!
For holidays and large gatherings, it is a good idea to have a few selections of wine (and beer). That way, you can be sure to appeal to most anyone’s taste.
For the beer, I suggest skipping the mass-produced stuff and venture out with some local favorites.
El Toro Brewing Company in Morgan Hill makes a terrific India Pale Ale, also known as IPA. This amber beer kicks it up with some nice citrus flavor, hoppy bitterness and toasty aromas.
Coast Range Brewing Company in Gilroy makes a beer called California Blonde. This golden ale is crisp, slightly sweet and perfectly refreshing on a warm summer day.
Try the DeRose Winery 2004 old vine “Pat’s Vineyard” zinfandel. This is great for barbecued meats. The wine is dry, smoky and spicy – characteristics that come from vines that are close to 100 years old!
Another red to enjoy is the Fortino Winery 2002 Charbono, a limited varietal. Hints of black cherry and earthy wood make this a wine to enjoy now and many years down the road. It’s perfect for grilled foods and the cherries for dessert.
Clos LaChance Winery makes an excellent rose wine, the 2005 Pink-Throated Brilliant. For $12, you get a wine that is sweet and light, with aromas of strawberries and spice.
I like experimenting with white wines, but for this particular meal, the Solis Winery 2004 estate chardonnay, nicely balanced with a slight cream and citrus flavor, will hold up to the side dishes and grilled meat.
Cheers!
– David Cox
