Anything Goes on July Fourth
Of fireworks, fried chicken and tacos!
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There are holidays that demand tradition. And there are holidays when anything goes.
In my family, Thanksgiving is sacrosanct. The holiday never happened if my mother’s vegan spanakopita isn’t the centerpiece.
Our Christmas is all about homemade sushi. We set out tons of ingredients and let everyone roll their own (often VERY creative) maki rolls. Think crispy bacon, avocado and pork pâté. It’s a little chaotic, but it’s fun. And delicious.
I never said my family’s traditions are in any way traditional.
But July Fourth? For us, that’s cowboy country. Anything goes and every year is different.
Last year, it was burgers studded with grated Parmesan cheese and splashed with fish sauce. (Try it! It won’t taste fishy, just super savory.) We served those with a side of ridiculously Miracle Whip-rich potato salad and tangy chopped Peppadew peppers.
The year before that, it was fried chicken with a bushel of fresh rosemary fried right in the oil. Before that, a version of Milk Street’s Jerusalem-Style Mixed Grill Chicken with yogurt flatbreads and tons of tahini.
This year? My husband requested another potato salad. I haven’t decided what I’m putting in it, but there will be celery and hard-cooked eggs (check out our guide for getting them just right). Miracle Whip, of course. I’ll happily fight anyone who claims it isn’t as good as “real” mayonnaise. I might add pickled jalapeños. And maybe chopped bacon, too.
It’s too early for fresh corn here in New England, but I have some kernels I froze late last season. I might use them to make a side of our Creamed Corn with Scallions. I love the hit of lime juice at the end. And don’t worry — the recipe works with purchased frozen kernels.
We usually have some sort of salad, too. But let’s be honest, nobody chows down on salad on the Fourth of July. We eat it because we feel we have to. So I like to make a simple salad that packs lots of punch without a lot of effort. Our Persian Tomato and Cucumber Salad is just about right. It gets tons of flavor from garlic, mint, scallions and lime juice.
Then again, my trip to Ukraine made me fall in love all over again with beets. So maybe instead I’ll make our recipe for Balsamic Roasted Beets and Carrots with Blue Cheese. Between the cheese, vinegar and a splash of honey, it’s definitely a dish that can hold its own against everything else on the table.
As for the main course, the husband requested tacos this year. I’ll pick some sort of ground meat or maybe chopped up cauliflower, then season it as we do in our recipe for Ancho-Spiced Pork and Potato Tacos. Then, we’ll spoon it into the corn tortillas we brought back (vacuum packed and frozen) from Mexico City.
If you don’t happen to have those in your freezer (channeling Ina and Martha vibes here...), we have an amazing recipe for making your own corn tortillas. There will be yogurt and cotija cheese on the side. I’ll also make some Pickled Red Onions and some Refried Black Beans flavored with cumin, coconut oil and chili powder.
And, of course, we’ll need salsa. When I was in Mexico, I learned so many amazing salsas, but my favorite was Salsa Macha, which combines dried chilies with garlic, peanuts and sesame seeds with oil and vinegar.
For dessert, we’ll probably keep it simple and just make s’mores around the fire pit. But instead of graham crackers, we use the massive chewy-crisp snickerdoodle cookies a friend of ours sells at her bakery.
For drinks, I like something light and refreshing. Also something lower in alcohol for all-day fun. An Aperol Spritz sounds just about perfect. This recipe is a more casual version of the classic that you build right in an empty jam jar, which doubles as your glass. Makes refills easy, too!
- 1½ ounces Aperol
- 3 dashes orange bitters
- 1 large or 2 standard ice cubes
- 4 ounces vinho verde wine
- 2 ounces Sanpellegrino Aranciata soda
In a jam jar, combine the Aperol, bitters, and ice cube. Screw on the lid. Shake. Remove the lid. Stir in the wine and soda.
Cheers and happy Fourth of July!
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