Every year, we celebrate our nation’s birthday with hot dogs, hamburgers, barbecued tri-tip, and potatoes prepared a half-dozen different ways. This Fourth of July, daring foodies might want to shake up the old-school menu a bit by including a array of red, white, and—yes—blue foods.
With banners flying, bunting flapping, and all the hues of the flag on display, hosts can heighten the holiday by fashioning a meal to match the décor. Surprise family and friends with a spread that lets them scoop red salsa with blue corn chips, blue crab dip with red taro vegetable chips.
Spoon scarlet marinara sauce over white noodles, and serve a red and white salad of sliced cucumber, onion, white radishes, and cherry tomatoes. For dessert, decorate cupcakes with stripes of red and white frosting and a cluster of blueberries in one corner.
Probably the easiest color to match with food, red comes in all shapes and sizes, from round onions to leafy lettuce to long slender radishes. Cherries, strawberries, and watermelon cubes lend brilliant highlights to fruit salad, while raspberry syrup coats delicate crepes in patriotic crimson.
For an eye-catching antipasto, lay out an assortment of rosy pickled beets, peppered salami, and red bell peppers sliced lengthwise, and drizzle with a light vinaigrette. Garnish with white Vidalia onion rings, radish roses, or even chilled curls carved from a sweet, white turnip.
With tomato season coming on strong, be sure to prepare a platter of the sliced beauties topped with thin wedges of fresh mozzarella and aromatic basil leaves. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a little virgin olive oil for an Italian treat that ranks as just about everyone’s favorite.
To add a touch of color to old-fashioned potato salad, boil unpeeled, red-skinned spuds until tender. Cool, dice, and fold them, along with chopped celery, onions, parsley, and a little cooked, crumbled bacon, into a mayonnaise-based dressing that includes sweet pickle relish, salt, black pepper, and a dollop of brown mustard.
For a delicious Danish-style coleslaw that plays right into the holiday scheme, grate or shred red cabbage and toss it with a marinade of salt and balsamic or white wine vinegar. Refrigerate for one to two hours, fluff with a fork, and then mix in a small, shredded apple, a pinch of sugar, and a little olive oil. Chill for another hour or so, and serve cold.
[image-2] As a white foil for red foods, creamy mashed potatoes come instantly to mind. The classic recipe calls for mashing boiled potatoes with a little milk, butter, salt, and white pepper, but for something different, try adding grated cheese, minced garlic, or festive bits of roasted and diced bell pepper.
White beans cooked, drained, cooled, and then mixed with fresh spinach make a refreshing salad for a Fourth of July party. Toss the beans and greens with some citrus-flavored olive oil, a splash of Champagne vinegar, a pinch of salt, toasted walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese for a standout dish.
Rare in nature, blue foods act as an appetite suppressant, probably because at the dawn of human existence, they were often associated with poisonous berries and plants. Recently, though, modern technology has rendered palate teasers like blue Jell-O, sapphire Kool-Aid, and azure M&Ms, all deserving of a place in the mid-summer holiday spread.
Blue Jell-O shots made with vodka will spark conversation, as will a fruit punch doctored with a little deep-blue Curacao. To make an appropriately hued side dish, blanch red cabbage in water with a little baking soda added, and shred the resulting bluish veggie into a tender slaw.
Before the meal, set out wedges of well-marbled blue cheese with water crackers, and for dessert, mix blueberries into vanilla ice cream. In a pinch, simply grab the food color and have fun turning edibles like pasta, Ranch dressing, mashed potatoes, and hard-boiled eggs blue, but beware that there will likely be some leftovers.
Revelers who want to skip the cooking, but still celebrate in style can take advantage of Stars, Stripes, and Syrah, a passport event hosted by Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country and slated for July 4. Enjoy wine samples and appetizers at 13 member wineries, including, among others, Bridlewood Estate Winery, Lucas & Lewellen Vineyard, Presidio Winery, and Rideau Vineyard.
Be sure to stop by member Buttonwood Farm Winery, where staffers will be busy pairing all-American cookout items—from hot dogs to hamburgers—with some of their specially selected Rhone-style wines.
With flags flying and banners flapping, it’s time to celebrate our nation’s birthday. Whether you’re planning a picnic, barbecue, or a ramble through wine country, remember, on the Fourth of July, it’s okay to eat blue food.
K. Reka Badger has the most patriotic spread on the block. E-mail her at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jul 2-9, 2009.
