In the United States, July 4th represents the founding of our nation and the holiday Americans recognize as their Independence day. This remarkable event first took hold on July 2, 1776 when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence from England that was first proposed by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia.
After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence where they explained their decision which was approved on July 4th. Historians argue over whether the Declaration was actually signed then or a month later. But in either case, the American experience continues to symbolize freedom in the 21st Century as most eloquently proposed by Thomas Jefferson and the framers of the Constitution. And what a remarkable event it was for Americans and others who value freedom and independence throughout the world.
imagesHere in the United States there are millions of new citizens and others who wish to become so who view the American experience as no less special for themselves or their place of origin. Virtually all of us came from somewhere else that defines who we are and how we got here. Most of us define ourselves by both our country of origin and by our newly adopted homeland.
For example, we see ourselves as African Americans, Puerto Rican Americans, Jewish Americans, Mexican Americans, Irish, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Chinese, Polish or Greek Americans— among many others. And in turn many of us celebrate other independence days as well. Mexican Americans even celebrate two independence days from the French on the 5th of May, called Cinco de Mayo and from the Spanish on the day called Grito de Dolores on September 16.
Given the growing popularity of these holidays in the United States, I thought it appropriate to recommend an Independence Day meal that combines American and Latin dishes as well that focus on healthy cuisine that is low in fat, high in flavor and easy to prepare.
I promise this won’t be your run of the mill enchilada or quesadilla at your favorite cafe. Nor will it do justice to all of the cultures and celebrations that other Americans value. But it begins to reflect the range of people who call themselves Americans and who value the constitutional freedoms that July 4th represents.
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Picnic Menu
1- Mexican corn on the cob
2- Homemade Tomato salsa and chips
3- Card Room sliders
4- Poblanos stuffed with shredded chicken
5- Grilled blue fish and halibut on skewers
6- Frozen Fruit Pops
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1- Mexican Corn on the Cob — Serves 12-24
Cut or break 12 ears in half. Pull the stalk off the cob and roast the ears of corn on a very hot grill about 1 1/2 minutes per side until somewhat blackened — turn 3 times. Remove from the grill and brush a light covering of Hellman’s mayonaise on each ear. Coat with shredded Parmesan cheese on all sides. Lightly season each ear with chile powder and smoked paprika. Finish by squeezing juice of 1⁄4 lime per ear. Insert a wooden stick in each end or eat by holding corn with aluminum foil. Very tasty so you may want to prepare more. And by the way, sodium is not required.
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2- Homemade Tomato Salsa & Chips — Serves 12-18 people
Blend two 15-ounce cans of plum tomatoes — pulse 2-3 times leaving somewhat chunky. Add 1/2 cup diced Vidalia onion with one diced jalapeño removing seeds and pith first.
Add juice of 1 lime and 2 tablespoons traditional rice wine vinegar. Briefly pulse the blender one more time. Add sea salt and fresh black pepper to taste and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne to taste. Have plenty of taco chips on hand. Homemade salsa is hard to resist.
Either use fresh corn tortillas sliced into eights or 3-4 large bags of chips.
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3- Poblanos Stuffed With Shredded Chicken also called Chiles en Nogada Serves 12 stuffed whole chiles or 24 stuffed chile halves
This is the celebratory meal called Chile en Nogada or chile with walnut sauce, eaten by Mexicans on both Sept. 16 and the 5th of May. Regardless of one’s native origin however, I can attest to the fact that this dish is special and extraordinary worldwide. Roast 12 poblano chiles at 425 F for 20 minutes; turn once and roast an additional 25 minutes. Remove and steam by placing a towel over chiles. Cut a thin slice in each chile from stem to end to enable stuffing.
Peel and remove the seeds under warm water. Roasting and peeling enhances the flavor dramatically. It’s okay if some parts are blackened more than others. When finished, place each whole chile in a large casserole dish ready to be stuffed.
Next roast 5 large chicken breasts at 350 F. Lightly season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Insert 1/2 tablespoon of butter under the skin of each breast. Roast for 45-60 minutes and remove from oven. Chicken is done at 165 F or when chicken is white, not pink, but still juicy. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Cut the breasts off their bones and shred or pull apart by using two forks— not unlike “pulled pork.”
Place all shredded chicken with skin removed into a large bowl. Add a picadillo mixture consisting of 1/4 cup currents or chopped raisins, 1/4 cup toasted and chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro. Mix all together. Carefully fill roasted poblanos with the picadillo mixture. If chiles are torn, merely borrow a piece from one of the others and place on top of the torn chile.
Lastly, pour one 8-ounce can of evaporated milk and 1 tablespoon of sugar into a small saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves. When ready to serve, reheat chiles for 10 minutes at 400 F; remove and pour evaporated milk over chiles. Place a small handful of red pomegranate seeds without the pith over all chiles, which now have the colors of the Mexican flag — red, white and green. Very festive! No?
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To serve smaller portions of Chiles en Nogada, cut the chiles in half with an eight inch wide piece of aluminum foil underneath. Fill each half with the chicken picadillo. Pour the heated evaporated milk and sugar over the top with a small handful of pomegranate seeds. Wrap the stuffed chile and stuffing with the foil, reheat and serve.
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4- Card Room Burger Sliders Serves 18 Slider burgers
These delicious burgers are smaller versions of those we ate as kids while our parents played cards. Add 2 medium, diced yellow onions to 3 pounds of 85 percent ground beef rather than sirloin or 90 percent top round. Sliders are smaller in size — 3 inches in diameter—but tastier since you are using onions with meat that has a bit more fat — always a winning combination. Grind black pepper over the burgers. Both adults and children will enjoy these mini-burgers as do adults. Also try small chunks of cheddar inside each burger. Stuffing cheese inside each burger is easy to make.
Form your burgers in four steps: 1) combine the chopped onions with the 85% of the meat leaving 15% to the side; 2) make 1/3 pound round slider burgers from the larger amount of burger and onions; 3) press your thumb into each burger and insert one teaspoon of cheddar into each hole. Cover the cheese with 1 tablespoon ground beef from the smaller amount of beef and onions ((15). Lightly pat the beef that covered the cheese and grill for 5-6 minutes per side. Lightly touch 1 or 2 of the burgers with your forefinger and middle finger to see if firm and done enough for you. If not leave on the grill for another 2 minutes, cover, and then serve.
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5- Bluefish And Halibut Seafood Skewers
Marinate a couple of pounds of skinless bluefish and halibut chunks — cut each into 2 inch chunks in size. Soak your skewers in water for 10 minutes so they don’t catch fire. Marinade with 1/4 cup each of light soy, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, juice and zest of 1 whole lime; and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Mix and pour over fish and vegetables for 15 – 20 minutes in a large bowl. Finally skewer with alternating pieces of Vidalia onion, green peppers, and 2 inch square chunks of blue fish and halibut.
Grill the skewers for 1 minute on each of two sides. Remove and stuff hot dog buns with the mixture or place skewer on side of cooked yellow rice seasoned with turmeric, and thin slices of 4 garlic cloves. Top with 1 inch square fresh pineapple chunks.
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6- Frozen Fruit Pops
Mango Pops:
2 cups frozen Mango slices, thawed
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 lemon juice
1 pinch salt
Blueberry Pops:
2 cups frozen blueberries, thawed
1/4 cup apple juice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 pinch salt
Directions
Combine mango pop ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour into 3 ounce plastic cups. Repeat process with blueberry pop ingredients. Cover all cups with foil and insert pop sticks through the center of the foil into the cups. Place all cups in freezer for at least 5 hours or overnight. To remove each pop from the cup submerge the bottom 2/3 of the cup in hot water for about five seconds. Holding the cup with one hand pull the stick slowly with your other hand to easily remove the cup for a quenching, healthy delight!
Send your comments and questions to Chef Zox at [email protected] or call Cell 401-741-7459. And be sure to enjoy July 4th and the several dishes we bring you. Or, try one at a time.