New 4th Favorites
Make new favorite meals from old favorite recipes for the 4th of July.
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
r,
few people choose to do just
one thing on America's
Independence Day. And just
because this year's holiday
also happens to fall on Shabbat, it does-
n't mean you can't still enjoy the favorite
foods associated with this uniquely
American holiday.
If you're like most of America's cele-
brants, chances are you'll eat casual, easy
foods, with different types of meat,
almost always flame grilled.
If your barbecue recipe roster consists
of one recipe — chicken with store-
bought barbecue sauce splashed on top
— it's time you perked up the menu
with some new spins on some old food
darlings.
Salsa gives a flavor boost to roasted
vegetables, a great substitute for the
usual raw variety. Burgers go turkey or
chicken to complement the usual beef
kind. Barbecue sauce gets shelved for a
tangy, light marinade. Mayonnaise expe-
riences a makeover with a few mix-ins
that make it the perfect foil for the
ketchup we seem to slather on every-
thing.
Even corn on the cob undergoes a
flavor boost in a fun-to-eat version that
calls for grilling in the husk and a few
last-minute embellishments. For ice
cream lovers, end your meal with the
easiest ever ice cream cake that can be
made with either ice cream or your
favorite sorbet.
ROASTED SALSA
Roasting adds a new dimension to this
salsa — but serve it cold with chips or
over your favorite sandwich.
6 cups fresh chopped Roma or plum
tomatoes
2 cups chopped onions
2 cups chopped red, yellow or green
bell peppers
1 T. minced fresh garlic
3 T. olive oil
1 T. red wine vinegar
2 cups chopped cucumber
salt and pepper to taste
fresh lemon juice to taste (about 1/2
lemon)
hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, to
taste
Optional add-ins: roasted corn,
cooked black beans (canned is fine),
diced avocado, minced hot peppers,
chopped tomatillos, mandarin
oranges
Preheat oven to 500E Spray a shallow
baking dish with non-stick cooking
spray. Set aside.
Combine tomatoes, onions, peppers
and garlic in a large bowl. Toss with
olive oil and spread the mixture in the
baking dish. Roast the vegetables,
uncovered, for 30 minutes, turning once
or twice with a spatula. Remove from
oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the vinegar, cucumber, salt and
pepper to taste and stir well. Taste and
add lemon juice and pepper sauce to
taste. Makes 4-5 cups of salsa.
Heat grill to medium-high. Place the
breasts on the hot grill and cook, turn-
ing once or twice until the breasts are
marked (discard the marinade). Turn the
breasts over and cook other side (you
may turn them a few times if desired)
and cook until just done but not dry,
about 15 minutes total cooking time
(thin breasts will cook faster and larger
breasts may take longer — do not
over-cook). Serve hot or
at room temperature.
Alternately, you may place the mari-
nated breasts on a baking sheet and
cook at 400F for 15-20 minutes, turn-
ing once or twice (discard the mari-
nade). Makes 8 servings.
4TH FAVORITES on page 84
TEQUILA MARINATED
CHICKEN BREASTS
You can also use this marinade
for chicken pieces (with skin
and bones) for a change of
pace.
8 (about 2 1/2 pounds)
boneless and skinless
chicken breasts, trimmed
of visible fat
Marinade:
1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 T sugar
1 t. kosher salt
1/2 t. ground black pep-
per (not finely ground)
2 t. chili powder
1 T. Tequila
1 T. dried dill
Place chicken breasts in a
zipper-style plastic bag or a
glass or ceramic dish. Set aside.
Combine all marinade ingre-
dients in a medium bowl and
whisk well. Pour this over the chick-
en. Seal the bag and turn it over sev-
eral times to coat the chicken or turn
the chicken with your hands in the dish
to coat the chicken and cover the dish
with plastic wrap. Chill the chicken for
1 hour up to 3 hours.
6/27
2003
83