Fourth Of July Food Ideas

For those with a Fourth of July celebration planned this year, make this Texas-style barbecue chicken recipe.

Start the festivities off with shrimp and serve classic cocktail sauce (everyone’s favorite!).

If you are toting the food to the beach, make the BBQ Chicken With Caribbean Jerk Fig Sauce at home and serve it cold. Add white corn chips and a platter of carrots, radishes, celery, cucumbers and broccoli florets to eat with the Fourth Of July Hummus. And don’t forget; iced watermelon is the perfect dessert at the beach.

Staying home? Serve a confetti rice pilaf and a green salad for the main course. Follow with bowls of ice cream with strawberry sauce and blueberries on top for dessert.

Bon appétit!

Fourth Of July Hummus

(Yields about 2 cups)

2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, well drained

4 to 6 large cloves garlic, chopped

10 sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped

About 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

About 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, to taste

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

To prepare:

Working in the food processor fitted with the stainless steel blade, add chickpeas and process until coarsely chopped.

Add garlic and sundried tomatoes and process.

Add oil and lemon juice through the feeding tube and purée until the mixture becomes a thick smooth dip.

Add just enough chickpea liquid or cold water if necessary for desired consistency.

Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.

BBQ Chicken With Caribbean Jerk Fig Sauce

(Serves 6)

4 ounces dried mission figs, stemmed and quartered

2 tablespoons Habañera chile sauce or 2 fresh habañera chiles, chopped

8 large cloves garlic, minced

1 bunch scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 tablespoon dried thyme, chopped, with parsley

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3 whole cloves, crushed in mortar and pestle

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 boneless chicken breasts with skin-on or 6 chicken legs and thighs, separated, washed and patted dry

4 large cloves garlic, minced

1 to 1½ cups plain yogurt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt

To prepare the sauce:

Stir the figs, Habañera chiles or sauce, garlic, scallions, thyme, sugar, vinegar and water together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer until the figs are soft, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Set aside to cool.

Transfer the mixture to a food processor with about a half cup of the liquid accumulated in the pan.

Process until evenly chopped.

Add olive oil, cloves, cinnamon, salt and pepper and process until it becomes a smooth thick sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasonings.

Refrigerate in a glass jar. Can be made up to two weeks ahead.

For the Chicken:

Whisk the yogurt together with garlic, cayenne, paprika and salt in a large mixing bowl.

Roll each piece of chicken in the yogurt to coat.

Place the chicken and the yogurt in a gallon-sized plastic bag.

Seal, and refrigerate overnight.

Before grilling, remove the chicken and wipe off the yogurt.

To grill:

Preheat the coals until white hot.

Away from the heat, spray the grill grid with non-stick spray.

Place the chicken, skin-side-down on the grid and cook until the skin is light brown.

Turn and brown the other side, approximately 2 minutes per side.

Brush the jerk sauce liberally on both sides of the chicken.

Reduce the heat to moderate.

Close the grill cover, turning the chicken every now and then and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes.

Alternately, sear the chicken in a skillet over high heat on both sides until brown.

Transfer chicken to an oven-proof shallow baking dish.

Liberally brush the jerk sauce on both sides of the chicken and bake, uncovered, in oven at 350 degrees until the juices run clear when pierced with a fork, about 30 minutes.

Confetti Rice Pilaf

(Serves 6)

2 tablespoons olive oil or more if necessary

1 medium yellow onion, diced

1 small red bell pepper, diced

1 small yellow bell pepper, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1 cup long grain white rice

1 cup long grain brown rice

1 1/2 teaspoons thyme

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

4½ cups good quality chicken stock, hot

To prepare:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Coat the bottom of a heavy casserole (with a lid) with olive oil and cook over moderate heat.

Add onion and sauté until aromatic, about 2 minutes.

Add peppers and sauté until they begin to soften, about 2 to 3 minutes longer.

Add rice and more oil, if necessary, to coat all the kernels of rice.

Stir in thyme, salt and pepper.

Add the hot stock all at once.

Stir well, then cover and place on the center rack in the oven.

Bake until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

Place a paper towel under the lid and let stand until ready to serve.

Fluff up with a fork and serve.