Patriotic Recipes for Fourth of July Cookouts

With Canada Day and the Fourth of July right around the corner, we asked our favorite Farmers’ Almanac chef for ideas on patriotic foods. This is what she came up with:

“When I think of patriotic foods, I instantly turn to the grill and alfresco dining. Growing up on the lake, we had many a meal outside by the beach, or on the porch, taking in the sunset. The following recipes are a dressed-up version of what would be a very common occurrence at my mother’s house throughout the summer in Maine.”

The Best Bacon Burger You Will Ever Have:
serves 5-6
1 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground bacon
1 small Vidalia onion, diced
5 scallions, chopped
1 egg yolk
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
splash of Tabasco sauce
salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Add all ingredients in a bowl and combine. Form into equal-sized patties. Grill until desired temperature. If you want the full effect of these burgers, I highly recommend serving between 2 grilled cheese sandwiches, but a regular bun will do just fine as well.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad
serves 8

1 box tri-color pasta, cooked and cooled
1 cup roasted red peppers, diced
1/4 capers, drained
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
8 large basil leaves, sliced
Balsamic Dressing (I really like Cape Cod’s version)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Drizzle with balsamic and sprinkle with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve chilled.

Strawberry Honey Pie

1 prebaked pie crust
6-7 cups freshly picked strawberries
1 cup honey
1 lemon, halved
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped
3 tablespoons cornstarch

In a sauce pan, add half the strawberries, honey and vanilla bean and simmer on medium low heat. In a  small bowl, combine the juice from half a lemon and the cornstarch, then add to strawberries. Let the berries come to a light bubble, then reduce heat to low, stirring constantly, and mash the berries with the back of a spoon. When the mixture is nice and thick, about 3-5 minutes, remove from heat and remove vanilla bean. In the pie crust, arrange the remaining hulled strawberries nicely, then top with cooked berries. Let set in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Serve with freshly whipped cream.