FIRE IT UP FOR THE FOURTH
Explosive pork ribs, roasted potatoes and bubbly gin cocktail add plenty of dazzle
It’s a bummer, isn’t it, that this year there will be no fireworks on July Fourth.
Pittsburgh’s annual dazzling aerial show, along with the ones staged in dozens of community ballfields and municipal parks throughout the region, which are an honored tradition if not almost a religion, have been canceled.
But just because this year’s fireworks display will be limited to the sparklers and cherry bombs that you can buy at Target instead of the Zambelli pyrotechnics launched from a barge between the West End Bridge and Heinz Field, it doesn’t mean your Fourth of July celebration should not elicit oohs and aahs.
With a few bright and fiery choices, it’s easy to make your Independence Day picnic or barbecue spread sparkle almost as much as those brilliant and colorful aerial repeaters.
Every summer celebration should kick off with a great cocktail. Gin is often a first choice for the base because it’s light and wonderfully botanical, and it lends itself to any number of refreshing punches, gimlets, martinis and other mixed drinks.
The folks manning the bar at Federal Galley, a food hall on the North Side, suggest mixing the clear spirit in a cocktail shaker with a bit of dry vermouth, a splash of the black raspberry liqueur, Chambord, simple syrup, and some fresh lemon or lime juice.
They call it the River Sipper, and it’s exactly that — an easy-sipping
daytime drink that will put everyone in a buoyant mood. The citrus makes it extra refreshing on a warm summer day, and the light blush hue from the raspberries adds a dash of color without being overly girly. It comes together in less than a minute and goes down almost — almost — as fast.
Fourth of July parties also invariably include some type of potato on the picnic table, most notably a mayonnaise- or mustardbased salad.
This year, why not go for spuds that are a little more explosive and full of flavor? I like to toss cubed baby or fingerling potatoes in a little bit of olive oil with coarse salt, garlic and red pepper flakes and then roast them in a super-hot oven until crispy.
When ready to serve, I panfry the potatoes in a little more oil with even more red pepper flakes, and then drizzle them with a spicy, smoky salsa brava, which also can be used for dipping. It’s a take on the popular Spanish appetizer, patatas bravas, and it pairs just as well with pork as it does chicken, steak or hamburgers.
As for the main dish, of course we go with the perennial holiday favorite of barbecued ribs.
Baby back pork ribs, in particular, made all the easier because they are roasted in the oven and finished (only if you want the extra step) on the grill. Here again we go for the fireworks, preparing the ribs with a chili-based rub and a fiery, spicy-sweet sauce made with habanero peppers.
They might not literally cause an explosion, but they are certain to turn up the heat.