4th of July Celebrated on the 2nd

Over the past two years I had two scares over the 4th of July weekend. Once, my sister suffered a stroke on the 4th of July; at another time, George had to be rushed to the hospital because he had a hematoma. So, I am particularly glad to celebrate the holiday, but there was a different problem: 4th of July means hamburgers and hamburgers call for freshly ground meat. This year’s 4th of July falls on a Monday when the butcher is closed. Since I don’t own a meat grinder we had our 4th of July dinner on Saturday, July 2nd.

A few days ago the NY Times featured a recipe for “Japanese Burger with Wasabi Ketchup”, to be served with champagne. I toyed around with the idea of trying the Japanese burger but, since I like an honest-to-goodness burger, I skipped the Japanese version, but went for the wasabi ketchup. Much as I like champagne, I opened a bottle of a cru Beaujolais. We enjoyed a happy meal.

Menu

Hamburgers on toasted English Muffins with Wasabi Ketchup
Zucchini Chutney*
Wine: Juliénas 2009 Cru Beaujolais
Dessert: Watermelon Salad

Recipe: Wasabi Ketchup

¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons wasabi paste

*The recipe for Zucchini Chutney appeared in my August 26, 2010 blog. If you need help, please contact.

I don’t normally care for watermelon, but this watermelon salad is fantastic. The recipe appeared in the July 9, 2010, but I so much want you to try it, I repeat it here and now. Refrigerate before serving.

Recipe Watermelon Salad

Equal amounts of
Watermelon, seeded, cut into cubes
Red onion, thinly sliced
Fresh strawberries, lightly mashed
Touch of lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Sugar if needed