An American Cookout With Middle Eastern Flair
Israeli-accented Fourth of July Image by Liza Schoenfein
By Liza Schoenfein June 27, 2016
How do you put a Jewish twist on a Fourth of July barbecue? Take summer staples — burgers, watermelon, even a red-white-and blue frozen dessert — and add an Israeli accent. Instead of the usual hamburger, there’s a spiced lamb burger with garlicky mint pesto. Watermelon comes in the form of a cool sweet-and-salty salad, a nondairy take on the ubiquitous feta-and-mint version. And instead of the typical pasta- or potato-salad side, try a simplified mujadara, a Middle-Eastern rice-and-beans dish that can also act as a satisfying vegetarian main course.
The Recipes
- Watermelon Salad With Black Olives, Basil and Cucumber
- Iraqi Lamb Burgers With Mint Pesto
- Coconut Sorbet With Strawberries and Blueberries
Liza Schoenfein is the food editor of the Forward. Contact her at schoenfein@forward.com or on Twitter, @LifeDeathDinner
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
