Holiday Colors Fly At July Fourth Meal

In our neighborhood, no calendar is necessary to note the Fourth of July. Instead, there’s a communal rustling of picnic baskets, clanging of soft-drink cans and a requisite squealing of children as everyone heads to the beach for the fireworks.

Those few who prefer not to share a sandy dinner with 10,000 friends can be seen quickly assembling a backyard meal before the first sparks fly. No doubt a similar scene will be played everywhere. It calls for a special July Fourth menu: red, white and blue.

Pasta salad, made with dumplinglike white cavatelli, tomato, green onion and basil, is the entree. This sturdy, delicious salad can easily be prepared for a fast dinner at home or packed for a picnic.

To save last-minute cooking, make the pasta up to a day in advance, toss it with a little olive oil and refrigerate until ready to use. Then add the remaining ingredients and bring to room temperature to serve.

Dessert is an equally colorful, and just as tempting, blueberry shortcake. This is also portable. Prepare the shortcake and layer in the fruit. Place each serving in a plastic container and include spoons.

Cavatelli with Fresh Tomato Sauce

1 large tomato, cored (about pound)

1 small green onion, white and green parts, trimmed

1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped

1 garlic clove

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

6 to 8 ounces cavatelli, cooked until tender

Place tomato, green onion, basil and garlic in food processor. Process to a pulp. Transfer to small bowl. Add oil, salt to taste and pepper.

Place cavatelli in serving bowl. Top with tomato sauce. Serve at room temperature.

Yield: 2 servings.

Blueberry Shortcake

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons baking powder

1 to 2 tablespoons sugar (see note)

1/2 cup half and half (see note)

2 teaspoons butter, melted

Blueberry sauce (recipe follows)

Combine flour, salt, baking powder and sugar in bowl. Dribble in half and half, stirring with fork until dough comes together. Do not overmix.

Remove dough to lightly floured board and knead 5 or 6 times. Divide dough in half. Shape into 2 (3-inch) circles about 1 inch high. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake at 425 degrees until golden - 15 to 20 minutes. Remove to wire rack to cool while making blueberry sauce.

To serve, split biscuits. On each bottom, spoon on 1/4 of blueberry sauce. Close with top half and spoon of sauce over each.

Yield: 2 servings.

Note: To my taste, these biscuits are better if not too sweet, but this will vary with the individual. Milk could substitute for half and half, but skip the kneading process so the biscuits do not become tough.