Juneteenth All Year Round

 Today is Juneteenth the day when African American people were freed from brutal enslavement. There are big celebrations that reflect the day in taste and tradition. Yet these recipes can be made all  summer - and all year long.

One of the standards in a Juneteenth barbecue is grilled meat. African Americans were the original pit masters bringing over techniques form their native African to cook meats to tender perfection.Barbecue ribs are the perfect dish that can be made outside on the grill even for Christmas and New Year's. Try it with a sweet and hot barbecue sauce made from strawberries - another Juneteenth food and favorite. You'll need strawberry preserves along with honey. This gives the ribs that sticky red glazed look. Brown sugar can be added too to intensify the glaze. Apple cider vinegar is added to combat all that sweetnessDrilling does require cooking the meat on either hickory, cherry ,apple or pecan wood. Apple juice is spritzed on the meat every thirty to forty-five minutes to keep the meat moist and tender. A strawberry barbecue sauce is also made to dip the ribs in.Simmer this until smooth and slightly thickened.  You could also make a strawberry ketchup to go with this along with hamburgers too. This is taking fresh strawberries and cooking them with shallots and garlic along with curry powder, star anise and bay leaves.Cloves and red chili are also blended in for zing and spice.

Baked Mac and cheese is the classic Juneteenth go to. What's great about this is that everything can be added to the recipe.A lush summery take is putting in lobster  and changing the traditional cheddar for richer cheeses.It usually requires a cup of cooked lobster and such cheeses as the Swiss Gruyere, Fontina and Parmesan. You can add cheddar but make sure its the sharp white one.Crab can be subbed in a long with a dash of Old Bay Seasoning. Crumbled Ritz crackers top it for a crunchy , buttery topping. Of course just adding  bacon to the original recipe is also tasty and a great side too, Hoppin John or black eyed peas cooked in a variety of veggies and spices is a big side dish for this day. Yet its a great barbecue and holiday side all year round.Bacon or ham hocks is first simmered with onion ,bell peppers and garlic sauteing first and then simmering.Rice is cooked and added t this as the bay leaf and meat are removed. If you want a quicker,cooler way to cook it, then use your Instapot for this.This frees you up to make other dishes. Where would Junettenth be without red velvet cake. For the summer switch out the traditional cream cheese frosting with vanilla ice cream. You could also do a red velvet trifle for the holidays. This is the cake layered with a mix of cream cheese and whipped cream and layers of fresh or frozen strawberries. Decorate with strawberries or chocolate covered ones.

Juneteenth is a very special day. Why not extend it to throughout the year. It;s a great way of enjoying traditional and comforting flavors.