5 grown-up picnic recipes for summer
Forget the cocktail sausages, cook up these delicious and sophisticated recipes for your picnic instead.
Image: Wensleydale Creamery
Get in the mood for summer picnics with friends and family, by taking inspiration from these grown-up recipes that everyone will be fighting over.
Picnic perfect muffaletta
Image: Scott Can Eat
Forget plain, soggy sandwiches, rustle up this muffaletta for a showstopping picnic addition.
Ingredients
- 160g of olives (green and black)
- 8 silver‐skinned picked onions
- 1/2 red onion finely chopped
- 2 rib celery, chopped
- 125ml extra‐virgin olive oil
- 1 tbs dried oregano
- 1tbs Dijon mustard
- 1tsp garlic flakes
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the muffuletta
- 1 sturdy loaf of bread (not sourdough)
- 1 pack of Leerdammer original sliced cheese
- Various sliced deli meats like ham, salami, pepperoni, turkey and chicken
Method
1. Chop all the ingredients for the relish until chunky. Mix in the remaining ingredients and set aside until you are ready to assemble.
2. Cut a lid out of the loaf. Using your hands, hollow out inside.
3. Fill the bottom half with about 3/4 of the relish; press down. Layer the Leerdammer and meats over the relish in different layers, being careful not to let cheese or meat hang over the sides of the bread.
4. Spread the remaining relish over the top and cover with the lid of the bread. Press down firmly and tightly wrap sandwich with cling film.
5. Refrigerate for 2‐3 hours. When ready to serve, remove plastic wrap and cut the sandwich into slices.
Tofoo, leek & sundried tomato quiche
Image: The Tofoo Co
Perfect for all of the vegans out there! This scrummy quiche will last in the fridge for a few days if there is any leftover.
Ingredients
- 1 pack Naked Tofoo
- 1 sheet of ready rolled shortcrust pastry
- 150g vegan soft cheese
- 50g vegan parmesan grated
- 100ml soya single cream
- 2 tbsp English mustard
- 2 leeks
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 120g sundried tomatoes
- 10 cherry tomatoes
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Take a tart tin or round baking tin approx. 22cm in diameter and line with the pastry then blind bake according to the packet instructions.
3. To make the filling, heat a pan and add the olive oil. Finely slice the leeks and cook in the pan until softened.
4. Place the Tofoo, soft cheese, half the grated parmesan, cream and mustard in a food processor and blitz to form a smooth paste. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Finely chop the sundried tomatoes and add to the Tofoo mix along with the cooled leeks.
5. Add the filling to the tart case and smooth the top.
6. Cut the tomatoes into half and place on the top of the quiche then sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan.
7. Place in the oven and bake for 30 mins until the quiche is hot in the middle.
8. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before serving with a fresh salad.
Raw broccoli slaw with red cabbage
Image: Burgundy Broccoli
This super fresh side dish is the perfect accompaniment for any picnic recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 heads raw broccoli
- ½ small red cabbage
- 1 red onion
- 1 small punnet cherry tomatoes
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise, to bind
- Chopped fresh herbs – parsley, coriander, chives or spring onions would work best
Method
- Finely peel and slice the broccoli, cabbage and onion.
- Add the tomatoes and mix well.
- Adding fresh herbs and serve.
Yorkshire Wensleydale & spinach tartlet
Image: Wensleydale Creamery
Whether you decide to make your own pastry or not, these mini tartlets pack a massive flavour punch!
Ingredients
- 200g Yorkshire Wensleydale
- 1 packet ready roll puff pastry
- 1 jar apple chutney
- 5 tablespoons walnut pieces
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 bag baby spinach
- 1 large free range egg
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil
Method
- Roll the pastry into a large rectangle and place onto a lightly oiled tray.
- Prick the pastry with a fork leaving a neat border around the outside of the tart.
- Gently go around the border with a knife creating a slight indentation to frame the tart.
- Brush the border of the puff pastry with beaten egg wash and bake for 20 minutes at 180°C until golden and crisp.
- Remove from the oven and spoon the whole jar of apple chutney into the centre of the pastry, spreading to the edges to create a neat base for the tart.
- Place the spinach into a frying pan with a knob of butter and wilt for a few moments until tender, then add the walnut pieces.
- Place the spinach and walnuts on the top of the apple chutney taking care to leave the border of the pastry clean.
- Return the tart to the oven and heat for a further 6 minutes.
- Finally, take your Yorkshire Wensleydale and crumble it over the top, then sprinkle with freshly grated nutmeg.
Sweet potato chocolate blondies
Image: American Sweet Potato
These may sound a bit whacky, but we promise you if you make these blondies you will be head over heels for them.
Ingredients
- 600g American Sweet Potatoes
- 100g white chocolate
- 150g almond flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsps Canadian maple syrup
- 12 halves Canadian walnuts
Method
- Wash the sweet potatoes thoroughly and prick them several times with a sharp knife. Wrap them in damp kitchen paper and cook in the microwave at the highest setting for approx 10 minutes or in a preheated oven at 180°C for approx 1 hour. Leave the oven switched on. Halve the sweet poatoes, remove the flesh and puree finely.
- Grate the chocolate and mix with the sweet potato puree, almond flour, baking powder and maple syrup to a smooth dough. Spread the dough in a rectangular baking mould lined with baking paper and press down well.
- Spread the walnut halves on the dough, press a little and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes. Let the blondies cool on a cake rack, decorate with white chocolate if desired and let dry. Cut the sweet potato chocolate blondies into 12 pieces and serve.
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