THere are two ways to have a picnic, I think. You can sweep the supermarket, of course, but it runs the risk of bringing everyone the same thing and you end up with four quizzes and a kilo of carrot stick. Another option is to be ridiculously big: divide and conquer by asking each person to be responsible for one thing – and that thing to be wonderfully supreme.
Muffuletta (picture top)
Go big or go home with it, my version of the epic New Orleans sandwich. If you are eating it at home (i.e., near the oven) skip the initial toasting phase and instead place the stuffed bread in the oven for a well-melted sandwich.
Preparation 20 minutes
Press 2 hoursr +
Serves 8
1 sour bread (600g-700g)
95ml olive oil
4 garlic clovesPeeled and finely chopped
2 tsp za’atar
8 anchovy filletsDrain and finely chopped
2 red chilliesSeeds and peat removed, meat finely chopped (30 gms)
2 ota (80 g), peeled and cut into thin rounds
200 g of pitted nocellara oliveExhaust and almost cut
450 g jar red chilliesDrain, dry patted and cut in half (350 g)
3 tsp fine capersDrain (or rinse, if salted; or regular capers, chopped)
10 gms Parsley leavesApproximately chopped (about 2½ tsp)
30 gms Basil leavesAlmost chopped (about 5¾ tsp)
Salt and black pepper
1½ Spoon English Zucchini
1 tsp honey
70 g thinly sliced salami
100 g chopped knee
2 buffalo mozzarella ballsCut into 2 cm thick slices and pat dry (250 g)
100 g thinly chopped mortadella
Preheat the oven to 240C (220C fan) / 475 F / Gas 9. Cut the top third of the bread length: it will cover the back. Using your hands, carefully open the loaf, removing as many pieces as possible (save to make breadcrumbs), leaving the crust intact. Place the hollow bread and lid separately in the oven tray, bake for three to five minutes, until crispy and lightly golden inside, then remove and set aside.
In the middle, make salsa. Heat 50 ml of oil in a small saucepan over medium heat and after it is hot add garlic and cook stirring for 3 minutes till it becomes soft. Stir in zaatar and anchovies, then remove from heat. Pour the jatar mixture into a medium bowl, leave to cool, then add chilli, olives, black pepper, capers, parsley, basil, finely ground pepper and a quarter teaspoon of salt.
In a small bowl, combine mustard and honey with the remaining three teaspoons of oil, and mix until very smooth. Using a pastry brush, spread the mustard mixture evenly on the inside of the bread and under the lid.
To collect the mufflet, place two-thirds teaspoon of olive salsa on the base of the bread, and spread it evenly. Layer the salami on top, then follow the gouda, mozzarella and mortadella, pressing firmly on each new layer as you go. Spoon in the remaining salsa and cover with a lid.
Wrap the bread tightly (in a reusable kitchen wrap, ideally) and place it on a tray. Weigh it with a heavy wooden board (or tray filled with tin) and leave it at room temperature for two to three hours (or freeze overnight).
Cut the bread into thick slices and serve at room temperature.
Dip peas and chillies with pickled ginger
Serve it with some crudits or crackers. These quantities will make you pickle more ginger than you need here; Store the excess in an airtight container in the fridge, ready to serve with rice or steamed fish.
Preparation 10 minutes
Cook 1 hour 15 minutes
Serves 4 as part of a meze
400 grams of frozen peasdefrosted
2 tbsp olive oil
2 banana black (80 g), peeled and finely chopped
1 tsp Thyme leavesAlmost cut
3 garlic clovesPeeled and crushed
Salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon sherry vinegarOr white wine vinegar
100 g soft goat cheese
20 ml lemon juice (I.e., from 1 lemon)
2 tsp fresh spicyFinely grated, for extra garnishing
4 spring onionsCut and cut at a thin angle
5 grams Mint leavesApproximately chopped (about 2¾ tsp)
Pickles for ginger
50 grams of fresh gingerPeeled
1½ Spoon finely ground lemon zest
3 sprigs Fresh thyme
60ml white wine vinegar
30 grams of castor sugar
First, pickle the ginger. Finely chop the ginger (use mandolin, if you have one), then stack and cut into thin strips. Place it in a small saucepan with 250ml cold water and a pinch of salt, and bring to a boil. Leave in the bubble for three minutes, then drain the water. Place the blanched ginger in a sterile, heat-resistant pan and add the lemon zest and thyme. Put vinegar and sugar in the same pan, bring to a boil, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, then pour directly into ginger bowl. Separate to cool, then screw on the lid and freeze.
Now to drown. Place the oil in a small, nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the sausages and stir until soft, occasionally, for five minutes. Finely grind thyme, garlic, a quarter teaspoon of salt and pepper, and cook for three to five minutes until fragrant. Stir in the peas and sherry vinegar, then remove from the heat and leave to cool.
Pour the mixture into a food processor, add the cheese, horseradish, lemon juice and a quarter teaspoon of salt, and the lentils into a thick paste. Transfer to a bowl (or plastic container, if you’re packing it for a picnic).
In a small bowl, add two teaspoons of ginger and one teaspoon of pickled wine and add the spring onion, mint, remaining half a teaspoon of oil and eight teaspoons of salt. Spoon it into the pea dip, grind some fresh horseradish on top and serve at room temperature.
Yuju and Lime Brown Butter Cobbler Medlines
Hot baked medallions from the oven are one of the little pleasures of life, but they also make a picnic treat. These are slightly hybrids, and are inspired by Japanese cobblers, using glutinous rice flour and tapioca starch instead of plain flour. As well as making them gluten-free, it gives them an irresistible, always-slightly chewy texture. Find small bottles of Yuju juice in the corridors of the world food of the big supermarkets, but if you can’t find any, use a mixture of lemon and lemon juice instead; Asian food stores are your best bet for a crystallized yuzu pill, although a blend of mixed citrus will work best if needed. The batter can be made up to the previous day; In fact, resting the batter in the fridge is an important part of the process, and is part of what gives the medallions their clear hump.
Preparation 15 minutes
Cook 30 minutes
Makes 22
135 grams unsalted butterAlmost cubed
1 tsp vegetable oil
20 grams honey
3 eggs
130 grams golden castor sugar
1 tsp vanilla bean extract
100 grams of glutinous rice flour
60 grams of tapioca flour
1½ Spoon Baking Powder
Spoon salt
1 teaspoon finely ground lime zest
For Yuju Icing
100 grams of icing sugar
20ml yuzu juice (Or 20ml mixed lemon and lemon juice)
1 tsp crystallized yuzu peel (Or mixed bokra)
1 teaspoon finely ground lime zest
Place the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for about five minutes, until the butter turns deep amber and smells nutty. Pour into a small bowl, add the vegetable oil and honey, and set aside for about 15 minutes to cool slightly.
Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in a stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachments, then mix on medium-high for about two minutes until creamy. In a separate bowl, add the rice flour, tapioca flour, baking powder and salt, then add to the stand mixer and work at low speed until well combined. The mixer is still on low speed, pour in the brown butter mixture in a steady stream, then lime zest, and mix until well combined. Refrigerate to rest for at least an hour.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 190C (180C fan) / 390 F / Gas 6 and butter the nonstick 12-kV Medellin tin. Using a piping bag or teapot, pipe or spoon, mix 25-30 grams of medallin in each cavity and bake for 10 minutes, until they are set and bounce back when you poke with your fingers (you don’t want to overback. They). While they are still hot, unmold the medlines and leave them to cool slightly on the wire rack as you icing. Rinse, dry and butter the medallion tin, fill and bake with any remaining batter as before (or refrigerate and bake later).
In a small bowl, combine icing sugar and yuju juice until smooth. Finely chop the crystallized yuju, place it in a second small bowl, then mix in the lime zest. Dip one side of each medallion into the narrow scalloped side of the yuju icing, sprinkle a little on top of the yuju bark / lime zest mix and serve at once.