As a child, summer picnics meant trips out in my grandad’s Skoda 130, cool-box packed with sandwiches, to seaside destinations such as Southport, Cleethorpes and Morecambe. We often had to eat in the car while waiting for the rain to stop, using plastic plates, cutlery and cups that folded out from a little round disc.
If we made it out of the car we would be shivering on the beach eating sandwiches – egg with salad cream the main filling. We huddled for protection behind the windbreaker, but nothing could save us from sandy sandwiches.
Nowadays, for me, a picnic is solely about getting outside. Whether it’s out of the city or under the nearest tree. I enjoy food suited to outdoor eating that complements the surroundings with an abundance of fragrant herbs, plenty of juicy crunch, and a little extra salt as we sweat in the sunshine. Sandwiches, sandy or otherwise, are seldom on the list.
Kohlrabi, cabbage and caraway salad
A perfect way to add a little crunch.
serves 6-8
cabbage 400g, white or red or hispi
salt 10g
kohlrabi 2, peeled
chervil or flat-leaf parsley 2 tbsp
red onion ½, thinly sliced
caraway seeds 1 tsp
For the dressing
lemon juice of ½
apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp
Dijon mustard ½ tsp
extra virgin olive oil 6 tbsp
pepper
Shred the cabbage and add a teaspoon of fine sea salt. Sit the cabbage in a colander weighed down under two plates for 1 hour to draw some of the moisture out and then rinse and drain thoroughly. Coarsely grate the kohlrabi. Chop the chervil or flat-leaf parsley. Add the onion, caraway, kohlrabi and herbs to the cabbage once it has been rinsed and drained. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing and add to the vegetables. This benefits from sitting together overnight.
Cherry belle radishes and duck egg
To feed 6
radishes 18 cherry belle, French breakfast or other medium-mild eating
duck eggs 6
Maldon or other flaky sea salt a little container
Wash the radishes, keeping the leaves intact. Bring a pan of water to the boil and boil the duck eggs, 7 minutes for soft boiled, 7½ for “fudgy” yolk – my favourite. Cool immediately under running cold water and leave in the shells until time to eat.
Peel the eggs. Dip the radishes in the salt as you go. Take a bite of the radish then the egg. Dunk if you wish.
Beetroot, Sicilian tomato and goat’s curd salad
serves 6
young beetroot 1 bunch, with leaves
red wine/white wine/cider vinegar 1 tbsp
Sicilian tomatoes 6 medium
mint leaves a handful
lemon juice
olive oil
salt and pepper
goat’s curd (or any young fresh goat’s cheese) 150g
Destalk the beetroot, wash it and gently simmer, unpeeled with a little salt and a splash of vinegar until tender, about 45 minutes. Run the beetroot under cold water and when it is cool enough to handle, peel it. Slice it with the tomatoes, add the mint leaves, season with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange cheese on top.
This can easily be prepared a day ahead, just hold back on the goat’s cheese and mint. It is best served at room temperature, not chilled.
Courgette and onion focaccia with borlotti bean and basil dip
The dough is made the day before and kept in the fridge. This allows what little yeast there is to slowly ferment. The topping can be assembled the day before to soften the vegetables, making them more oven-hardy.
For the focaccia
water 375 ml
fresh yeast 1g, or ⅛ tsp dried yeast - if you haven’t got electric scales and are using fresh yeast then use a piece the size of a sunflower seed
bread flour 500g
salt 1g
olive oil 100ml
For the topping
onion 1 medium, cut into 1cm slices
courgettes 2, cut along diagonal into 1cm slices
thyme a small handful, picked
olive oil 100ml
flaky salt a good few pinches
This is easiest made in a mixer but can be done by hand with a bit more elbow grease. Whether using a mixer or not put the water and yeast in the bowl. Add the flour and mix gently just until incorporated.
Leave this for half an hour before adding the salt. This is the autolyse period, important for passively developing the gluten that is going it give your bread strength. If allowed to form now it will take less mixing and will result in a better flavoured loaf.
After the half hour add the salt to the dough and mix on a medium speed in the mixer for 5 minutes or work by hand for 10. It is quite a wet dough but embrace this and don’t be tempted to add more flour. As it comes together it will become less sticky. A plastic scraper is handy for this job and much recommended.
After the mixing period the dough should be much shinier and stronger than at the beginning. Now it is strong enough you can add the olive oil. Mix it in slowly until all incorporated.
Place your dough in an oiled container that will allow it to expand to twice its size. Cover with another splash of oil, cover it and leave at room temperature.
After an hour take it from the tub and give it a little lift and shake, rotating it and shaking it to stretch in a controlled fashion three times. Cover and put in the fridge. Leave for another hour repeat the previous step. Cover with more oil, cover the container tightly and put back into the fridge where it will slowly ferment overnight.
Mix all the topping ingredients together except the flaky salt; cover and refrigerate until needed.
About an hour before you’re ready to bake, remove the dough from the fridge and place on a lined tray. Tip any oil from the tub onto it and leave.
Every 15 minutes give it a little dimpling down (making dimples with your fingers).
After 45 minutes poke the topping into the dimples including any oil.
Leave for 15 more minutes.
Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Sprinkle the foccacia with a generous amount of flaky sea salt. Bake for 10 minutes then rotate it and turn the oven down to 200C/gas mark 6 for a further 5 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool before slicing. Good eaten with the dip below.
For the dip
Take 400g of tinned or freshly cooked borlotti beans and smash up with a clove of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and a little water. Tear basil leaves into it.
Roast chicken thighs with aioli
There’s nothing nicer than a tender piece of roasted chicken on the bone dipped in a green garlic aioli.
Serves 6
chicken thighs 6, free range and organic
olive oil
thyme, rosemary and bay a handful
salt and pepper
wild garlic (optional)
For the aioli
garlic 4 cloves
egg yolks 2, free range
Dijon mustard 1 tsp
extra virgin olive oil 150ml
lemon juice of ½
salt
Roast the chicken with 2 tbsp of oil, herbs and salt and pepper at 180C/gas mark 4 for 20 minutes or until a skewer draws clear juices. If you’re using wild garlic throw it in just for the last couple of minutes.
To make the aioli by hand, crush the garlic cloves under the flat of a knife and pulp, adding a good pinch of salt to help break it down.
Put the garlic in a bowl with the yolks and Dijon mustard. Whisk while slowly adding the oil bit by bit. What you want is a steady trickle and to see the mixture in the bowl emulsify. It should thicken, rather than slacken, as the oil is added. As you get towards the end of the oil add the lemon juice. Taste for seasoning.
Little devilled crab tarts
Makes 12 x 9cm tarts
For the pastry (make a couple of hours before you want to line the muffin tray or tart cases to give the pastry time to rest)
plain flour 200g
rye flour 50g
mustard powder ¼ tsp
paprika ¼ tsp
cayenne pepper a pinch
salt ½ tsp
icing sugar 20g
cold butter 125g, cut into small pieces
ice-cold water about 3 tsp but it depends on your flour
egg yolk 1
For the filling
butter 75g
cayenne pepper ¼ tsp
mustard powder ½ tsp
paprika ¼ tsp
crab meat 400g - mixed about half and half, brown and white
Worcestershire sauce 8 shakes
Tabasco 8 shakes
lemon juice good squeeze
mild chillies thinly sliced for topping (optional)
Mix the flours, spices, salt and icing sugar then add the cold butter. This is best done with a food processor, but it can be done by hand. The result should resemble fresh breadcrumbs. Coat the flour evenly with the butter without overworking and warming the butter.
Add a couple of teaspoons of ice‑cold water to the yolk and add this to the flour and butter. You want a fairly dry dough that comes together with a little bit of working. Chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Line the tart cases, cutting the pastry to the thickness of a 10 pence piece.
Chill for an hour or two. Then blind bake with baking beans at 180C/gas mark 4 for 15 minutes. Remove the baking beans and turn the oven down to 160C/gas mark 2½. The pastry should be cooked through and golden as they won’t be going back in.
For the filling, melt the butter on a low heat and gently fry the spices for a couple of minutes. Add this to the crab and other ingredients. Taste and adjust, adding a couple of pinches of salt.
Once the tart shells are cool, fill them with the crab meat.
Nichola Gensler is founder of the Little Bread Pedlar bakery, London SE16, lbpedlar.com
