Summer picnic recipe
It’s almost summer and the weather is perfect for a summer picnic. I was thinking of a recipe which is easy to make and easy to bring along to wherever you want to picnic. My favorite spot is the dunes or a lovely park. But sadly there is no park in my neighborhood (which is something I really miss from moving out of the big city…). So the dunes it is!
Veggies with a minted pea & yoghurt dip
Ingredients:
- 200 ml fat-free natural yoghurt
- 1-2 handfuls fresh mint, leaves picked
- 2 handfuls fresh podded peas
- 1 handful Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- juice of ½ lemon
This dish is only as good as the vegetables you buy, so use that as your starting point and you’ll be on to an absolute winner!
Whiz the yoghurt and mint up in a food processor for half a minute or so. Add the peas and the Parmesan and whiz again – the peas will break down and the yoghurt will become green. Put into a bowl, correcting the seasoning with extra salt and pepper and a good squeeze of lemon juice. When you add the lemon juice and peas to the yoghurt, quite often it splits and turns into a kind of cheese, but this is absolutely fine. It depends on the type of yoghurt you use and how acidic your lemon is. Just pour away any excess water. Usually, though, it doesn’t split and is more like a purée, but both ways are good.
The best way to serve this is to put the dip into a bowl and have a big board next to it with your veggies on. And have some salt and pepper to hand in case you need it. It’s a good sociable way to start a meal.
Jam jar dressings
For French dressing
- ¼ clove garlic
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
For yoghurt dressing
- 1/3 cup natural yoghurt
- 2 tablespoons white or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
For lemon dressing
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- juice of 1 lemon
For balsamic dressing
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
French dressing:
Peel and finely chop ¼ of a clove of garlic • Put the garlic, 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Yoghurt dressing:
Put 1/3 cup of natural yoghurt, 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Lemon dressing:
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon • Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Balsamic dressing:
Put 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar into a jam jar with a pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • Put the lid on the jar and shake well.
Easy flatbreads
For the flatbreads:
- 350 g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 350 g natural yoghurt
For the garlic and herb butter (optional of course):
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a bunch of fresh soft herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, tarragon, basil, dill
- 40 g unsalted butter
I’ve given you a recipe for garlic butter here too, but these flatbreads are lovely just as they are alongside some soup, with a fresh salad or dunked in some homemade dip.
1. Add all the flatbread ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together with a spoon, then use clean hands to pat and bring everything together.
2. Dust a clean work surface with flour, then tip out the dough.
3. Knead for a minute or so to bring it all together (this isn’t a traditional bread recipe, so you don’t need to knead it for long – just enough time to bring everything together).
4. Put the dough into a floured-dusted bowl and cover with a plate, then leave aside.
5. If making the garlic butter: peel the garlic cloves and crush them with a garlic crusher.
6. Pick the herb leaves onto a chopping board and finely chop them, discarding the stalks.
7. Melt the butter in a small pan over a medium heat, then stir through the garlic and chopped herbs, then set aside.
8. Dust a clean work surface and rolling pin with flour, then divide the dough in half, then divide each half into 6 equal-sized pieces (roughly the size of a golf ball).
9. With your hands, pat and flatten the dough, then use a rolling pin to roll each piece into 12cm rounds, roughly 2mm to 3mm thick.
10. Use a knife to cut 6 lines into the center of each round, leaving about 3cm at each end.
11. Place the griddle pan on a high heat, then once hot, cook each one for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until bar-marked and puffed up, turning with tongs.
12. Brush the flatbreads all over with herby garlic butter as they come off the griddle, then pile onto a serving board so everyone can dig in and help themselves.
Website: Jamie Oliver
