Easy Springtime Picnic Recipes |
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Grilled Eggplant Wraps with Lemon Aioli, Feta, and Mint Difficulty: Easy Ingredients: 2 medium eggplants, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 medium red onions, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 4 (10-inch) flour tortillas 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 small garlic clove, minced 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 3/4 cup chilled crumbled feta cheese 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and preheat a charcoal grill and let the coals burn down to a gray ash. (Alternatively, preheat a broiler and lightly oil a broiling pan.) Brush the eggplant slices with the 1/2 cup oil and season both sides with salt and pepper. Grill or broil on a rack set 5 to 6 inches from the heat, turning once, until tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet to cool. Brush the onions with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill or broil until brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Wrap the tortillas in foil and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Whisk the mayonnaise with the garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl to make the aioli. Spread 2 tablespoons of the aioli over each tortilla. Cover the bottom 1/3 of each tortilla with 1/4 of the eggplant and 1/4 of the onions. Sprinkle on a 12/4 of the cheese and top with mint leaves. To make the wrap, fold in the two sides of the tortilla. Roll away from you, tucking in the edges to form a tight cylinder. Wrap the cylinder in foil and cut in 1/2 diagonally right through the foil. The foil becomes the holder to be peeled away as the wrap is consumed. Serve the wrap hot or at room temperature.
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Asparagus Pasta Salad
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Mixed Baby Greens Salad with Mandarin Oranges
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Herb Chicken Soup with Spring Vegetables
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Grilled Sausage, Fennel, and Baby Artichoke Spring Pasta
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| Lemon and Garlic Chicken with Spring Market Vegetables Difficulty: Easy Yield: 4 to 6 servings Ingredients: 1 whole young chicken, about 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 pounds 2 teaspoons sea salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 large vidalia onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 large lemons, juice and zest reserved 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 to 1 1/2 cups hot chicken stock 1/2 pound baby carrots with green tops attached 1/2 pound pencil asparagus 5 tablespoons butter Salt and pepper to taste Fresh thyme leaves Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, and brown well before turning to brown the meat side. When the chicken is well browned, add the onions, and cook until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, add lemon juice and white wine, bring quickly to a boil, reduce heat to a low simmer, cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Add 1 cup of chicken stock and continue to cook, covered, for an additional 15 minutes, or until the chicken is completely cooked. Add additional chicken stock if the pan dries out too quickly. While the chicken is cooking, peel the carrots and place them in a saucepan with 1/4 cup water and a tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper and cook the carrots for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat and set aside. Wash the asparagus and cut off any woody stem attached. Put the asparagus into a pot with 1/4 cup water and a tablespoon butter and salt and pepper. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes and set aside. When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the saute pan and place on a platter. Carefully ladle off any grease that has accumulated on the surface of the stock and swirl in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter to give a smooth silky finish. Source: Sara Moulton, www.foodnetwork.com
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| Crispy Potato Slices with Herb and Garlic Goat Cheese Difficulty: Easy Yield: about 40 hors d'oeuvres Ingredients: 2 russet potatoes 1/4 cup olive oil 8 ounces soft mild goat cheese 3 to 4 tablespoons milk 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs, i.e. parsley, chervil, thyme, and/or tarragon 1 garlic clove, finely minced Salt and freshly ground black pepper Pink peppercorns, chopped toasted pistachios, finely chopped red bell pepper and/or fresh herb sprigs, for garnish Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the potatoes crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices and arrange in a single layer on one or more oiled baking sheets, as needed. Drizzle the potato slices with olive oil. Roast them in the oven, turning them once, for about 30 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. If potato slices are roasting unevenly, rotate the baking sheet occasionally. Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain and season with salt. In a food processor combine the goat cheese, milk, herbs, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste and puree until smooth. Top each potato slice with a dollop of the cheese mixture either with a teaspoon or piped from a pastry bag. Garnish each hor d'oeuvre with the pink peppercorns, pistachios, red bell pepper or herb sprigs. Source: Sara Moulton, www.foodnetwork.com
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| Spinach Artichoke Calzones Difficulty: Medium Prep Time: 15 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 1 minute Cook Time: 15 minutes Yield: 4 calzones Ingredients: 2 cups part skim ricotta 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated or a few pinches ground A few grinds black pepper 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) grated Parmigiano, plus extra, for sprinkling 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry 1 (15-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 (10-ounce) tubes refrigerated pizza dough 2 cups shredded mozzarella Garlic oil (1 or 2 cloves chopped and heated in 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil) 2 cups tomato sauce, marinara or pizza sauce, for dipping or Five Minute Spicy Marinara, recipe follows Instructions: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Roll each pizza dough out on a cookie sheet, and halve each cross-wise. Spread 1/2 cup mozzarella and up to 1/4 of filling on each rectangle. Work on just half of the surface of each rectangle of dough, then fold dough over top of filling and pinch edges firmly to seal. For a half-moon "pizza parlor" look to your calzones, mound filling into a half-moon shape, fold dough over top trim edges of dough to follow the rounded shape, then seal edges. Tie strips of dough scraps in knots, brush with garlic oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Bake knots with calzones. If your dough tears, remove a little of the filling and repair. Repeat the process, spacing the calzones evenly on baking sheet. Bake the calzones for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Serve calzones with warm tomato or pizza sauce for dunking. Cook's Note: Freeze any remaining filling in a small plastic container and use it to stuff a chicken breast on another day. Five Minute Spicy Marinara: 2 tablespoons (two turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil 3 cloves garlic crushed 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1 (32 ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes Salt and pepper 1 teaspoon Italian dried seasoning 1 handful Italian parsley leaves, chopped Add olive oil to medium saucepan over moderate heat. Add garlic and crushed pepper to the heated olive oil; when pepper snaps and garlic sizzles, stir in crushed tomatoes. Season sauce with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for five minutes and stir in parsley. Serve. Yield: 4 servings Source: Rachel Ray, www.foodnetwork.com |