With beautiful bright days and longer light nights, there’s no better time to soak up the Spring sun with a picnic in the park.
In celebration of National Picnic Day, we’ve teamed up with Neff to bring you four fabulous recipes that you can make to create the perfect picnic!
With crisp, toasted garlic tomato bread to start and sweet citrus shortbread to finish, our suggested picnic recipes will take your alfresco dining experience to the next level.
So, spring into action and gather together your loved ones, and enjoy a perfect picnic.
Pan con Tomate
Ingredients
Allergens highlighted in bold.
- 4 large slices of brown bread or farmhouse loaf
- 2 ripe tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 tsps olive oil
- Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
Step 1
Slice the brown bread and roast on the NEFF Griddle Plate.
Step 2
Rub the garlic on the toasted bread. Halve the tomatoes and spread most of the pulp on the bread. Season with olive oil and serve immediately.
Vegetarian Scotch Eggs
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 550g fresh (not frozen) vegetarian Cumberland/Lincolnshire sausages (we used a vegetable protein-based sausage that had been seasoned with sage and parsley, but use your favourite variety – so long as it has a texture that remains firm when cooked)
- 50g plain flour
- 100g panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
Step 1
Place 4 of the eggs in a pan and cover with cold water. Place on the hob and heat on a high heat. Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 6 minutes (this will result in an egg with a runny centre. Simmer for 9-10 minutes if you prefer a firm centre).
Step 2
Turn off the heat and transfer the eggs to a bowl of cold water with ice. Leave for 2-3 minutes, then very carefully roll the eggs on the work surface to crack and peel off the shell. Put to one side.
Step 3
Remove the skins from the sausages and divide the sausage filling into four portions. Roll each portion into a ball, then flatten out into a large disc.
Step 4
Place an egg into the middle of a disc, and carefully close the sausage filling around the egg, sealing any holes as you go. Repeat with the remaining eggs. Place the eggs on a plate and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and lightly whisk. Put to one side.
Place the flour in a second bowl and the panko in a third bowl. Add the salt, pepper, smoked paprika and oil to the panko and stir together until the panko absorbs the oil.
Step 6
Preheat the oven to CircoTherm® 200°C and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
Step 7
Take the sausage balls out of the fridge and roll first in the flour, then the egg and finally in the breadcrumbs.
Step 8
Place the eggs on the prepared baking sheet and place in the oven with low added steam for 25-30 minutes until golden.
Step 9
Serve either hot or cold.
Candied Citrus Shortbread
Ingredients
Allergens highlighted in bold.
For the Shortbread:
- 250g plain flour, plus additional for rolling and shaping
- 55g corn flour
- 2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground sweet cinnamon
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 250g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp finely-grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
- 30ml freshly-squeezed orange juice
For the Orange Icing / Decoration:
- 450g icing sugar
- 3-4 tbsp freshly-squeezed orange juice
For the Candied Orange Peel:
- 4 oranges
- 260g caster sugar, plus extra for rolling
Instructions
For the Candied Orange Peel:
Step 1
The day before baking, you need to make the candied orange peel. For this, you need to slice along the curve of the skin of each orange using a paring knife. Make sure there is no fruit or pith on the slices of peel.
Step 2
Place the peel in a pan filled with cold water and put them on the induction hob until boiling. Once boiled, drain to remove the bitterness of the peel.
Step 3
Add the peel back into the pan, along with the sugar and approximately 450ml water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 45-60 minutes or until the peels are translucent and soft.
Step 4
Drain the water and place them on baking parchment on top of a universal pan. Coat in sugar and place in the warming drawer overnight on level 3. If you do not have a warming drawer, then you can place these in the oven overnight on 80OC.
For the Shortbread:
Step 1
Preheat oven to CircoTherm 180°C.
Step 2
To make the shortbread, sift together the flour, corn flour, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon in a bowl.
Step 3
Cream the butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Next, add the sugar and cream until smooth. Then add the zest and juice and fold in.
Step 4
Gradually add in the flour and mix until everything is combined. Collect the dough and shape into a ball, wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Once set, remove the dough from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle flour on a clean work surface and a rolling pin. Roll the dough out to roughly 4cm thickness. Cut to the desired shape and place on baking parchment on a universal pan.
Place in the oven to cook for 10-14 minutes or until golden brown.
Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 5 minutes.
For the Orange Icing / Decoration:
Step 1
To make the glaze, place the icing sugar into a bowl and gradually whisk in the freshly-squeezed juice from the orange. Add more juice if it seems too thick and more icing sugar if it seems too runny.
Step 2
Remove the candied orange slices from the warming drawer. Dip the biscuits face down in the glaze and add a piece of candied orange on top of each biscuit.
Thirst-Quenching Tipple
Ingredients
Allergens highlighted in bold.
• Vermouth, rosé
• Tonic
• Blood orange juice
• 2 blood oranges
• 2-3 rosemary sprigs
• Ice cubes
Instructions
Slice one of the blood oranges and juice the other.
Add ice cubes to a glass, add 2cl of Vermouth rosé and 20 ml of blood orange juice and 150 ml of tonic.
Decorate with a slice of blood orange and a sprig of rosemary.
No Comments