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Eating outdoors needn’t mean choosing between a takeaway or soggy sandwiches. Pack up these tasty treats for a filling family lunch alfresco.
Baguettes with beef, pecorino and mustard
00 to 800g rump steak
Olive oil
1 long baguette
100g pecorino cheese, thinly sliced
2 handfuls fresh watercress
125ml mayonnaise
4 tbsp wholegrain mustard
1) Heat a griddle pan over a high heat. Brush the rump steaks with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper. Fry the steaks to the desired degree of doneness then set aside to rest before carving into thin slices. 2) Cut the baguette open lengthways. Mix the mustard and mayonnaise together, then spread the mixture on both sides of the bread. Arrange the beef slices in the baguette, then top with the sliced cheese and, lastly, the watercress. Cut the baguette into pieces to serve.
Frittata with chicken, feta and roast butternut
500g butternut, peeled, deseeded and diced
30ml olive oil
6 eggs
250ml cream
80ml Parmesan cheese, grated
400g cooked chicken, flaked
200g feta cheese, crumbled
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the butternut and olive oil in a mixing bowl, season well with salt and pepper then mix until the butternut is completely covered. 2) Spread the butternut out on a baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked. 3) Whisk together the eggs, cream and Parmesan cheese, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. 4) Grease a muffin pan and place the butternut cubes, chicken and feta cheese in the hollows of the pan. Pour the egg mixture over and bake for about 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and set.
Salmon and potato fish cakes
500g salmon fillets, skin discarded
olive oil
300g potatoes, peeled
15g lemon zest, finely grated
15g spring onions, chopped
125g fresh parsley, finely chopped
3 eggs
625g fresh breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
FOR THE GARLIC AND LEMON MAYONNAISE
125ml mayonnaise
5g lemon zest, finely grated
30ml lemon juice
1 clove garlic, bruised
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C. Prepare the garlic and lemon mayonnaise by mixing all the ingredients together. Set aside until needed. 2) Place the salmon on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper and roast in the oven for about 12 to 15 minutes, or until cooked. Allow to cool, then flake the fish. 3) Boil the potatoes in salted water until done. Drain and mash well. 4) Mix the flaked salmon, potatoes, lemon zest, spring onions, parsley, one egg and 250g of breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper, then shape the mixture into fish cakes. 5) Crack the two remaining eggs and beat, then transfer to a bowl or plate. Dip the fish cakes first in the beaten egg and then in the remaining breadcrumbs. 6) Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the fish cakes on both sides over a moderate heat until golden brown. Serve with the garlic and lemon mayonnaise.
Tomato salad
1kg ripe tomatoes – use a variety of sizes and colours
1 handful fresh oregano, chopped
30ml red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, bruised
1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 packet fresh rocket
1 handful basil leaves, shredded
1) Cut the tomatoes into slices and season well with salt. Place in a sieve and leave to stand for about 15 minutes. 2) Mix the garlic and chilli together and stir through to coat the tomatoes. 3) The tomato mixture can be kept in a sealed lunchbox in the fridge until you are ready to eat it. Serve it on a bed of rocket leaves, with the torn basil leaves on top.
Frikkadels with Parmesan and fennel seeds
1 slice white bread
60ml milk
500g minced beef
1 egg
250g Parmesan cheese, grated
10g fennel seeds
15g fresh oregano, chopped
15g fresh parsley, chopped
1 garlic clove, bruised
30ml fresh lemon juice
30ml olive oil
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Place the bread and milk in a large mixing bowl and set aside for about two minutes or until the milk has been absorbed. 2) Add the mince, egg, Parmesan, fennel seeds, oregano, parsley, garlic and lemon juice to the bread and milk. Season with salt and black pepper and mix together well. Shape into frikkadels. 3) Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then fry the frikkadels for two or three minutes on each side, until golden brown. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake for six to eight minutes, until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
Baked ricotta muffins
500g ricotta cheese
2 eggs
125g Parmesan cheese, grated
1) Preheat the oven to 160°C. Crumble the ricotta cheese into a mixing bowl, then beat in the eggs and the Parmesan cheese. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. 2) Grease a muffin pan and spoon the ricotta mixture into the hollows. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked.
Spicy eggs with turkey ham and asparagus
10 eggs, hard-boiled
125ml mayonnaise
6 to 8 piquanté peppers, chopped
45g fresh coriander leaves, chopped
20 asparagus tips, cooked
20 strips of thinly sliced turkey ham
1) Halve the eggs lengthways and carefully spoon out the egg yolks. Mix the yolks with the mayonnaise, piquanté peppers and coriander, then season with salt and black pepper. 2) Carefully spoon the filling back into the egg halves and place an asparagus tip on top of each. Wrap a slice of turkey ham around both the asparagus and the egg, and secure it with a piece of string or a toothpick.
Chicken, beef bacon and spinach tortillas
2 garlic cloves, bruised
15g fresh rosemary, finely chopped
15g lemon zest, grated
30ml olive oil
400g chicken breast fillets
8 rashers rindless beef bacon
8 tortillas
125ml mayonnaise
fresh baby spinach leaves
1) Preheat the oven to 200°C. Mix the garlic, rosemary, lemon zest and oil in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. 2) Place the chicken in an ovenproof dish and pour the garlic and herb oil over. Rub it into the chicken, then cover and set aside for about an hour. 3) Roast the chicken for about 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Cut into thin slices and set aside. 4) Heat a frying pan and fry the beef bacon until crisp and golden brown. 5) Spread mayonnaise on the tortillas and place the chicken, beef bacon and spinach leaves on top. Roll up carefully and wrap in baking paper. Secure each tortilla with a piece of string to prevent it unrolling.
Jam tartlets
500ml measure cake flour
45ml measure icing sugar
200g butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
30ml ice cold water
325g apricot or strawberry jam
1) Grease a shallow muffin pan with butter. Sift the cake flour and icing sugar together, then rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks like fine breadcrumbs. Mix the egg yolk and water and add to the dry ingredients, then mix the dough into a ball, wrap it in clingwrap and place it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
2) Preheat the oven to 200°C. Divide the dough into two and roll out one half to around 2mm thick on a floured surface. Using a biscuit cutter, press out rounds. Line the greased pan with the dough rounds and prick the base of each with a fork. Spoon about 7ml jam into the centre of each pastry round. 3) Roll out the remaining pastry dough and cut it into thin strips. Using the strips, shape a cross on top of each tartlet. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown and cooked through.
Chocolate and caramel bars
250ml measure cake flour
125ml measure desiccated coconut
125ml measure brown sugar
125g butter, melted
80ml golden syrup
125g butter, cubed
2 x 400g cans condensed milk
200g dark chocolate, broken into blocks
15ml coconut oil
1) Preheat the oven to 180°C. Mix the cake flour, coconut, sugar and melted butter well, then press into a 20cmx30cm baking pan lined with baking paper and bake for ten to 15 minutes, until golden brown. 2) Prepare the caramel by heating the golden syrup, cubed butter and condensed milk together over a low heat. Heat to boiling point, then reduce the temperature and simmer until the caramel is thick. Pour over the pastry and bake for about 20 minutes more. Allow to cool completely. 3) To prepare the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate and oil together and spread the mixture over the caramel layer. Allow to set, then cut into bars.