Picnicking possibilities
By Molly Gore
It is beginning to get comfortably warm outside, so grab your books, iPod, sketchbook, basketball or whatever it is you do in the afternoon, and take it under the sun. When it's lunchtime, why not stay outside? In a time when midday munching consists of either leisurely microwave meals or grab-and-go packaged snacks, spring is the perfect time to slow it down and move outside.
Lucky for the lazy bunch, picnic food is typically simple and quick, without the mess and complexity that usually characterizes warm winter food. Many associate picnics with bland chicken salad, boxed lemonade, corn bread and soggy cookies, but the nice thing about picnic food is that it can be practically anything.
When planning ahead, think about the food's texture and temperature. In warmer months, you'll find that what is cool and crunchy is usually the most satisfying.
I've provided some quick marinade recipes below. Play with proportions to suit your taste for spicy and sweet. The wonderful thing about making marinade is that precision matters less and the flavor opportunities are simply undefined and endless. For those who are scrappy and adventurous, look to the asparagus recipe. For those who like to stick to familiar flavors, here is a simple teriyaki chicken recipe.
* Teriyaki chicken
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into thin strips or kabob-size chunks
2 parts soy sauce
1 part sesame seed oil
1 part miran rice wine
Sugar to taste (just a pinch)
Whisk the marinade until it is mixed thoroughly. Arrange the chicken in a baking dish, pour the marinade over the pieces and flip them to coat evenly. Put plastic wrap over the dish and put it in the refrigerator. Let sit for three to four hours. Start up the grill, and cook over direct heat, over the coals, for about three minutes on each side, less time for smaller pieces. Move them over indirect heat (not over the red coals), and cook for another 10 minutes, flipping every couple of minutes until the chicken is springy and stiff, but not too hard.
* Asparagus
Grilled asparagus is quintessentially summer for me. Asparagus comes into season during the spring, so now is the time to start buying and eating. My mother makes this marinade every year, and it has become my favorite warm-weather dish and my absolute favorite oil for sandwiches. I feel a little guilty publishing my mother's recipe, but it is too good to keep secret.
One bunch of asparagus
1 stick butter
1/3 chopped shallots
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh thyme (taken off stalk and finely chopped)
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Sauté the shallots in a greased frying pan until they are translucent, about two minutes. Clean the asparagus and cut off the very bottom of the stems. Mix together all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and brush on asparagus, making sure to coat all the sides. Leave about 1/3 of the marinade in the bowl to use after grilling. If you have a grate for grilling fish or vegetables, place the asparagus on the grate and grill over indirect heat for four to six minutes, until the asparagus is tender when poked with a fork. Take off heat and brush with the remaining marinade. Enjoy!
A useful tip for making any marinade is to search through your cabinets for leftover salad dressing, mustard, honey, soy sauce, almost any acidic juice, oil, and herbs like oregano, thyme and rosemary. You can combine these things in almost any way you like to create your own marinade.
* Pastry
A picnic is hardly a picnic without a pastry of some kind. Buying croissants is easy and efficient, and they are perfect for sandwich buns or salads, or just on the side. Because home-baked goods are always better, try a simple recipe for a bread twist or sourdough. Try this variation of Giada De Laurentiis' cheese and spinach puff pastry pockets. The directions may seem to require more effort, but it is in fact quite easy. To save time, buy pre-grated cheese and thaw the spinach the day before.
12 frozen puff pastry shells, unthawed
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/4 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
3 to 5 green onions, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a heavy, large baking sheet or baking dish with wax paper. Arrange the frozen pastry shells on the paper and bake until they puff and become golden, about 20 minutes. While the pastries are baking, begin to stir the cream, milk, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the spinach, fontina cheese, parmesan and green onions.
Next, cut out the center of the pastry shells so there is a space to stuff the filling.
Spoon the spinach mixture into the baked pastry shells. Bake until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is hot, about 25 to 30 minutes. Keep refrigerated until it is picnic time.
* Fruit butter
Whether you bake your own pastry or go buy them at the store, a tasty spread is a mandatory condiment. A unique but not too adventurous spread is typically a safe pleaser. Instead of regular butter, try making your own fruit butter.
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
2 cups desired fruit (fresh, frozen or dried)
In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the water and the sugar to a boil until you have the consistency of a syrup. Add the fruit and keep on low heat until the desired thickness, usually about 45 minutes, but it could be up to 15 minutes more or less. Keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator and chill until the last possible moment.
For beverages, pack water and a light carbonated drink like Le Croix or Orangina. Try to avoid soft drinks; the bees like them, too, and most people don't like a warm cola. For desserts, anything but ice cream is a good bet. Try your favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe.
A note on packing for a picnic: Baskets look nice, but coolers will keep your food edible and pleasantly cool. Go with a cooling bag or cooler. Cups with removable lids or bottles with screw-on caps are always best. Wine glasses with stems and taller glasses will likely fall over, and it's an extra dish.
So get a big comfortable blanket on a nice day and enjoy the weather and your food.
Contact Molly Gore at (408) 551-1918 or mgore@scu.edu.