Need an alfresco meal but not BBQ

[goldpendant]

Ok ok I know I can eat anything outside, but we've some foodie friends coming to stay next week and I'd like to feed them something summery but not bbq.

I also need it to be quick and easy as I've got kids to pick up, airport run to do etc.... so either something I can do the day before (does such a thing exist as a summery chicken stew?), or something that's easy to put together.... or events that can be prepped beforehand and thrown together?

Ideas please??

[Doje]

Why not do a picnic type meal?

Quiche, sausage rolls, big pasta salad, ham, potato salad, cheeseboard, nice bread..... Oooh, I'm getting a bit hungry!

All can be made the day before and kept in the fridge.

[Doje]

Oooh, or there's a nice meal I think Nigella (or Delia?) does. Google 'chicken thighs, chorizo, orange' and it'll come up.

Basically, bung chicken thighs, halved new potatoes, red onion and chunks of chorizo in a roasting tin. Grate over orange zest and squeeze the orange over it. Add oregano. Roast till cooked, and serve with rocket and chunky bread.

[Alicealicewhothe]

www.mobkitchen.co.uk/recipes/healthy-chicken-gyros-with-fresh-tzatziki

Can prep most of this then just cook the chicken quickly before serving. I did this instead of a bbq one weekday evening for a girly night and it went down a treat!

[Grumpbum123]

I’d do a picnic type meal with a picnic loaf, chicken drumsticks, olives, cheeseboard, salads etc.

www.thesimplethings.com/blog/picnicloaf

[NuffingChora]

Side of hot smoked salmon, potato salad (make the day before), maybe a tomato salad and some leaves. A quiche too if you feel like it? Easy.

[EugeniaGrace]

We had a pasta meal outside last weekend. It felt like eating out in Italy.

Any pasta dish would work. We had this one: www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/food/2019/jul/02/nigel-slater-clams-broad-beans-and-fettuccine-recipe

[LittleAndOften]

I think you can't beat a homemade quiche with Jersey royals and salad. I hate cold quiche but you can't beat a lovely fresh one warm from the oven, and you can make the pastry case in advance (or buy one!). Quiche fillings can be v foodie too - salmon and asparagus, crab and samphire, roasted veg and gooats cheese...

Alternatively I think Spanish tapas is lovely. You could make tortilla, empanadas, have some lovely seafood, patatas bravas and good bread with olive oil and vinegar.

Can I come?!

[CrispbuttyNo1]

A load of pulled pork, some apple sauce and home made coleslaw, build your own buns. A cheeseboard, potato salad, and a colourful tomato and pepper platter. This is what I did for a client at the weekend for 70 guests.

[LoafofSellotape]

Buy smoked salmon fillets then make new potato salad with spring onions and a green salad possibly a cous cous salad as well. Lots of summery puds to follow.

[BiddyPop]

From Good Food years ago for an al fresco menu and very regularly used in our house: Feta chicken

Recipe called for skin-on part boned chicken breasts - we've used oyster thighs as an alternative, so depending on portion sizes you want, or the ability to pile on a platter and allow people more if they want, or single served plates....

For 1 breast, pull up skin and scatter 1 teaspoon (a decent large pinch) of thyme leaves over the chicken and push in 100g of feta cheese (I usually have it in a block still but crumbled is fine).
Season over the top with salt and pepper (I like lemon pepper), a drizzle of olive oil.
Roast for about 40 minutes - slightly less for thighs.

Recipe was fresh tagliatelle, served with sliced black olives and steamed French beans mixed through, and dressed with some olive oil and a bit of wine vinegar - I think.

We generally serve with roast potatoes (winter) or I do roasted baby potatoes, halved, and sitting in a Ziploc bag with some olive oil, minced garlic, S&P, (chopped rosemary if I get adventurous) ahead of time (allows marinating) and throw the bag into a hot roasting tray for about 40 minutes.

I either do diced roasted mediteranean veggies (same size dice of red onions, peppers, courgette, and whole cloves garlic, halved cherry tomatoes, - season with olive oil, salt, pepper, slug balsamic vinegar and some suitable med type herbage - dried or fresh are both fine) or steamed French beans as my veg usually.

It also works nicely cold with a salad.

[BiddyPop]

Meant to add chick can be prepped ahead (but really is the work of moments, as Nigella might say!), and I usually do the veggies ahead of time too and store in a large Ziploc bag - 24 hours ahead is fine.

[dirtyfries]

roast chicken - cooked at home or off the hot deli counter if really short on time.
green salad
crusty baguette
new potatoes
coleslaw/cheeses/hams

[LittleAndOften]

This is a lovely, easy tray bake. No foodie can object to a Tom kerridge recipe!

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/lush_lemon_pepper_19156/amp

[goldpendant]

Tray bake, perfect! Thank you!