Something special for a picnic

[StealthPolarBear]

Hi, we're going away with our parents next weekend and I'm taking a picnic for the journey. I'll take the usual sandwiches/crisps/fruit, but is there anything I can make that's a bit more special - preferably something I can make tomorrow and freeze to get out the night before. Something vegi I can chuck some meat in or meaty I can adapt to be vegi would be brilliant.

Can you make a quiche? If you don't mind doing pastry ( or you could buy the pastry) its nice and quick. I make a lovely smoked salmon and pesto quiche which is no. 1 favourite in the Wogan house. I can post the recipe if you're interested.

salmon not good sorry - I should have mentioned we're a fussy bunch!
Quiche in itself may be a good idea though I've never had any luck finding the bases in the shops I'm going to shop in between now and then. Wonder if I could do mini quiche type things, where the pastry/base is a bit more forgiving?

The base is forgiving anyway- if you have a quiche dish then I would buy a ready rolled shortcrust pastry. You don't need to blind bake for quiche.
Or if you don't then yes mini ones fine, quite good for picnics.
My top tip is to cover the bottom of the quiche with a layer of grated cheddar before you put the other fillings in. This seems to stop any sogginess.

Bit baffled by the meat/veggie adaptable dish - would proper vegetarians eat something that had merely had the meat removed, if it was once there?

Ummm... I would do a quiche or an oomphy salad, like Nicoise. Somebody - Sainsburys or Waitrose? - do this nice Albacore tuna in olive oil that you could take in the jar and add to the latter. I haven't bought for ages so disclaimer that I can't be sure if it's line caught. I (most people?) put in new potatoes, quartered boiled egg, cherry toms, lettuce (Cos, normally I think), French beans, olives, salad dressing and tuna.

For a quiche I'd fry red onions in butter and add balsamic, then put them as a base and put whatever on top. Normally a vegetable, creamy blue cheese and some kind of nut. You could serve that with antipasti type meat.

Panzanella is fantastic for picnics as you don't really need anything else. It's an Italian salad made with bread, tomatoes and anchovies plus a bunch of other stuff (I usually use the basic recipe then chuck in jars of antipasto stuff from tesco such as artichokes and sun blush tomatoes etc to bulk it up). If you want meat with it you could take those packs of antipasti meat eg Parma ham, salami, bresaola, or it's nice with torn up mozzarella too.

Recipe here: www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/panzanella_86369

I really like to make a Tortilla the night before and have it cold.

You can bastardize the basic recipe quite a lot if you want I often add bacon or ham (obviously no good if you want veggie), but you coud add peppers or mushrooms, it really is surprisingly good when very simple though.

Either something like pissaladerie ( buy some puff pastry) or jazz up the sandwiches. Rosemary and sea salt focaccia with goats cheese or something. Then how about Eton mess for dessert. Take 3 tubs with meringue/strawberries/whipped cream in and mix on location.

terry i am interested in salmon and pesto quiche.

also with the cheese tip - do you put the cheese on top of the pastry or underneath?

thanks very much

I made some great mexican picnic bites a while ago which might work for you. I had some left overs from a veggie fajitas dinner in the fridge but it only takes a few minutes to flash fry some strips of red, yellow and orange peppers, red onion and other veg you fancy with some fajita seasoning. If you want to make some meat and some veggy you can divide the mix in two and add some meat (cooked separately) to one half.

Mix some grated cheddar with some cream cheese, and spread this mixture all over some tortilla wraps in a layer

Thanks everyone, sorry for vanishing.
Eugene I didn't mean pick the meat out,, sorry, I am the vegi. What I meant was I fancied doing one thing which could be adapted very easily.
The Panzanella sounds nice i will look into that in general - this picnic is going to be fairly basic, no knives and forks so probably not ideal for that but will be good for another time.
The mexican picnic bites sound good! I do often make fajitas but could never eat them without making a mess but I'm guessing these have less filling and less sloppy stuff? Will maybe give that a go
Thanks for all the ideas on here, will come back and have a look again in more detail

Yes that's right - you need to have only just enough cream cheese to provide some stickiness without getting sloppy - and the fact they are cut into bitesize pieces means it doesn't get too messy. Have a great picnic!

Oh I didn't notice the cream cheese - think my mind read sour cream. Yes, that would help hold it all together - will give it a go, thanks

Baskingseals- the cheddar goes on top of the pastry.
Here we go- quiche a la Terrywogan

Quantity pastry ( I do gluten free pastry so no good me posting recipe but can do of any coeliacs are watching)- this can be ready rolled or home made.
Large handful grated cheddar
Medium piece Parmesan, grated
Small pot double cream (110ml?)
4 eggs
1/3 jar green pesto
Pack smoked salmon trimmings
1 large onion, slice thinly
1/2 red pepper, chopped.
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 170 degrees C

Caramelise onions in oil over medium heat, add peppers half way through.
Make pastry

Grease quiche dish
Line dish with pastry and cover bottom with a layer of grated cheddar.
Add onions and peppers evenly on top of cheese in a layer
Whisk together all other ingredients, pour over quiche.
Bake for around 1/2 hour, until set and browned.
Cool in dish.

A perfect picnic for me would me:

French bread
proper butter
Brie
Grapes
celery
Really under-ripe tiny tomatoes
Hard boiled eggs and sea salt
Radishes
Posh crisps or mini cheddars
Chocolate strawberries
A homemade cake
Pimms for the five a day! :)

Terrywoganstrousers, if your gf pastry recipe works well, could you post please ? Mine is never any use as either hard as rock or so short it falls apart

With pleasure!
Do you use the prescription white mixes? If not then just sub the required amount of flour mix, but you may have to add slightly more or less flour depending on what you use. You'll know when it's the right texture though.
One point- its v important to use butter not marg in this recipe as the GF flours are much more sensitive to fat contents etc.

So- Gluten free pastry

100g white mix
100g butter
1 egg
Pinch salt
Cold water
1 tsp xanthan gum ( if you don't have this it's not the end of the world, but it does help make it a but less short)

I tend whizz all the ingredients except the water in a food processor, but you can rub the butter into the flour in the usual way- then bring together wig some cold water.
I knead for longer than I would normal pastry, and then rest in the fridge for at least half an hour.
It is fairly difficult to roll out as it's quite short but i do it in between layers of cling film which helps!
And if you add some sugar and lemon zest/ juice the same recipe makes yummy gluten free lemon shortbread biscuits!

I'll give that a try, thank you !

Quiche, pizza, greggs home made sausage rolls

My fav picnic food is,

make bread dough, stretch out into a long stretch, about 5 inchs wide, put bacon tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese (anything really) fold over and pinch ends together, turn into a ring, egg wash and bake.

Also do one with chocolate spread and strawberries in it.

Just slice off as much as you want

My dds would love a chocolate and strawberry pie - great idea!

Shoshe- would you cook the stuff first before you put it in?

No terry just lay it all on the dough ( if your careful and turn the sides up a bit you can crack an egg in it but do it last and seal as you go )

Ooh, might try that, thanks! If I can get a nice gluten free dough- still haven't mastered GF bread!

Shoshe, I need to make that it sounds brilliant

Do need to let the dough prove before using, or do you stretch it out straight after kneading?

Btw I am pretty sure it was you who gave me a wholemeal bread recipe on here years ago which I still make and have never changed, it is brilliant

Gobbler, no just stretch after kneading ( I am eating one as I type, didnt quite seal it properly when I put the egg in so was a bit messy )