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What to do when you invite someone round, how to set the table, how to arrange the
seating.
A few simple rules for you to remember.
IDEAL
MENU FOR A PICNIC
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‘Frittatine al forno’ (Oven-baked omelettes) with sweet potatoes and sage
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| ‘Pagnotta campagnola’ (Country style
bread)
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| Brownies with white chocolate chips
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| Lime
juice |
| Oven baked omelettes with sweet potatoes and sage
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500g. of sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
olive oil
sea salt
4 lightly beaten eggs
1 cup of cream
ground black pepper
1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup of sage leaves
Put the sweet potatoes, oil and salt into an oven dish and mix. Pre-heated the oven to 200°C and cook for 25
minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
Put the eggs, cream, pepper and parmesan into a bowl and beat
well. Pour the mixture into 12, greased, low baking tins, arrange the cooked sweet potatoes and sage and cook in the oven at 160°C for 20
minutes, or until the little omelettes are a golden colour on the
outside, and cooked in the inside. Serve warm or cold with a spicy
sauce. Makes 12 Omelettes.
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| Country Style Bread
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1 round loaf of crusty bread
Filling:
3 sliced onions
2 spoonfuls of olive oil
12 slices of grilled marinated aubergines
½ cup of mint leaves
20 slices of grilled marinated courgettes
1 cup of rocket leaves
20 roasted tomato halves
½ cup basil leaves
250g. goat's milk cheese or fresh ricotta
20 slices of roast peppers
Cut the top off the bread, and remove the interior, leaving a thickness of about 4 cm
(put the top to one side). Lightly fry the onion with the oil in a frying pan for about 6
minutes, or until the onion has browned. Using half the
ingredients, fill the bread, alternating layers of onion,
aubergines, courgettes, rocket, tomatoes, basil, cheese and
peppers, then repeat with the other half of the ingredients and cover with the top of the bread which had previously been put
aside. Wrap the bread in a serviette and serve in slices. Serves 8 people.
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| Brownies with pieces of white chocolate
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240g. butter
240g. dark chocolate
3 eggs
1½ cups of sugar
3 cups of flour
2 teaspoonfuls of powdered yeast
1½ cups of chopped white chocolate
Put the butter and dark chocolate into a small saucepan and heat
gently, mixing carefully until melted. In a dish, beat the eggs with the
sugar, until you obtain and dense, sponge-like consistency, to which you will add the melted butter and
chocolate. Add the sieved flour, yeast and white chocolate and mix. Grease a square 23cm by 23cm baking tin, line with greaseproof
paper, and pour the mixture in. Cook for approximately 30 minutes at 180°C in a pre-heated
oven. Allow to cool, cut into squares and sprinkle with icing sugar or good quality
cocoa. Makes 24 brownies.
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| Real lime juice
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1½ cups of lime juice
¾ cup of sugar
crushed ice
soda water or mineral water
2 sliced limes
Pour the lime juice and sugar into a carafe and mix. When the sugar has
melted, put in the fridge. Serve in glasses filled with ice and add soda water or mineral water and slices of lime. Serves 8 people.
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Preparation
First serve the ‘Frittatine al forno’ with sweet potatoes and
sage, then move on to the pièce de résistance of the picnic: the ‘pagnotta campagnola’, which should be sliced and accompanied by lime
juice. You can prepare these dishes the day before and cook them the morning of the picnic.
The brownies, whose rich flavour will end the picnic beautifully, can even be prepared two days before and kept in an airtight container.
Drinks to accompany the meal
Bring a freezer bag full of ice with
you, and in it, put a bottle of lime juice, fizzy mineral water, a bottle of Chardonnay and finally a Merlot, to be sipped during the
afternoon.
Don’t forget a thermos flask of hot coffee, to be served with the
brownies.
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