Beach days
Picnic recipes to enjoy alfresco
These vegetarian savoury muffins are best made the day they’re eaten. MAKES 6 PREP 15min COOK about 15min
• 100g baby spinach
• 150g self-raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 25g vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese, grated
• 50g vegetarian Cheddar, finely cubed
• 25g butter, melted
• 100ml milk
• 2 medium eggs
• Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Preheat oven to 200°C
(180°C fan) mark 6. Line 6 holes of a 12-hole muffin tin with paper muffin cases. Put spinach into a sieve and pour over boiling water from the kettle until it wilts. Leave spinach to cool, then squeeze out as much water as possible before finely chopping it. Set aside.
2 In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, most of both cheeses and some seasoning.
3 In a separate jug, whisk together butter, milk, eggs, parsley and chopped spinach. Quickly mix wet ingredients into the dry – don’t overmix and don’t worry if there are floury lumps.
4 Divide mixture evenly among muffin cases, then sprinkle over remaining cheese. Bake for 12-15min, until muffins are risen, golden and cooked through. Cool on a wire rack.
GET AHEAD Prepare muffins up to the end of step 2 up to a day ahead. Put chopped spinach into a bowl, then cover and chill. Cover flour and cheese mixture and chill. Complete recipe to serve. PER MUFFIN: CALS 204; FAT 10G; ➺ SAT FAT 6G; CARBS 20G
This delicious tart is a twist on a favourite meal. SERVES 6-8 PREP 45min, plus chilling COOK about 1hr 25min
FOR THE PASTRY
• 225g plain flour, plus extra to dust
• 150g butter, chilled and cut into cubes
• Finely grated zest 1 lemon
FOR THE FILLING
• 2 medium potatoes, about 300g
• 1tbsp olive oil
• 500g white fish fillets, skinned
• 150g cooked king prawns
• 300ml double cream
• 2 medium eggs
• Small handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 To make the pastry, put flour, butter, zest and seasoning into a food processor. Blitz until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. If you don’t have a processor, rub butter into flour mixture using fingers.
Add 2tbsp icy cold water and blitz again (or stir in with a blunt-ended cutlery knife) until pastry just comes together. Tip on to a work surface and bring together using your hands. Wrap in baking parchment and chill for 30min.
2 Meanwhile, cut potatoes (skin on) into 1.5cm cubes. Heat 1/2tbsp oil in a large non-stick frying pan and cook potatoes gently for 15min, tossing occasionally, until golden and tender. Transfer to a bowl.
Set aside with the empty pan.
3 Preheat oven to 190°C (170°C fan) mark 5. Lightly flour a work surface and roll out pastry. Use to line a 22cm x 4cm deep fluted tart tin. Prick base all over with a fork, then chill for 15min.
4 Return empty pan to heat and add remaining oil. Fry fish for 4min, turning once, until just cooked. Lift out of pan and put into a sieve set over a bowl to drain off any liquid.
5 Line the base and sides of pastry case with baking parchment and fill with baking beans. Bake pastry case for 20min, removing beans and paper for last 5min of cooking.
Lower oven temperature to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Flake fish into big pieces and put into cooked pastry case with cooked prawns and potatoes. In a jug, mix cream, eggs, parsley and plenty of seasoning. Pour as much mixture into pastry case as possible, then cook for about 45min, or until golden and set. Cool on a wire rack, then put in an airtight container to transport. GET AHEAD Make up to a day ahead. Cool and store in an airtight container. PER SLICE (IF CUT INTO 8): CALS 548; FAT 39G; SAT FAT 23G; CARBS 29G