Life’s a picnic
Frittata with summer vegetables and goat’s cheese
From the Metropole Hotel & Spa in Llandrindod Wells
Ingredients
400g new potatoes
300g mixed summer vegetables, asparagus, French beans, shelled broad beans, shelled or frozen peas
2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
2 bunches of spring onions trimmed and roughly chopped
A good handful of chives
7 large or 8 medium eggs
75g medium-strong goat’s cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Cut up the new potatoes and place into a large pan. Cover with plenty of water, add salt and bring to the boil.
Cut the French beans and asparagus into 3-4cm lengths. When the potatoes come to the boil, add the green veg.
Once the water has returned to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for three or four minutes, by which time all the veg should be just tender. Drain well.
Preheat the oven to 180°C/gas mark 4. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spring onions and sweat for about five minutes until soft. Add the drained veg and chives and toss with the onions. Turn the heat to medium-low.
Beat the eggs together with plenty of salt and pepper and pour over the veg in the pan. Cook gently, without stirring, until the egg is about two-thirds set with a layer of wet egg still on top.
Crumble or roughly chop the cheese and scatter over the surface of the frittata, then transfer the pan to the oven or grill for a further four or five minutes until the egg is all set and the top is starting to colour.
Leave to cool slightly then slide the frittata out on a plate or board.
THE forecast is looking fabulous – maybe it’s time to have the first picnic of the year. With just a little preparation, it’s possible to produce a great picnic feast – something more elaborate than sandwiches and a packet of crisps (although there’s nothing wrong with that either).
As it’s still early, make sure you have plenty of warm clothes at hand – even a small breeze can cool things down pretty rapidly.
The black pudding sausage roll, which has often featured on the lunch menu at the Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan, is a great crowd-pleaser and full of flavour.
The family-run Metropole has produced a frittata, again a delicious addition to a picnic. Both of the above are pretty easy to transport. Be wary of producing anything too delicate, as it might get ruined in transit.
Every picnic needs a pudding of some sort. The cake from Topstak’s Gallery Cafe is easy to transport in the tin in which it’s cooked – and there’ll be plenty for a second helping too!
Black pudding & sage sausage roll
From the award-winning gastro-pub, the Fox & Hounds, Llancarfan
Ingredients
500g good-quality sausage meat 200g crumbled black pudding 1 banana shallot, finely diced 2tsp finely chopped fresh sage 1tsp finely chopped fresh parsley 1 roll of pre-rolled puff pastry 1 beaten egg
Black onion/sesame seeds (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 190°C. In a mixing bowl, combine the sausage meat, black pudding, shallot, sage and parsley. Mix thoroughly together, ideally with your hands.
Lay the pastry out on a flat surface. Around an inch away from the bottom edge spread half of the mixture along the pastry in the shape of a sausage. Cut along the pastry about three inches the other side of the sausage meat so you have a flap of pastry to fold over.
Brush the short edge of the pastry with the beaten egg then bring the long side of the pastry over the top of the meat to join. Make sure the pastry is tightly wrapped around the meat then, with a fork, press the two edges together. Brush the whole sausage roll with the beaten egg then, if using, scatter over the seeds.
Cut to desired length, then place on baking tray lined with greaseproof paper. Repeat with remaining sausage meat. Bake for around 30 minutes or until golden-brown.
ella’s vegan fruit loaf
From Ella Orcuk, at Topstak’s Gallery Cafe based near Cowbridge
Ingredients
180g chopped dried apricots
180g chopped stoned dates
150g currants
150g golden sultanas
180ml sunflower oil
2 bananas, mashed
200ml orange or apple juice
80g dark-brown sugar
Grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon or 2 tangerines 400g self-raising flour
2 rounded teaspoons mixed spice
Method
Soften the apricots and dates in 300ml warm water for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Oil a 25cm loaf tin and line its base and sides with parchment paper. Drain the fruits and set aside the soaking liquid in case you need it.
Put the fruits in a bowl and add the currants, sultanas, bananas, apple or orange juice, sugar, oil and lemon or clementine zest. Set aside.
In another bowl, sift together flour and mixed spice. Mix these dry ingredients into the wet fruit mixture and stir carefully to get a soft, wet consistency. If the mixture is too dry and stiff, add some of the soaking liquid.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tin and cook for about an hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Cool the cake in the tin and leave it in there to transport to the picnic.