Summertime
and the Living is Easy….
During the summer I get a lot of requests for Picnic basket cooking
classes. So, through the years,
I’ve collected a wide variety of picnic baskets and some wonderful ideas.
I decided to make this the topic for today’s blog.
As recently as last week, I was asked to prepare a picnic basket
segment for a local television station here in San Diego known as San Diego
Six. I’ve appeared semi regularly on
their morning talk show: San Diego Living, for more than three years. The very first segment I did for them was a
picnic basket segment, so and thus…it’s a popular subject for a lot of folks.
The key to a successful picnic experience is to plan it out before
you start. Envision your picnic and your
meal to help you create a list of things you think you will need. Once you’ve
put together one or more baskets you can be more spontaneous when packing.
Here
are some things to consider:
1) If
possible use things you already have.
A. A
large basket
B. A
bucket,
C. A
tablecloth or
D. A
blanket
E. Small
sealable containers, glass preferred, but plastic o.k. too.
F. Plastic
glasses and a plastic beverage container for water or lemonade or whatever.
G. Plates,
glass or disposable. Utensils real or bio-degradable, Napkins, cloth or
disposable
If you have to purchase a lot of stuff for a project, it can get
expensive.
2)If you are one of those
rare people who haven’t managed to
collect a lot of stuff through the years or you are just starting out, and you
are determined to have a picnic, you might consider;
B. Look for a basket at a
thrift store or flea market. Scrub it up
good with hot soapy water and paint it if you like. Old baskets are very collectable and lend
character to your experience.
A new basket should come
with a set of plates, typically (2) and depending on the size of the basket,
two wine glasses and two sets of utensils.
Picnic baskets come with a wide variety of options, but be warned,
sometimes the more options, the heavier the basket. Some of the nicer amenities
are; a hot box, a wine chiller, a cork screw, long straps.
3)
Big Picnic or little Pic Nic? A person
can get carried away cooking for an outdoor dining experience. Things to consider:
A. Will where you eat be
hot or cold? Sunny or shady. Could it be windy? Will Sand be flying?
Any of the above could be
good reason to make a simple picnic. A
gourmet sandwich, some fruit, dessert and water. Ba-badda-bing, your meal is
simple and swift to eat and you don’t have to worry about it getting cold.
No picnic should be
rushed, but sometimes, the picnic is not the focus of your trip, you just
wanted to make it special by making a picnic. Sometimes the little details can
be very meaningful.
B. Who gets to carry the basket and how far will they be going? Baskets get heavy the longer they are
carried. The idea being they’ll be lighter going out, but still, big picnic....
lots of containers…. heavy basket.
C. If you are determined to make this a “memorable” picnic and your
menu is extensive, I’d like to recommend a wagon. Wagons can look very neat and
carry a lot of stuff. Like Candles, pillows, books.
D. Multiple baskets. If “big”
is the way you are going then I recommend many baskets. That way, other folks can help carry.
4) Packing it light?
A. Bio-degradable
utensils, plates and glasses make the basket much lighter, as do the plastic
containers for the food. Remember to keep it earth friendly, leave the plastic
bags at home.
5)
Packing it heavy. I do love using real china and silverware and
even glass wine glasses for a picnic. To
me it seems more “fantastic” and strange to see my plates sitting on top of a
cloth in a park miles from home. Something so charming about bringing your
stuff outside.
6)
Themed Baskets. I have had a lot of fun coming up with
different themed baskets. Here are a few
ideas along with a few menus.
A. Mediterranean Picnic, Menu: Babaganoosh hummus with pita triangles,
Greek Salad, with dill, feta, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives ect. Beef or
lamb kabobs (these are short and have only a couple of pieces of meat on
them)Dessert is a Greek lemon cookie, or your favorite sugar cookie or perhaps
Baklava, or any kind of lemon flavored dessert.
Spicy Asia Pasta Salad
without chicken
|
American Picnic Basket
|
Spicy
Asian Chicken Salad
Recipe By :Elizabeth
Podsiadlo
1 pound linguini -- Cook according to directions on
box 4 chicken breasts – cubed 3/4 cup
soy sauce -- reserve 1/4 cup for dressing 3/4
cup chicken stock
Dressing
1/4 cup peanut butter – smooth 1/4
cup brown sugar
1/2 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar -- You can use
rice wine vinegar 1/8 cup
sesame oil – Asian 2 garlic clove – minced 1
teaspoon hot pepper flakes -- Use
1/2 if you don't like it hot
1/8 cup peanut oil 1 1/2 cups
fresh mint – mince 4
green onions – minced 1 cup
peas -- frozen or fresh 1/2 cup
cilantro -- cleaned chopped 1/2 cup
peanuts -- coarsely chopped 1
1/2 cups
savoy cabbage -- chopped fine
Place skinless, boneless chicken breast in a baking dish and add
1/2 cup of soy sauce and chicken broth.
Place in a 350 degree oven uncovered and allow to bake for 20 to 30
minutes, or until juices run clear when pricked with a fork. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
In a large saucepan, bring 4 quarts of water to boil noodles and
cook according to instructions on box.
You want the noodles to be a little al dente, so check about 5 minutes
before instructions say to stop and sample noodle. Should be a little firm.
While noodles are cooking place small saucepan over low heat on
stove. Add the seasoned rice wine
vinegar, sesame oil, peanut oil, brown sugar, peanut butter, garlic and
red-pepper flakes. Use a whisk to mix
the ingredients together. You just want
peanut butter to melt and you want to blend all the ingredients. Turn off heat and allow to stand at stove.
Drain juice from baked chicken breast and strain. Add this juice to the dressing in the
saucepan and whisk again. Cube chicken breast and add to the dressing . Allow to soak for 5 minutes. Toss remaining ingredients with the prepared
linguine; add the dressing with the chicken and all the veggies and toss well.
Serving Ideas :Serve with shredded cabbage and Chinese chow main
noodles.
NOTES : When making the dressing strive for a nice sweet salty
balance. If the dressing is to sour, add
some of the brown sugar or even a little honey until you like the balance.
NOTE: I always double the
dressing and use it for a marinade or dipping sauce for the chicken satay.
I hope you find these ideas inspiring. I’d love to hear about some of your picnic
ideas including photos. Please contact
me through my website. www.THEOPERASINGINGCHEF.com
Now go have a glass of water
-Chef Elizabeth Podsiadlo