No Fuss Picnic Dishes

Enjoy the sunny days with these delicious alfresco picnic food ideas that are sure to please friends and family alike. When it comes to planning a picnic, packable dishes are a must in your picnic baskets. Who would resist these tiny treats? Pack up some delightful sandwiches, soups, cakes, and drinks, wrap up and eat out, simply head outdoors for a refreshing alfresco meal! Tote these delicious make-ahead flavourful dishes for your next outdoor outing, don’t forget to bookmark these delicious summer recipes.

Expert Chef, Charvi Carani gives us a few interesting dishes which are a hot weather picnic keepers.

Cinnamon Clove Tea Cake

Ingredients:

1. 6 cloves
2. 3 tbsp cinnamon powder
3. 1 cup brown sugar
4. ½ cup wheat flour
5. ½ cup all purpose flour
6. 5 eggs (can be substituted with 1 cup of thick curd beaten smooth without lumps)
7. 1 cup butter cold
8. ½ tsp vanilla essence
9. A pinch of salt
10. ½ tsp Baking powder
11. ¼ tsp Baking soda (optional)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven at 180 degree centigrade.
2. Take a 9 inch cake tin and butter it.
3. Place a parchment paper in it if you have.
4. Sift the flour and keep aside.
5. Grind the brown sugar and the spices into a fine powder and sift it into the flour.
6. Mix in the Sugar & spice mixture into the flour.
7. Beat the egg yolks until fluffy and ribbon like in consistency. (can add little bit of powdered sugar if needed)
8. Beat the egg whites and prepare the meringue and keep aside. (For vegetarians: beat the curd until smooth)
9. Beat the butter until fluffy (with a little powdered sugar)
10. Mix the egg yolks and meringue or curd with the butter slowly.
11. Then fold in the flour in 3 batches.
12. Make sure there are no lumps.
13. Add a pinch of salt and the baking powder and give one last mix.
14. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 25 minutes.
15. After the cake is done, leave it to cool under the fan and cover it with a net cloth.
16. Unmold the cake from the tin after it comes to room temperature.
17. (Note: Do not mix the batter too much and make it airy. This will cause the cake to flatten.)
18. Slice the cake to your style and serve with tea of your choice!

Hung Curd and Tahini sandwiches



Ingredients:

1. Sandwich bread/ whole wheat bread
2. 200 gm curd
3. 20 gm sesame seeds (soaked)
4. 8 garlic cloves
5. Pinch of salt
6. Pinch of pepper
7. ½ tsp brown sugar
8. 2 Fresh green chillies
9. 1 Capsicum
10. Grated carrot 1 cup
11. 1 green apple grated
12. 1 cup chopped coriander
13. 1 tomato
14. 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Method:

1. Pour the curd into a cheese cloth and hang it overnight to let all the water drain.
2. Cut the corners of the bread and set aside.
3. Once the hung curd is ready smoothen it into a paste and season with a pinch of salt.
4. Grind the soaked sesame seeds with 4 garlic cloves, 1 chilli and a pinch of salt into a smooth paste
5. Mix in 3 tbsp of olive oil
6. Deseed and finely chop all the vegetables.
7. Add all the veggies along with the grated carrot and green apple to the hung curd.
8. Add the dash of pepper and brown sugar.
9. Mix in the tahini and fold in.
10. Fill in the bread slices and cut into triangles and serve.

Broccoli & Spinach Soup




Ingredients:

1. 1 bowl broccoli
2. 1 bowl boiled spinach
3. 2 tbsp olive oil
4. Salt to taste
5. 2 green chillies
6. 1 tsp Freshly ground peppercorns
7. 1 tbsp wheat flour
8. 1 cup milk
9. 1 small stick butter

Method:

1. Toss the broccoli and spinach in olive oil
2. Add chillis salt n pepper
3. Keep it aside to cool after the vegetables are almost cooked (leave a little crunch)
4. Grind the veggies slightly coarsely with warm water as per requirement
5. Cook it on low flame with the lid closed
6. Alongside, heat 1 stick butter
7. Add 1 tbsp of wheat flour, pepper and salt to taste

Pour the milk and whisk it to avoid lumps

8. Once it is thick enough, pour it into the soup and put off the flame
9. Serve hot

Chilled Cinnamon Black Coffee


Ingredients:
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 250 ml water
* 1 tbsp instant coffee
* 1 tbsp brown sugar

Method:

1. Boil the water till it starts to bubble.
2. Drop the cinnamon stick in the boiling water.
3. Add 1 tbsp of instant coffee and the brown sugar.
4. Reduce the flame and let it boil for 5-6 minutes.
5. Remove from the stove.
6. Let the black coffee cool down to room temperature.
7. Chill it overnight.
8. Have it as an early morning drink with your newspaper or at tea time.

Share:

• Facebook
• Email
• X
• Print