Summer dinner picnic anyone?

Cheesy herb pies, spicy nuts, a big, bright chicken salad and a huge chocolate chip biscuit - good food for summer evenings outside.

Hello! What should we cook this weekend?

Wednesday is always the day I start thinking; what fun thing can we do this weekend? And what will we cook?

Half the fun of cooking can be the planning and thinking about what’s to come. Hence, this newsletter. I think the wonderful, wonderful Jeanette Winterson articulates this best in her introduction to the 30th-anniversary edition of Nigella’s ‘How To Eat (which, if you like, you can listen to Nigella read aloud Spotify). Jeanette says,

“What makes our mouths water when we read a cookbook isn’t the food on the table it’s the story about the food on the table. Pleasure always starts in the mind. And it makes no difference whether the pleasure is a day out, a wonderful meal, a visit from a friend or sex...in the imagination, nothing goes wrong”

Well….school is back; it’s stinking hot, and I’m thinking a dinner picnic somewhere nice and cool.

You too? Fab. Let’s make it happen. Let's pick a place and time in the early evening, send out some messages, and plan some tasty things to cook.

Here below are some contenders…

We did this last Friday night at a beautiful waterhole in the state forest near our house. I made these pies and packed some nice cold drinks, and it was really, really nice.

Ending the week and the day with sunset swim, bite to eat, and good plonk (or whatever); I wouldn’t want to be in any bar or restaurant but by that dam.

Happy cooking and planning and dreaming for the weekend!

Sophie x

Ps - How did you go with last week’s cooking video? Did anyone cook along with me? I’m recording another one this Friday for next week so please send me your feedback.

But first, just an update on the peach cobbler recipe from last week’s post. I made it again on Sunday, but we had no cream, so used Greek-style yogurt, which worked really well.

Actually. I think I’m going to do this from now on, the scones had a beautiful tangy flavour and I like to think they’re a bit better for us in this iteration?

And man, oh man, it was good. The fruit base was a mix of blackberries, peaches and plums tossed with vanilla, sugar, lemon juice and a little cornflour, which made the most delicious, tangy sauce for those rich, buttery scones.

This recipe was given to me by a friend who put a bowl of them out for drinks one night. I have been making them ever since; the recipe can be adjusted to suit whatever nuts/seeds you have handy, and of course, mix up the spices according to your preferences! I especially love these scattered over salads to add salt and crunch. You could add chilli flakes, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, or any flavour combo you want here.

Spiced Nuts

150g whole almonds, natural
150g cashews or pecans (or any other nuts you like)
½ cup pepitas
½ cup sunflower seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp chilli flakes

Preheat the oven to 180 and place everything in a roasting tin. Mix really well (I do this by hand) and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the nuts are golden, tossing around halfway through.

Store in an airtight container.

Ricotta cheese and herb pies

Serves 6–8

Prep time: 25 mins, plus 50 minutes chilling
Cook time: 30 mins

These little pies are heaven as a starter or, when made a little larger, as a main meal, perhaps with pickles and a crunchy salad.

You could also make one beautiful galette by rolling the pastry into a big round and piling the herby filling and some tomatoes on top before baking. Either way, I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

A quick note on the pastry, which is inspired by the wonderful Maggie Beer: this recipe makes a short, flaky pastry that’s just perfect here, but if you have sheets of shortcrust or puff in the freezer, those would be great too. Also, I find it easiest to make the filling mixture in advance and have it chilled when it comes to filling your pies.

This recipe was adapted from one in my book In Good Company.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 brown onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 g) sour cream
1/2 cup (50g) Parmesan, grated
1 handful mixed herbs (see Note)
2 eggs
1/2 cup (125g) fresh ricotta
Pickle or tomato relish, to serve

Sour cream pastry
2/3 cup (160 g) sour cream
2 cups (300 g) plain (all-purpose) flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup (250 g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 tsp sea salt

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for about 10 minutes or until completely softened and caramelised. Transfer the onion to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, make the pastry. Put the sour cream, flour, salt and butter in your food processor and blitz for a few seconds or until just combined. Turn the pastry out onto a work surface and gently bring it together into a disc. Wrap the pastry and pop it in the fridge to chill for 30 minutes.

For the filling, mix together the sour cream, onions, Parmesan, herbs, eggs and ricotta. Grate in some black pepper and add sea salt.

Line a baking tray with baking paper. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface until about 3 mm (1/8 inch) thick.

Using a biscuit cutter or glass, cut the pastry into rounds about 7 cm (23/4 inch) in diameter. Place about a tablespoon of the herb mixture in the middle of a pastry round and bring the sides together, pressing with your fingertips to create a seal. Now, using the tines of a fork, gently press down around the edges to really close the deal.

Place the finished pie on the tray and repeat with the remaining pastry and filling. Place the pies in the fridge for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C.

Just before baking, whisk the remaining egg with the cream, then brush it over the pies and sprinkle them with the sesame seeds and some sea salt. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pies are golden and the pastry has puffed up.

Serve the warm pies with a tangy pickle or tomato relish.

Note: My favourite mix of herbs for these pies is parsley and mint, but whatever you use will be delicious – just try to avoid the woody herbs like thyme and rosemary as they might overpower the mixture.

Dinner picnics by water, whether a dam, river or the beach, are always extra special. Here are a couple of recipes and photos from a beach picnic I wrote up and shot for the book Mum and I wrote together Around the Kitchen Table. The salad is bright and beautiful and while it does require a fair bit of chopping and putting of things in containers, it really is so good and worth the effort. But of course, you could skip that part and grab a roast chook and salad from the shops on your way, and that would be great too. The thing is to do the thing (the dinner picnic).

Summer Chicken Salad

This glorious, big meal of a salad seems to appeal to all ages and is really great for a picnic (especially when you use the cos lettuce leaves as wraps) or a fresh and easy summer meal at home. If you’re eating at home, you could also serve it with warm wraps or pita pockets or add some big toasted sourdough croutons to the salad for extra crunch. You can leave out the chilli flakes if you have kids for dinner.

Prep time: 40 mins, plus 30 mins marinating
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves 6–8

800g skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into chunks
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
Grated zest and juice of 3 limes
2 mangoes, cut into cubes
2 avocados, cut into cubes
3 Lebanese (short) cucumbers, cut into chunks
500g mixed cherry and grape tomatoes, halved
1 red capsicum (pepper), cut into chunks
1/2 red onion, very finely diced
1 handful mint leaves, roughly chopped
cos lettuce, leaves separated
1/4 cup (60 ml) olive oil
A good pinch of sea salt
1 Tbsp sumac

Caramelised macadamias
1 cup (155 g) macadamia nuts
2 Tbsp (40 g) butter
1/4 cup (55 g) caster (superfine) sugar
1 tsp sea salt
A good pinch of chilli flakes

Combine the chicken, spices and lime zest in a bowl. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or all day if that’s easier).

For the caramelised macadamias, line a baking tray with baking paper. Toast the macadamia nuts in a dry frying pan over medium–high heat for about 5 minutes or until the nuts are just turning golden. Add the butter, sugar, salt and chilli and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes or until the sugar has completely melted and coats the nuts like a caramel. Watch carefully as the nuts can burn very quickly. Quickly tip the caramelised macadamias onto the lined tray and spread them out in a single layer. Set aside to cool and harden, then place in a jar.

Combine the mango and avocado in a small container or bowl and drizzle with a third of the lime juice. In a bigger container or bowl, combine the chopped cucumber, tomatoes, capsicum, red onion, and mint leaves. Put the cos lettuce leaves in a container or bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Pour half of the remaining lime juice and 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil into a jar and shake to make a dressing.

Heat the remaining olive oil in a large deep frying pan over high heat. Add the marinated chicken and salt and cook, stirring and tossing the chicken, for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining lime juice and the sumac and let it sit in the pan for a couple of minutes before transferring it to a container or bowl. (I like to cook the chicken right before we walk out the door so it’s still warm when we get to eating it. But it’s also really good cold, so if you think that’s safer, cook it in advance and chill it before heading out, then pack it in a cool box or insulated bag with ice bricks.)

Gather up the containers of chicken, cos lettuce, cucumber mixture, mango and avocado mixture, dressing and caramelised macadamias and head outdoors, or arrange all the food on the table at home. The idea is that everyone grabs a lettuce leaf or two and fills it with whatever they fancy.

A giant chocolate chip cookie to share

Meet the giant chocolate chip biscuit! Break it into shards to share, wrap it up for a friend who needs cheering, serve it on a big board with fresh fruit and maybe ice cream, or make two biscuits and sandwich them together with softened ice cream, then freeze it for the world’s biggest and best ice-cream sandwich. However you choose to serve this ridiculous, huge biscuit, it will delight, and that’s the aim of the game! Plus, it’s an easy melt-and-mix number so you can just throw it together in one bowl, pop it into a frying pan, and then into the oven.

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Serves 6–8

1/2 cup (100 g) brown sugar
1/3 cup (75 g) caster (superfine) sugar
1/4 cup (60 g) butter, melted
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 cup (150 g) plain (all-purpose) flour
1 tsp baking powder
200 g milk chocolate, roughly chopped (or dark chocolate, or a mix of the two)
Sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 180°C Lightly grease an ovenproof frying pan or large pizza or biscuit tray.

Combine the sugars, butter, egg and vanilla in a bowl and whisk until you have a smooth and glossy batter. Fold in the flour, baking powder and chocolate and gently stir until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the frying pan or onto the tray. Place a piece of baking paper on top and press the mixture into a disc about 20 cm (8 inches) in diameter and 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) thick. Sprinkle the salt over the biscuit and pop it into the oven for 20 minutes or until golden on top. Your giant biscuit will spread a little as it cooks, so make sure your pan can accommodate that.

Chicken Sambos

You can’t really have a dinner picnic post without a chicken sandwich can you? Nope. A container of these babies, all cut up and ready to share around is always going to win the day so here’s my recipe from A Basket by the Door, and in the basket is also a plate of delicious little zucchini fritters, recipe also in that book.

You can either make up the sandwiches or present them as I did here in parts - the sandwich mix, a loaf of bread and a spoon for people to make their own.

Makes about 30 finger sandwiches
Prep time 5 minutes (depending on whether you’re poaching the chook yourself, in which case, a bit more ☺️).

Shredded chicken from one whole poached chook or purchased BBQ chook (about 450-500g)
3/4 cup good quality mayonnaise
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
3 stalks celery, trimmed and diced
1 handful dill, finely chopped
Juice of one lemon
2 tbsps dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 loaves fresh, sliced bread.

Mix all ingredients together and season to taste. Easy!

*I recommend poaching one whole chicken as per instructions on the chicken pie recipe - this is cheaper and yields more delicious chicken, but I get that it’s an extra demand on your time, so there’s nothing wrong with buying a roast chook and using that too. Whatever suits.