Picnics are all the rage. Forget about basic sandwiches and plan a meal with quick-and-easy, fresh dishes for a sunny day on the beach. Uncomplicated finger food you can eat at room temperature and a cold soup are two great ideas for a beach picnic. Just make sure you don’t get sand everywhere!
Cold pumpkin-and-orange soup
A burst of vitamins that you’ll need to keep cool with ice in a thermos flask. You can make any kind of cold soup, but we suggest this original mix of vegetables and fruit. For four people: 1 kg pumpkin, 4 oranges, 200 g fresh cheese, half a glass of extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook the pumpkin and then whisk it in a blender with the orange juice and other ingredients.
Beef-and-mushroom pasties
Or any other filling you fancy! You can even make these quick-and-easy pasties the day before—they’re just as delicious cold! We suggest filling them with minced beef sautéed with onion and smoked bacon and seasoned with a pinch of cumin. Once the beef mixture is ready, let it stand for a few minutes while you cook the mushrooms. Strain well before adding them to the beef mixture or the filling will be too watery.
Ham-and-cheese quiche
Just as lovely hot or cold, quiches are another great idea for picnics. And this filling is a hit with young and old alike. It’s made with shortcrust pastry, which only needs 5 minutes in the oven. Meanwhile, you can be mixing 3 eggs with 200 ml cream and add 200 g cubed ham, 175 g grated cheese, and salt and white pepper to taste. Pour the mixture over the precooked base and bake for about 20 minutes at 185 ºC.
