A forest during the autumn is ideal for a long walk. And fall is a good season for a picnic. Warm dishes to keep the temperature, a rug to sit on and a small fire, enjoy! Below you will find a number of recipes for a forest picnic.
Curry soup with parsnip and apple
Necessities
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of mild curry paste
- 750 gr parsnip (white carrot)
- 1 liter of chicken stock
- salt and pepper
- 1 apple (Granny Smith)
Peel and roughly chop the onions and garlic. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan and braise the onion and garlic over low heat, until the onion is translucent. After fifteen minutes, add the curry paste and let it bake for 5 minutes. Peel and dice the parsnips, stir into the pan and simmer for another 20 minutes. Then add the stock and let the soup simmer on low heat for about 1 ½ hours. Puree the soup with the hand blender and season with salt and pepper. Peel and grate the apple, stir it into the soup and let it simmer for another 5 minutes on low heat. (don’t let it boil anymore)
chestnut Cake
Requirements for the filling
- 2 ½ dl chestnut puree (unsweetened)
- 2 dl crème fraîche
- 1 dl cottage cheese
- 2 shallots finely chopped
- 3 beaten eggs
- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- salt and white pepper
Requirements for pizza dough
- 175 gr flour
- ¾ teaspoon of salt
- ½ bag of dried yeast
- ¾ -1 dl lukewarm water
For the dough, sift the flour with the salt into a bowl. Add the yeast and then slowly add lukewarm water until it becomes a smooth dough. Knead the dough briefly into an elastic whole and roll it out 3 millimeters thick. Line a cake pan, with a diameter of 26 centimeters, with the dough. Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Stir together all the ingredients for the filling until well combined and pour the mixture into the lined pie pan. Bake the pie in the oven for 25-30 minutes until the dough is golden brown and the filling has risen and colored.
Toasted bread & funghi porcini
Necessities
- handful of dried funghi porcini
- 1 onion
- 250 gr chestnut mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 3 tablespoons of crème fraîche
- salt and pepper
- brown country bread
- sage leaves for garnish
Soak the funghi porcini in warm water for half an hour. Peel and finely chop the onion. Cut the mushrooms into quarters. Drain the cultivated mushrooms, collect the moisture and rinse the porcini. Heat the olive oil in a pan with a thick bottom. Fry the mushrooms on high heat for 7 minutes so that they sear. Turn the heat to low, add a tablespoon of butter, the chopped onion and the porcini and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Strain the mushrooms and collect the moisture. Melt the second spoonful of butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour. Let this mixture cook for 5 minutes on low heat while stirring. Stir in the collected soaking liquid and mushroom liquid until a thick sauce forms. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the crème fraîche, mushrooms and selected herbs. Serve on toasted brown country bread and garnish with sage.
Figs in Beaujolais
Necessities
- 1 bottle of Beaujolais
- 150 gr sugar
- 10 gr cinnamon or cinnamon stick
- 1 clove
- 2 slices of orange
- 2 slices of lemon
- 5 g black pepper
- 1 large or 3 small figs per person
- possibly mascarpone and sugar
Place all ingredients, except the figs, in a saucepan and reduce to 1/3 the amount over medium heat. Prick 3 holes in the figs around the base of the stem with a toothpick. Place the figs in the gently boiling syrup and let them simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on. Remove the figs from the pan with a slotted spoon and place them on a nice, generous dish. Let the syrup reduce until a drop that falls from the spoon onto a plate does not run anymore. Use a tablespoon to pour a little of the syrup on each fig to make them shine.
This dish is delicious with sweetened mascarpone cream.
Tip
A picnic is a matter of planning well. Pack dishes and glasses in advance. You tie plates together in a tea towel so that they do not slide and break, and you bundle cutlery with a string. Cake can be left in the baking tin and you can also tie a tea towel around it for protection. Just before departure, cut the bread and pour warm soup and mulled wine into thermos jugs.
In autumn, cold and moisture can rise from the ground and that is not comfortable. You can buy straw or hay bales from a pet store and have them ready at the picnic spot in advance. With a plaid over it you are nice and soft and warm. There are also special plaids for sale with plastic on one side that does not let moisture through.