Picnic No. 2

Aaron and I started picnicking together 8 years ago. We used to go to this little peninsula on Spot Pond in Stoneham, MA. The ground was covered in pine needles and it was hidden enough that we could sprawl out on our blanket and share a bottle of wine or limoncellos.

The first time we went there, he took food that his mother had made for him (he was living at home at the time...maybe it was just leftovers he found in the fridge?). We had stuffed grape leaves and savory blintzes (feta and spinach) and I think there was also tabbouleh.

I think that I'll always associate pocket foods (or "stuffed" anything) with picnics. At least once this summer, we'll have to have a grape leave/blintze revival.


Another thing that seems to be a picnic-must is some kind of non-leaf salad. Summer salads are totally my obsession right now...I am scouring all of my cookbooks looking for new ones to try.
This afternoon, we went to Dorsey's Knob in Morgantown and had a picnic overlooking the town. I made two salads in advance, and Aaron made one of my ultimate favorite comfort Midwestern dishes, zucchini "delight" (if it has a "delight" in the name you can assume that 1. it's delicious, or, rather, delightful, and 2. it came from the Midwest). It's kind of like a quiche, but totally classed up with Bisquick.

Here are some recipes:

Zucchini Delight

4 c. thinly sliced (unpeeled) zucchini

1 large onion chopped

1/4 - 1/2 cup oil

8 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded

Put this in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour (can be up to 24 hours). When you are ready to prepare this, mix together: 5 eggs, 3/4 cup Bisquick. Add the zucchini mixture. Mix well. Lightly grease a 7x9 inch pan. Bake at 350 for 45 min.

The funniest part is that Aaron has probably made this more times than I have.

Marinated Chickpeas with Chili, Lemon, and Parsley

This recipe was adapted from The Naked Chef cookbook. I've made it several times over the past couple of years, and have really made it my own, so here is my version:

a lot of parsley (1/2 a bunch?) some chopped fine and some not too fine

2 c. uncooked chickpeas (this time I tried Desi chickpeas, a darker pea with a skin on it -- see the large brown mass on the left)

some garlic, pealed (4 cloves or so)

3 fresh chilli's, finely chopped

juice of one lemon, zest of one lemon

olive oil

lots of salt and pepper

Soak chickpeas overnight, cook with garlic cloves until soft. Drain. Add oil, lemon juice, zest, parsley and chilli. Don't skimp on the S&P.

Curried Couscous Salad

This recipe was adapted from the Barefoot Contessa cookbook and it was the first time I tried it. The biggest changes that I made were to the couscous itself (I used Israeli style) and a few things I didn't have that she called for. Also, I found that a squeeze of lime just before you eat it is a great touch.

1 1/2 c. Israeli couscous

1 1/2 c. boiling water

1/4 c/ plain lowfat yogurt

1/4 c. olive oil

1 teasp. vinegar

1 teasp. garam masala spice mix

1/2 teasp. turmeric

1 c. grated carrots

a handful or so of chopped parsley

1/2 c. dried cranberries

a handful or two of chopped cashews

1 small, diced red onion

Cook couscous as directed. In sep. bowl, whisk yogurt, oil, vinegar, garam masala, turmeric, and some salt and pepper. Pour over couscous and mix well, adding the rest of the veg. Don't forget the lime wedges.