With the final few weeks of warm weather in sight, we’ve put together a selection of gourmet picnic recipes from some of Wales’ best hotels and restaurants
Rosemary Skewered Welsh Lamb Kebabs with Tzatziki (serves 4)
Recipe courtesy of Gwesty Cymru, Aberystwyth
INGREDIENTS - KEBABS
- 4 x sprigs of rosemary
- 600g boned leg of Welsh lamb cut into cubes
- 200g Rachel’s Organic Natural Yogurt
- 1tsp ground cumin
- 1tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp turmeric
- 1tsp fresh chopped mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD - KEBABS
- Combine all the ingredients (apart from the 4 sprigs of rosemary) together and leave to marinade overnight.
- Skewer about 4 cubes of lamb onto each sprig of rosemary, and cover the end with foil to prevent burning.
- Place on a baking tray under the grill for about 5 minutes each side to serve pink, or longer if you prefer them well done.
INGREDIENTS - TZATZIKI
- Half a grated cucumber
- 200g Rachel’s Organic Natural Yogurt
- 1 clove crushed garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD - TZATZIKI
- Grate cucumber, season with salt and pepper and leave in a colander for 10 minutes to drain excess moisture.
- Combine with yogurt, mint and garlic in a bowl, season to taste and serve with the kebabs when ready to eat.
Caramelised Onion Tart
(serves 4)
Recipe courtesy of Ye Olde Bull’s Head, Beaumaris
INGREDIENTS
- 4 large onions
- 5 eggs
- 300ml milk
- 200ml double cream
- 1 tsp black onion seeds
- 25g thyme
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Short crust pastry
METHOD
- Peel, and wash all the onions, cut in half and slice as thinly as possible. In a heavy based pan place all the onions along with the peeled and diced garlic and the 25g of picked thyme and the onion seeds. Turn the heat up high and cook out the onions until they release their moisture, add a small squirt of olive oil at this point, then gently fry the onions, they should be sizzling gently. Keep cooking until all the moisture has gone from the onions, and they turn brown and sticky.
- Turn down the heat to low, keep moving the onions in the pan, and continue browning until the natural sugar has come out of the onion, this will take at least 20 minutes, and you have a dark brown sticky onion paste in the pan.
- Whisk the eggs with the milk. Line the pastry in a pastry case and blind bake. Once the pastry case has cooked scatter the onion mix inside, pour half of the milk mixture in, give it a little stir to move the onions then pour the rest of the milk in.
- Bake at 160°C for 25 minutes, until set.
- Serving suggestion - cut into wedges and serve with poached or soft-boiled quail eggs.
Crispy Carmarthenshire Ham and Asparagus
Recipe courtesy Peterstone Court, Brecon
INGREDIENTS
- 6 medium asparagus spears
- 3 slices of Carmarthenshire ham
- 1 tomato - deseeded and skinned
- Olive oil
- 1 lemon
- 20g unsalted butter
METHOD
- Place pan of boiling water with a teaspoon of salt on the heat.
- To prepare the asparagus, hold each end and bend until they snap in their natural place - discard tough stalks.
- Drop asparagus in the boiling water for two minutes, then refresh in cold water.
- Cut asparagus into equal lengths (approx 2-3inches), pair the asparagus, and wrap the bottom half with the Carmarthenshire ham. Keep the asparagus trimmings and cut into small circles, mix these with diced tomato, squeeze of lemon, olive oil and salt.
- Place a frying pan on the heat, add a little olive oil, then add asparagus, colour each side for 1-2 minutes, add butter and season.
- Serve with tomato and asparagus relish on the side
