Celebrate Easter with a family picnic ...
Easter is just around the corner and with the weather warming up, it may be time for a family picnic in the great outdoors.
For my Easter picnic spread, I'm making a layered roast vegetable picnic loaf filled with courgette, sweet potato, aubergine, peppers and mozzarella. The scooped out bread pieces from the picnic loaf are then used in a delicious Tuscan-style tomato bread salad.
Bring a sharp knife so you can cut the bread loaf into wedges just before serving. And then, to finish off, keep it simple with easter eggs and fresh strawberries.
For the bread loaf, I've used a San Francisco Style Sourdough, Taste the Difference (400g) from Sainsbury's.
Roast vegetable picnic loaf
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 round bread loaf
1 courgette, sliced lengthways
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1/2 medium sized aubergine, sliced lengthways
1/2 sweet potato, sliced
mozarella, thinly sliced
for the pesto:
handful of basil leaves
15ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 clove garlic
5g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
5g pine nuts
Method
1. Toss vegetables in olive oil. Place in the oven (180C/350F/Gas 4) for about 20-30 mins.
2. To make the pesto, place basil, garlic, cheese, and pine nuts into a food processor and blitz.
3. Slice off the top of the bread loaf (set aside, as this will later form the lid). Scoop out the centre of the bread loaf.* Spread a generous layer of pesto, then layer the courgettes, peppers, aubergine and sweet potato and mozzarella until full. Finally, place the lid back on top and wrap in cling film or a clean tea towel.
*Use the bread pieces to make the Tomato Bread salad below.
Tomato Bread Salad
Serves 2
Ingredients
Serves 2
Ingredients
300g tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/4 red onion, finely sliced
2 tsp small capers
bread, torn into bite sized pieces
basil leaves
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
sea salt & black pepper
Method
1. Place bread pieces in the oven for a few minutes to allow to dry out.
2. Into a bowl, place tomatoes, onion, capers, bread and basil. Toss together with the vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Thank you to Sainsbury's for sponsoring this blog post. You can check out all their Easter goodies here.
