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Lucy Lean

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in RECIPES· salad/vinaigrette

Picnic for the Planet

Some of our best adventures have involved picnics. The photo above was taken in Joshua Tree last Thanksgiving – it was cold – hence the hats – but we still ventured out on a hike with some left-over-turkey sandwiches. Eaten outdoors with magnificent rocks surrounding us those sandwiches were some of the best we have ever tasted. Food just tastes better outside.

Got plans for next weekend?
Want to picnic like Mario and Alice?
Want to win a prize from Nature Conservancy?

April 22nd happens to be  Earth Day – and the good people at Nature Convervancy have organised a really cool event –  a global picnic for the planet. With picnics planned for around the world perhaps you’d like to join in the fun – at the very least grab a sandwich and eat it outside. Here in LA there are picnics planned in Griffith Park and also more information to be found at the Farmers Market on Fairfax and Third. Or, like me, you can join in virtually and share memories, recipes and picnic trivia. There’s even prizes to win!

What’s really appealing to me about this fun picnic is that some of our best chefs have joined in the fun and given their favorite picnic recipes. Below I have Mario Batali’s Mint and Peas recipe – no prizes for guessing why Minty chose this one – it brought back memories of our popping peas last year so I’ve included that video – I love the way Minty and Rémy sang their way through it.

Minty’s Mint and Pea Risotto from Lucy Lean on Vimeo.

As well as Mario you can find recipes from Alice Waters – Spring Minestrone with Peas and Asparagus (more peas!), a goat and ricotta cheese terrine from one of my favorite French chefs, Eric Ripert and a delicious looking salad of asparagus and zucchini with Parmesan for Carla Hall – don’t you just love her energy? All this and more can be found at the Nature Conservancy’s website.

Picnics require careful planning – usually best to chose food that transports easily – that beautiful fluffy cheesecake will be mush by the time you get to eat it if you’ve carried it out into the back of beyond in your backpack.  I also think it’s good to keep things simple – go for big flavors and something to be eaten in your hands – as much as we’d all love to have trunks of silver and best linens carted out to a pitureseque spot a la Victorian travellers (there’s that great scene in Room with A View when they all go on a picnic in Tuscany).  For our picnic, as well as Mario’s Minty Peas we will be taking homemade bialy’s – my latest obsession courtesy of Marc Vetri’s recipe that he gave me for my book MADE IN AMERICA – filled with good quality Gruyere, ham, Dijon mustard, a delicious red pepper sauce and baby romaine leaves – simple, satisfying and easy to transport. Can’t wait to share the recipe for the bailys and red pepper sauce when the book comes out this fall – think Reuben sandwiches with a Vetri twist.

If you’d like to win a swag bag from the Nature Conservancy just leave a comment including your fav picnic treats – it’s that simple.

Happy Earth Day! Enjoy your Picnic!

Minty's Mint mario Batali mint and pea

Mario’s recipe for Peas and Mint Salad

Ingredients

Vinaigrette
¼ cup red wine vinegar, preferably Chianti
¼ cup sparkling water
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, preferably Ligurian
(makes 1 cup)

Peas
2 lbs peas in the pod, shelled, or 2 cups fresh peas
1 medium red onion, cut into dice about the same size as the peas
½ bunch fresh mint, leaves removed and torn into 2-3 pieces each
¼ cup Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe follows)
Maldon or other flaky sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Preparation

Whisk the vinegar, water, and olive oil together in a small bowl. (The vinaigrette can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.)

Combine the peas, onion, and mint in a medium bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper and serve, or let stand at room temperature for 1 hour to bring out the flavors. (The peas can be refrigerated for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving).

Serves 6

 

Social Media Links:
Project hashtag – #picnic11
Twitter – @nature_org
Facebook – http://www.facebook.com/thenatureconservancy

Filed Under: RECIPES, salad/vinaigrette

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Comments

  1. marla says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:07 am

    Yes! Picnics are soooo fun. Minty and Remy sure have great taste in picnic food. Now you have me wondering how we should celebrate Earth Day next week 🙂
    Sooooo excited for your book!

  2. Lucy says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:13 am

    Thanks Marla – you are so sweet – miss you x

  3. Maria says

    April 15, 2011 at 11:26 am

    I love picnics! I like to pack veggie sandwiches, cut up veggies/hummus, crackers/cheese, grapes, cut up watermelon, and cookies for dessert:)

  4. Deliciously Organic says

    April 21, 2011 at 7:10 pm

    The pea recipe looks so good. Peas are often overlooked but have so much flavor and so many possibilities! Can’t wait to try it and I’m even more excited for your book!!

  5. Gaby says

    April 25, 2011 at 11:37 am

    Reuben sandwiches with a Vetri twist??? Yes please!! Can’t wait for your book to be out and we can have a picnic party with lots of bubbly to celebrate 🙂

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I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watc I lingered round them, under that benign sky; watched the moths fluttering among the heath and harebells; listened to the soft wind breathing through the grass; and wondered how anyone could ever imagine unquiet slumbers, for the sleepers in that quiet earth.  #WutheringHeights #EmilyBronte the in between - How it started How it ended - bedroom monochromatic light at 7am this morning to 7pm tonight and cocktail time with Tink gin and @david_austin_roses post parents evening and then in the middle I went on a walk with @chloescotland - actually it was an adventure to find the prettiest 13th century church with a moat and a graveyard filled with snowdrops and the tiniest grave - a child? And headstones that were leaning over - I thought tipsy Chloe thought giving up and I was reminded of the Brontë passage about #unquietslumbers #ghostsinmygarden swop harebells for snowdrops - the peace and quiet of a tiny graveyard with a moat and lopsided headstones and peace and quiet - a moment of calm and hope as the #inauguration looms large and as we keep to the rules of lockdown #stayhome #staysafe
Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks Anxiety levels have been high these last few weeks and just when you think it can’t get any worse it does - Covid levels rising and hospitals dealing with record numbers of very unwell patients, a third lockdown and schools going online and exams cancelled, then there was the runoff in Georgia 💙 overshadowed by the insurrection in D.C. which led to the swift impeachment (again), there’s the excitement of Joe Biden’s inauguration that is being sucked away by the pandemic, the rise of white supremacy with troops guarding the Capitol and ever present fear.  But through it all we have to have hope - for the vaccine, for the teachers helping our kids learn online, for the nurses and doctors working against the odds, for M&S and Ocado deliveries,for a new administration, for arrests of violent rioters, for congress doing its job and for decency to be about to be sworn in.  It’s a lot and we all struggle daily to keep our heads above water.  On a personal level I find painting helps, as do walks in nature and family suppers, I’m wearing pretty dresses, silk underwear and wrapping myself in soft cashmere and yes I’m consuming more champagne than I usually do - if not now then when?  #Lockdown #Stayhome #staysafe #EnglishCountryHouse #EnglishCountryside
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