New and Exciting Picnic Recipes

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These chips have robust flavor, and will fill your home with a wonderful aroma as they bake. Adapted from The Splendid Grain (William Morrow, 1998).

Tortillas
2 cups masa harina (available at specialty or natural foods stores)
About 1 1/4 cups warm water
1 tbsp fresh herbs (marjoram, oregano, cilantro, savory, basil, etc.), chopped

Chips
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 dozen homemade corn tortillas (or purchased tortillas)

To make tortillas: Put the masa harina in a mixing bowl and stir in the water and herbs. Knead thoroughly for about 3 minutes, or until the dough forms a smooth, silky mass that does not stick to your hands. It should be moist and pliable enough that a pinch of dough will easily press flat when pushed between your fingertips. Cover the dough and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, or refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.

With moistened hands, divide the dough into 12 balls. Roll each ball between your palms until smooth. Cover the balls with plastic wrap to keep them from drying out. With a rolling pin, press each ball into a tortilla about 6 inches in diameter and 1/8 inch thick.

Heat a heavy ungreased skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Bake the tortillas, one at a time, for 30 seconds on the first side, 1 minute on the opposite side, and another 30 seconds on the first side. There should be several light brown spots. The tortilla should puff up a bit, then deflate as it cooks. Keep finished tortillas stacked and tightly wrapped in a cloth.

To make chips: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the water, salt and chili powder in a spray bottle. Shake to dissolve the salt. Lightly mist both sides of each tortilla.

Stack 3 tortillas at a time on a cutting board. Cut into wedges. Place tortilla wedges in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until chips are well crisped.

Tomatillo Salsa

This traditional variant of tomato salsa is intensely pungent. Adapted from Joy of Cooking (Scribner, 2006)

8 ounces tomatillos, husked, rinsed, chopped
1 small white or red onion, chopped
3 to 5 serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt
3/4 tsp raw sugar or 1/2 cup powdered stevia
Water

Combine all the ingredients with just enough water to loosen the mixture into a saucelike consistency. If preparing well in advance, do not add the onion until just before serving as it can overpower the other flavors.

Riot of Color Salad

Way better than any iceberg salad you’ve ever had, this gorgeous salad will knock the socks off your picnicking friends! Feel free to experiment with various colorful greens and edible flowers. Adapted from The Edible Rainbow Garden (Periplus, 2000).

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