GREEN-BEAN SALAD WITH MUSTARD SEEDS AND TARRAGON

This wine-friendly salad was adapted by New York Times writer Christine Muhlke from "Plenty" by Yotam Ottolenghi. You can prepare the beans and peas the day before and finish making it the day of your picnic. It works with pretty much any wine and is as beautiful as it is delicious. Sorry - we forgot to take a picture.

1/2 pound French beans, trimmed

1/2 pound snow peas, trimmed

1/2 pound green peas

2 teaspoons coriander seeds, roughly crushed

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 small red onion, finely diced

1 fresh mild red chili, deseeded and finely diced

1 garlic clove, crushed

Grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons chopped tarragon

Coarse sea salt

Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Blanch the beans for 4 minutes, then lift them out of the pan and into a bowl of ice water to refresh. Drain and dry. Using the same boiling water, blanch the snow peas for 1 minute. Refresh, drain and dry. Blanch the green peas for 20 seconds. Refresh, drain and dry. Combine the vegetables in a large bowl.

Put the coriander seeds, mustard seeds and oil in a small saucepan set over medium heat. When the seeds begin to pop, pour the contents over the vegetables. Toss, then add the onion, chili, garlic, zest and tarragon. Mix well and season with salt to taste. 

Makes 4 salad servings, 6 as part of a picnic spread. We enjoyed this with olives, cheeses, bread, cured meats, and of course wine on the patio at Milagro Farm Vineyard and Winery. 

TASTE CHEESE

Without a doubt, Taste Cheese is our favorite purveyor of artisan cheeses to enjoy on our picnics.  Owner and cheesemonger Mary Palmer offers something new every week at three San Diego farmers markets: North Park (Thursday afternoons), Little Italy (Saturday mornings), and Hillcrest (Sunday mornings). Stop by Taste's booth to sample your fill until you've found your favorites, or ask Mary or one of her super-knowledgeable helpers to put together a selection for you and suggest wine pairings.

SMOKED SALMON WITH ACCOMPANYMENTS

Salmon and Trout

Look for a thick piece of softly hot-smoked salmon or use cold-cured lox. Our favorite of the former (in San Diego) comes from Point Loma Seafood. This preparation is also very good with smoked trout.

½ lb. hot-smoked or cold-cured wild salmon

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about ½ C. crème fraiche

about 1 C. thinly sliced cucumber

about ½ C. thinly sliced red onion

about ¼ C. capers, chopped

thin slices of pumpernickel bread or baguette

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To eat, spread bread slices with a thin layer of crème fraiche and top with a cucumber slice and some salmon. Sprinkle onions and capers on top. Yield: 4 small servings

Wines: dry whites, light reds

WHITEFISH AND PARSLEY SPREAD

This is fabulous as part of a seafood-themed feast. It can be made a day or two ahead. Use an oily fish such as the Blue Hill brand at Whole Foods. It’s important to incorporate the oil before the lemon juice; otherwise the parsley will discolor. Serve at room temperature.

2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

5 T. coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil

½ C. coarsely chopped smoked whitefish

1 T. lemon juice

freshly ground pepper

In a food processor fitted with a steel knife blade, process the garlic and parsley until the garlic is well incorporated, scraping the bowl several times. Add the olive oil and smoked fish, then the lemon juice. Season with pepper. Yield:  About 2/3 C.

Wines: dry whites, light reds

FARRO SALAD WITH OLIVES AND OIL-POACHED TUNA

Farro, or spelt, is an ancient grain with a delicious, nutty flavor. This salad is also good without the tuna. If you make it the night before your picnic, take it out of the cooler an hour or so before eating so all the flavors stand out.

3 T. olive oil

1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 C. farro

3 C. vegetable broth

Salt and freshly ground pepper

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2 T. lemon juice

½ C. pitted and sliced green olives such as lucques or picholines

1 small fennel bulb, thinly sliced

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7-8 oz. oil poached tuna (recipe below), flaked, or one 7-oz. can olive oil-packed tuna

1 C. baby arugula

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In a saucepan, heat 1 T. of the oil. Add the carrot and onion and cook, stirring, over moderate heat for about five minutes.  Add the farro and garlic and cook, stirring, a minute longer. Add the vegetable broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the farro is tender. Drain off any excess liquid and season with salt (if needed, depending on how salty the broth was) and pepper.

Combine the remaining 2 T. olive oil with the lemon juice, olives, and fennel. Stir this mixture into the farro. To serve, fold in the tuna and arugula. Yield: 4 servings.

Oil-poached Tuna

Preheat oven t 250 F. Put the tuna in a baking dish just big enough to hold it and at least an inch taller than the tuna’s thickness. Pour in olive oil to cover. Add a crushed garlic clove and some thyme sprigs. Place the dish in the preheated oven. Check after 20 minutes; the outside of the tuna should be just opaque. If necessary, bake 5-10 minutes longer. Remove the tuna to a plate. You can save the oil for other cooking uses; it does not pick up a fishy taste.

Wines: dry whites, light reds