Ferragosto: a Mediterranean picnic “English style”

by  on  in Recipes, Sandwich • 17 Comments

Packing only local products, here are some ideas to enjoy a Ferragosto Mediterranean picnic “English style”, with horses, dog and picnic basket.

Mid summer picnic 51_2_1 Jump to Recipe :  Print Recipe

Ferragosto is a traditional Mediterranean holiday in Italy, France and Spain, celebrating the Assumption of Mary.

Typically most people are on vacation, and many prepare a picnic spending the day outdoors.

Unfortunately, it is also a time of the year when it is difficult to escape the traffic and queues everywhere.

To enjoy nature at it is best; we went to visit my sister, the Vet, to her mountain cabin in the Natural Park in Sila.

We planned to take my sister and her husband’s two horses, the Jeep, their dog Lina (a pregnant schnauzer) and venture into the Natural Park.

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Packing only typical Mediterranean products, we had a Ferragosto Mediterranean picnic “English style”, with horses, dog and picnic basket.

For this Mediterranean picnic, I am choosing some typical Italian products.

Buy some fresh rustic bread loaf to make sandwiches, and complete the meal with some local seasonal fruits and vegetables.

For cheese and meat I bought:

  • buffalo's milk Mozzarella
  • dolcelatte
  • Italian mozzarella
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • Prosciutto Cotto
  • Porchetta


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For vegetables I selected:

  • sundried tomatoes
  • sliced artichoke hearts
  • Italian chargrilled artichokes in a herb dressing
  • wild rocket
  • Greek mixed olives in a herb dressing

 

For drinks and dessert’s:

  • Sanpellegrino limonata
  • Italian tiramisu

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I added from the local farmer’s market:

  • A large loaf of local bread
  • Tomatoes
  • Basil
  • Lemons
  • Pistachios from Bronte
  • Pears
  • Wild Berries

While my brother in law was preparing the horse, I was busy organizing the Mediterranean picnic.

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The Mediterranean picnic

I cut the bread into 5 sections, seasoning the bread with the juice from the tomato salad we made the night before.

It is a natural fresh summer seasoning, the mix of the sweet tomatoes juices, salt and good quality virgin olive oil.

I then prepared 5 different types of sandwich:


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Sandwich number 1:

  • buffalo's milk Mozzarella
  • Prosciutto Cotto
  • tomato and basil

Sandwich number 2:

  • Italian mozzarella
  • Prosciutto Cotto
  • wild rocket
  • fresh tomatoes


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Sandwich number 3:

  • porchetta
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • wild rocket
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Sandwich number 4 Vegetarian:

  • dolcelatte cheese
  • sliced artichoke hearts
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • basil, pistachios


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Sandwich number 5 Vegetarian:

  • Italian chargrilled artichokes in a herb dressing
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • wild rocket
  • lemon zest and pistachios

As an aperitif, we nibbled on

  • Greek mixed olives in a herb dressing
  • Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • and sliced pear.

An old Italian riddle says: “Don’t make the farmer aware, how good is cheese with pear”

We packed our picnic and headed for our adventure.

Mid summer picnic - aperitif

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However, as with any good English picnic, our day was interrupted by the rain!

More than rain, a heavy Mediterranean summer storm!

Luckily enough, as we arrived back home, the dog Lina started her labour and gave birth to 4 puppies.

As a special treat, my son Francesco feed her a Plateau de Fromage made of parmesan crusts.

What an exciting day!

The Calm After the Storm

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Picking wild strawberries

wild mushrooms

wild strawberries

Wild mushrooms

5 from 9 votes
Mediterranean Picnic loaf panini
Print
Mediterranean picnic
Prep Time
15 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Packing only local products, here are some ideas to enjoy a Ferragosto Mediterranean picnic “English style”, with horses, dog and picnic basket.
Course: Sandwich
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: cheese, Mediterranean, picnic
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 632 kcal
Ingredients
Meat and cheese
  • 1 pkg buffalo's milk Mozzarella
  • 1 pkg dolcelatte cheese
  • 1 pkg Italian mozzarella
  • 1 pkg Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
  • 6 slices Prosciutto Cotto
  • 6 slices Porchetta
Vegetables
  • 1 cup sundried tomatoes
  • 1 cup sliced artichoke hearts
  • 1 cup Italian chargrilled artichokes in a herb dressing
  • 1 cup wild rocket
  • 1/2 cup Greek mixed olives in a herb dressing
  • 4 tomatoes
  • 10 leaves basil
  • 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup Pistachios from Bronte
  • 4 pears
  • 2 cup wild berries
Bread
  • 1 large loaf of rustic bread
Instructions

  1. I cut the bread into 5 sections, seasoning the bread with the juice from the tomato salad, salt and good quality virgin olive oil.

    Mediterranean Picnic loaf
Sandwich number 1:

  1. Buffalo's milk mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, tomato and basil

    Panino buffalo Mozzarella Prosciutto Cotto tomato basil
Sandwich number 2:

  1. Italian mozzarella, prosciutto cotto, wild rocket, fresh tomatoes

    panino mozzarella Prosciutto Cotto wild rocket fresh tomatoes
Sandwich number 3:

  1. porchetta, sun-dried tomatoes, wild rocket, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

    Panino Porchetta Romana sun kissed tomatoes wild rocket Parmigiano Reggiano
Sandwich number 4 Vegetarian:

  1. dolcelatte cheese, sliced artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, pistachios

    Vegeterian Panino dolcelatte sliced artichoke hearts sun kissed tomatoes basil pistachios
Sandwich number 5 Vegetarian:

  1. Italian chargrilled artichokes in a herb dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, wild rocket, lemon zest and pistachios

    Vegeterian Panino chargrilled artichokes Parmigiano Reggiano wild rocket lemon zest and pistachios
As an aperitif

  1. Greek mixed olives in a herb dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and sliced pear.

    Mediterranean Picnic basket
Recipe Notes

PIN FOR LATER:
A Mediterrenean Picnic with Italian cheese and ham and fresh produce from the region. #yourguardianchef #sandwichs #picnic #Italianfood

  17 comments for “Ferragosto: a Mediterranean picnic “English style””

  1. Tinkara
    25th March 2017 at 8:52 am

    This place looks so beautiful! Maybe I’ll go for a trip some day 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:40 am

      Thank you, I would highly recommend

      Reply
  2. Catherine Roberts
    25th March 2017 at 9:10 am

    Wow this is a lovely idea & fab photos! Many Thanks, Cat

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:40 am

      Thank you Cat

      Reply
  3. Rabz Haq
    25th March 2017 at 9:45 am

    great post. Book marking!

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:39 am

      Thank you Rabz

      Reply
  4. Phaytea
    25th March 2017 at 10:06 am

    Lovely spread and presentation…will definitely get you eating

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:37 am

      Thanks

      Reply
  5. Veera
    25th March 2017 at 12:00 pm

    I love horses and outdoors 🙂 great post, here in Finland it’s still a bit too cold to go out, but hopefully soon!

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:37 am

      Thank you, the puppies were a nice closing

      Reply
  6. Jenni Petrey
    25th March 2017 at 12:03 pm

    It sounds as though you had a wonderful day out and I love your choice of food. It sounds delicious.

    Reply
  7. Dusica
    25th March 2017 at 1:12 pm

    I’m already hungry…yummy, i like them all 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:36 am

      Thanks

      Reply
  8. Neha kumari
    25th March 2017 at 5:05 pm

    Looks like a fun filled picnic trip. And some wonderful food to make it more funful

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:36 am

      Thank you, Mediterranean mountain at its best

      Reply
  9. Jerry
    26th March 2017 at 6:50 pm

    Horses, trees and food. What more could you possibly want?

    Reply
    • Laura
      31st March 2017 at 3:35 am

      Thanks, all about nature

      Reply

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