Spring box: packed lunch ideas for spring
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Version 0 of 1. The Easter bank holiday weekend is over and whether you ate your Easter egg in one sitting, or have been eking it out over the past week, it’s time to move away from the naughtiness and look to the lovely veg that April has to offer for some cheap and cheerful packed lunches. The weather is starting to get warm enough to eat outside so go forth, find a bench and enjoy the spring. • Early asparagus is gorgeous brushed in olive oil, and chargrilled (on the griddle pan) until nutty-tasting and floppy (no need to blanch). Chop up and add to cooked hot penne in a pan, along with a raw egg, stirring quickly to cook through. Add plenty of salt, pepper, parmesan and lemon juice. Enjoy reheated or at room temperature the following day. • Try pea and ham open sandwiches: Add some chopped mint to plenty of lightly mashed and just-cooked peas and add a little dollop of creme fraiche and lemon juice. Season and mix well. Top rye bread with butter and cooked ham and follow with your pea spread and a mint leaf. • If you can find it at your local grocers – or perhaps on a weekend wander – then wild garlic is delicious in a potato tortilla. Put a few new potatoes on to boil; meanwhile, cook thinly sliced onion and wild garlic in oil in a small frying pan. Thinly slice and add the potatoes, four beaten eggs and plenty of seasoning, including a pinch of paprika. Cook for five minutes on the hob, then place under the grill to finish. • For a deluxe lunch option, make a crab salad. (Before you think we’ve lost the plot, note that supermarkets stock individually portioned brown and white meat pots of crab for less than £4, and tinned crabmeat is even cheaper and widely available in cornershops). Combine this with mayo, lemon juice, a pinch of chilli flakes and some finely sliced spring onion. As always with fish or meat, keep refrigerated until lunchtime. Scoop on to bread, toast, crackers, or for a wheat free option, crisp little-gem leaves. • Make the most of any leftover lamb roast by stuffing it in a pitta with a chopped salad of cucumber, cherry tomatoes, radish, finely diced red onion, mint and parsley (dressed in lemon juice with a pinch of sea salt). Top with a few blobs of Greek yoghurt and a squirt of chilli sauce. Keep lamb, salad, sauce and pitta separate so you can assemble everything at lunchtime and avoid the dreaded soggy sandwich. Caroline Craig and Sophie Missing are authors of The Little Book of Lunch (Square Peg) |