Holiday food. Those two words are enough to have us yearning for lunch.
Hands up if you've ever had your socks knocked off by a dish on holiday, and you think to yourself, 'Right, that's it. The second I get home. I'm recreating this.' But you never do. Time and memory let you down; and that's where we come in.
Here are some delicious (and nutritious) recipes we've found which will help you capture the taste of the summer. We're especially keen on the halloumi wraps.
Nicola Millbank's Italian Baked Eggs
Ingredients:
- 1 banana shallot or ½ a white onion, chopped
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp of dried chilli flakes or lazy chopped chilli
- 1 x 400g tin of cherry tomatoes
- Agave syrup/honey
- 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and chopped
- 1 sprig of thyme, leaves removed and chopped
- 4-5 fresh cherry tomatoes, sliced in half.
- 1 x 125g ball of mozzarella
- 2 free range organic eggs
- A few extra basil and thyme leaves for garnish
- Salt and pepper
- Rapeseed/olive oil (never use extra virgin for cooking)
Method:
In a small pan, and a glug of olive oil and fry the shallot, garlic, chilli flakes and herbs on a medium heat for a few minutes until the shallot is soft.
Add the entire tin of tomatoes, bring to a simmer and add a pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of agave syrup (this counteracts the acidity of the tomatoes). Test it, and if you're happy with the taste, leave to simmer down until the sauce is thicker.
Once thickened, add a few fresh tomatoes and mix in.
Rip up your mozzarella and scatter in, giving it a little bit of a stir as you do. Finally, make two dents in the pan and crack open your eggs straight into the tomatoes. If your pan is oven proof, pop under the grill for 5-10 minutes (depending on how runny you like your yolk) or simply place a lid on the pan and steam.
Scatter with thyme and basil leaves, add a drizzle of oil, and dig in!
Get some more of Milly's recipes here.
Sweet Potato Hummus
Ingredients:
- 2 x 400g tins chickpeas in water, drained
- 1 whole lemon
- 6-8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp raw tahini
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tbsp water
- Sea salt
- 1 large sweet potato, roasted in skin
- Garnish
- Paprika
- 2 tbsp chickpeas
- Olive oil
- Toasted pine nuts
- Parsley, Italian flat-leaf, roughly chopped
Method:
Preheat the oven to 400°F, gas mark 6, 200°C (180°C fan-assisted). Place the large sweet potato on a baking tray and bake for 50-60 minutes until soft, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.
Place the chickpeas in the food processor, reserving 2 tbsp for the garnish. Add 4 tbsp of tahini and process until smooth, occasionally wiping down the sides.
Add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, water, 6 tbsp olive oil and salt and process.
You may need to add 3 tbsp olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. If the paste is too thick, add 2-3 tbsp of water.
Scoop the inside of the sweet potato out of the skin and blend again until smooth.
To serve, place in serving dishes, using the back of a spoon create a well, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with the rest of the chickpeas, paprika, toasted pine nuts and chopped parsley.
This recipe is from My Relationship with Food. There are plenty more to be found here.
Lamb Cutlet Tagine
Ingredients:
- 8-12 Welsh lamb cutlets
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 red onion, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp Ras-el-hanout spice mix
- 75g dried figs, roughly chopped
- 50g dried apricots, halved
- 450ml lamb stock
- Seasoning
- 1 x 400g can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 100g couscous
- Dried apricots, chopped for serving
- Fresh parsley, roughly chopped for serving
- Juice and rind of 1 lemon
Method:
Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and garlic, and fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the Welsh lamb cutlets and brown on all sides. Add the spice, figs, apricots, half the stock and season, then simmer with lid on for about 8-10 minutes.
Remove the lid, add the chickpeas and couscous and cook for a further 8-10 minutes until the couscous is absorbed.
Serve sprinkled with extra chopped apricots, chopped parsley and lemon juice and rind.
Prawn Quinotto
Ingredients:
- 10 raw king prawns
- ½ chopped onion
- 1 chopped garlic clove
- 2 tbsp Encona Peruvian Amarillo Chilli sauce
- ½ diced red pepper
- ½ diced courgette
- 1 diced tomato
- ½ cup cooked quinoa
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock
- Olive oil
- Chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
Method:
Fry the onion in olive oil, and after a couple of minutes add the garlic, then the red pepper and courgette.
Add the Encona Peruvian Amarillo Chilli sauce, the tomatoes and then the quinoa. Stir and add the vegetable stock.
Simmer for a minute, then add the prawns and cook until ready.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with some of the chopped parsley.
Victus & Bibo's Halloumi Wraps
Ingredients:
- 250g pack Cypriot halloumi, cut into 6 slices
- 4 brown, white or multi-seed tortilla wraps
- 80g rocket salad
- 2 tomatoes, chopped
- ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise, to serve
- Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Method:
Preheat a chargrill pan or the grill. Chargrill or grill the halloumi until golden brown – about 1
minute per side. Alternatively, fry with a small drizzle of olive oil.
Warm the wraps in a dry frying pan; they can also be eaten cold.
Top each wrap with a handful of rocket salad, some chopped tomatoes and red onion.
Break up the pieces of halloumi and share them between the wraps. Season with a little salt and pepper, add 2 teaspoons of Hellmann’s® Real Mayonnaise and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Fold over the tortillas and serve.
Moroccan Beetroot and Herb Salad with Natural Yogurt Dressing
Ingredients:
For the salad:
- 750g Sweet Chilli or Red Wine Vinegar and Orange Blossom Honey infused beetroot from the infused beetroot ready-to-eat range, chopped into wedges
- 250g baby spinach leaves, washed and well drained
- 1 large bunch fresh mint, roughly chopped
- 1 large bunch coriander, roughly chopped
For the dressing:
- 250ml Rachel’s Organic Natural Yogurt (either low fat or full fat)
- 2 tsp cumin seeds, roughly ground
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
In a large serving bowl, toss together the beetroot, spinach, mint and coriander, reserving a few of the herbs to garnish the salad.
Make the dressing in a small bowl by mixing all the ingredients together. Season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving, and garnish with the remaining herbs.
Crispy Sichuan Pepper Chicken Wings
Ingredients
- 6 large chicken wings, cut into 12 pieces (wing tips removed) (around 700g in total)
For the marinade:
- 15g ginger
- 15g garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp mirin
- 2 tsp sake
- 2 tsp sesame oil
To fry:
- 75g potato flour
- 1-2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 litre vegetable oil
Method:
Mix together the marinade ingredients and toss with the wings. Leave to marinate for 30 minutes (or even a few hours, if you have the time).
Roughly grind the Sichuan peppercorns and toss together with potato flour in a large bowl. Add the wings and use your hands to coat well.
Heat the oil to 160°C. Gently lower in the wings. You may need to fry them in two batches depending on the size of your pan. Fry for 5 minutes or until golden brown, and the temperature at the centres of the wings read at least 80°C. Using a slotted spoon, lift out onto paper towels to drain and cool for a few minutes. Serve.
For more tasty recipes, check out Sous Chef.
Peruvian Chicken and Sweetcorn Stew
Ingredients:
- 50g bunch of fresh coriander
- 2 large green chillies, deseeded
- 1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed
- 1 clove of garlic
For the stew:
- 2 fresh sweetcorn cobs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 8 chicken thighs, skinned
- 2 carrots, peeled, halved and sliced
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cubed
- 100g white rice
- 1.2ltr chicken stock
- The zest and juice of 2 limes
Method:
Make the herb paste; place the coriander including the stalks in a food processor with the chillies, spring onion and garlic, whizz until the mixture forms a paste, then set aside.
Heat a large flameproof casserole dish, then add the oil and fry the chicken thighs for about 10 mins, turning until they are browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the carrots and peppers to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring. Add the herb paste, chicken stock and lime zest and juice, along with a good pinch of salt, and plenty of ground black pepper.
Return the chicken to the pan and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 mins, stirring occasionally.
Pull back the green leaves and 'silks' to reveal the corn, twist the leaves and hold firmly and twist - the leaves should snap off. Now use a sharp knife to cut the cobs into 5 cm chunks and set aside.
Add the corn pieces and rice, then simmer for a further 10 mins until the rice is tender. Serve in bowls with wedges of lime or lemon.
For more fantastic recipes from Barfoots, click here.
Images: Supplied and Barfoots
← Women pine for pets on holiday - but all men want is their own bed, according to new study