While the list of quarantine locations continues to grow and many Greek Islands holidays are now featuring on the FCO list, along with British holiday favourites Spain and France, we thought we would give you a taste of your holiday while you’re waiting for travel to open up once more with some recipes that typify their holiday regions that can be made quickly, simply and cheaply.

This week we’ll be selecting three recipes, one from Corfu, one from the Costa del Sol and one from Nice that will get you in the mood for your next holiday.

Andalucia – Seville’s Huevos a la Flamenca

A truly delicious dish that encompasses southern Spain in a plate from its leading city; Sevilla. Everything that’s special about Spanish food can be found in this recipe: chorizo, serrano ham, beans, pimentón, garlic, tomatoes and onion. A taste of Spain that can be made simply and enjoyed regularly for under £10.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion chopped

1 teaspoon of pimentón picante

1 clove of garlic chopped

6 eggs

100g of serrano ham, chopped

2 tins of peeled and chopped tomatoes (800g)

2 teaspoons of tomato paste

15 slices of chorizo sausage

100g of frozen peas

125g fine green beans

1 red capsicum (pepper), roasted and skinned, cut into 8 strips 

salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions: Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat and soften the onion and garlic for 5 to 10 minutes. Then chuck in the ham and the pimentón picante, fry this up for 3 minutes, then empty the tins of chopped tomatoes and add the spoons of tomato paste. Cover the saucepan and cook for 15 minutes until the tomato turns into pulp.

In the meantime, heat the oven to 200°c.

Then add grease to an ovenproof dish or casserole dish and pour in the sauce from the frying pan. Then add the green beans and peas. Break the eggs, whole and unscrambled into the sauce. Add the chorizo slices and red pepper strips around the eggs. Add salt and pepper. Now transfer to the oven and bake for 8 to 10 minutes so that the egg whites are set and the yellow of the eggs are runny. And serve!

 

Provence – Nice’s Nicoise Salad

We’ve all enjoyed a version of a Nicoise salad from Asda, M&S or even Pret a Manger for our workplace lunch, but these shop bought versions are not a patch on the real, true and original Nicoise salad’s from Nice. Why not recreate a Cote d’Azur lunch with a glass of Picpoul and a Nicoise salad in the comfort of your own home?

Ingredients

4 cans of tuna

10 new potatoes, cooked and quartered 

6 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 red onion, sliced

200g of extra fine French beans, topped, cooked and drained

4 little gem lettuce hearts 

8 anchovy fillets cut into thin strips

20 pitted black olives 

6 eggs, cooked until lightly boiled

10 basil leaves, ripped

For the dressing or marinade

125ml of extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons aged red wine vinegar

2 garlic cloves finely chopped

2 teaspoons of parsley

2 teaspoons of chives

Salt and pepper

Cooking Instructions: To create the salad dressing stir together the red wine vinegar, olive oil, parsley, chives, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and leave to one side.

Open the tune cans and add to the dish and pour over half of the dressing. Allow to chill and marinade for some time.

Put the lettuce leaves onto your large serving plate and add the onion, tomatoes, potatoes, tuna, anchovies and beans. Add the remaining tuna and marinade and add the ripped parsley. Et voila. A quick simple, cheap and delicious nicoise salad.

 

Corfu – Venetian Inspired - Pastitsada

With four centuries of Venetian occupation, the dishes of Corfu are very Italian inspired with rice and pasta featuring heavily. The Pastitsada is a dish you can find in every tavern in Corfu and will make you long to return to beautiful Corfu.

Ingredients

4 onions

1kg of rooster

250g of thick tomato paste

100g of red vinegar

250g of Italian red wine (we recommend a Valpolicella)

1 tablespoon of sugar

400g of virgin olive oil

1kg of your favourite pasta

A knob of butter 

Grated cheese (esp kefalotyri)

Spetseriko, a mix of spices

Salt and pepper

Cooking instructions: Cut the rooster into 5 or 6 large pieces then chop the onions very finely so that they blend into the sauce.

Then put the olive oil in a large saucepan and let it burn very hot, immediately put in the pieces of the rooster and stir until it gets some colour. Pour the chopped onions into the saucepan and sauté, with the rooster and onions cooking together. When the onions are braised, add the red vinegar and cook until it has evaporated. Add 250 grams of that special Italian wine.

Once the pan is becoming tacky and the ingredients are less runny add the 300 grams of tomato paste and then add wine or water and continue to reduce. Once the mixture begins to boil, add one teaspoon or a little more of the Spetseriko mix along with the salt and a soup spoon of sugar and stir. Allow mixture to boil on low heat for two hours, stirring every ten minutes.

Make your spaghetti in the traditional way, add a knob of butter and serve the meat and sauce on top, add your grated cheese, parmesan if you cannot find kefalotyri and enjoy.

 

Have these delicious dishes inspired your next holiday?