Kevin Woodford’s 60 Best Holiday Recipes: Recreate the dishes you loved eating on holiday From Ready, Steady, Cook’s popular chef. Kevin Woodford
atmosphere at even the most formal dinner party.
Italy
Italians love food. It’s a profound devotion that has been nurtured through the centuries to become an all-consuming passion. Their predecessors, the ancient Romans, were traditionally given to excesses of gluttony at their orgiastic feasts. Their modern counterparts haven’t inherited the taste for fried dormice, swan’s intestines or pickled pheasant brains. In fact, modern Italian food, once considered stodgy and high in cholesterol, is now generally thought to be the healthiest diet in Europe. Plenty of pulses, fresh ingredients, and olive oil rather than butter does Italians the world of good. In the South they keep especially trim, with lots of scrumptious fruit and vegetables and loads of fresh fish. Often, three generations of one family live together in one house, and recipes are handed down in every household – usually from mamma. It’s a bit of a cliché but any Italian is sure to tell you that their country’s cooking is the best in the world and – without pausing for breath – that their mother’s is the finest example of all.
France
When one thinks of France, one thinks of designer clothes, designer homes and – let’s face it – they’re to blame for designer food. France is Europe’s culinary catwalk, and is notoriously smug about its cuisine.
However, in the fashion-conscious Seventies, disaster struck. France did itself a bit of a disservice when it created nouvelle cuisine. The trend, which was widely misinterpreted, appeared to call for minuscule portions in bizarre combinations arranged artistically on a plate – a slither of steak with half a strawberry was considered the business, but it left everyone half-famished. Now we’ve survived the famine, nouvelle cuisine is out and hearty country cooking back in.
If France has a problem it is that its culinary reputation is hard to live up to. Foodies flock to Provence in search of the famed bouillabaisse, to Burgundy to hunt down the authentic coq au vin, and to the Languedoc to sample the celebrated cassoulet. Clutching on to romanticized notions of French fare, visitors to the country can be disappointed when they find that the cookbook clichés aren’t immediately forthcoming. But let yourself be inspired by a few good ideas – from a cookbook not unlike this one, perhaps – and you may never feel let down again.
Portugal
For summer tourists, Portugal is a mecca of golden beaches, whitewashed villas, manicured golf courses and, everywhere you look, those ornately decorated tiles. Stuck out on the far side of Europe, this long slender country, stretching 580 km (360 miles) from north to south and hugging the western edge of Spain, is home to 10 million, and is one of the smallest countries in Europe. Skinny and small though it may be, the land is mountainous and spans enough latitude to produce differences in climate, and hence a variety of foods. But it’s not the lie of the land that is solely responsible for the food. Throughout its history of foreign invasions, Portugal has adopted cultural influences from all over the world. Invaded by the Phoenicians (who brought saffron and planted vines), the Greeks, Visigoths and Romans (who are to thank for their forests of olive trees and wonderfully fruity olive oils), the Portuguese have nonetheless kept a firm grip on their own culture, and have survived the recent tourist invasion with remarkable calm.
The coastal region of Portugal was dominated by the Moors for over 500 years and it shows. Garlands of bougainvillaea adorn whole villages of typical Moorish domed buildings, with their whitewashed arches and traditional latticed chimneys. Portuguese desserts are also undeniably Moorish. Pastelerias are everywhere to entice you with delicious sweets based on egg yolks, sugar and almonds. Convent nuns first created them and their bizarre names have stuck – such as the almond cake ‘heavenly bacon’, or the ‘nun’s belly’ and ‘angel’s breast’ marzipan sweets.
There’s a quaint fable surrounding the almond trees that blanket southern Portugal with their stunning pinky-white blossom every winter. Legend tells of an ancient Moorish king who planted the vast expanses of almond forests as a substitute for snow. His Scandinavian bride longed so desperately for a glimpse of snow that he wanted to prevent her dying of a broken heart. A beautiful sentiment, a beautiful sight, but my guess is that she just liked to nibble on nuts!
In culinary terms, the Greek god is lamb. It’s served minced, minted, off the bone, on the bone, steaked, spit-roasted, chopped and totally kebab-ed – but almost always cooked to perfection. As in most Mediterranean countries, vegetables tend to be treated like fruit and are usually served raw. Good chips, though. When you do chance upon a cooked vegetable it will be thoroughly drenched in calorific, albeit delicious, olive oil and fried to a crisp.
Fish, though adored and revered, is becoming so expensive that it now plays second fiddle to meat. For a land full of fishermen it is a tragedy that they’ve overfished their Aegean to the extent that it has become something of an Achilles heel. Who said there are plenty more fish in the sea? Yet fantastic fish dishes, simply baked, sautéed or grilled, can still be had – at a price. If you’ve ever been to the Dodecanese islands you may have been lucky enough to taste the coveted and glorious sea urchin roe. The reddish urchins are split and emptied and their roe, which reputedly has aphrodisiac qualities, is eaten raw. Squid and octopus are still in plentiful supply and, fresh from the sea, make a wonderful meal.
If you’re a grazer or a nibbler, then the Greeks have got you sussed. Try the very Turkish-tasting meze. A protracted meal is made up of a selection of small starters, from humous and taramosalata to vine leaves, meatballs, squid, octopus and peppers, many of which are stuffed – which is exactly what you will be, long before the main course appears. But what a way to go. Vegetarians be warned – only the most tourist-conscious resorts will cater for you. There are some delicious standbys available everywhere, though – aubergine bakes, tzatziki, feta cheese salad, and that old faithful yoghurt and honey.
Domátes Yemistes
A holiday in the Greek islands should always include a plate of huge, sundrenched tomatoes stuffed to overflowing with lots of Mediterranean goodies, and this recipe has it all. The combination of mint and dill will immediately evoke memories of a past visit to Greece.
preparation time 15 minutes
cooking time 40 to 45 minutes
serves 4 8 as a starter, as an accompaniment
Ingredients
8 large tomatoes
5 tablespoons virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing
175 g (6 oz) shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons pine nuts
125 g (4 oz) long grain rice, cooked
50