ContentsIntroduction .............................................6

Local interest .........................................10

Kit and caboodle ..................................11

Breakfasts ...............................................14

Tapas .......................................................34

Salads ......................................................46

Salsas, sauces and dressings .............58

Soups .......................................................68

Stews and casseroles ...........................80

Rice and couscous ................................94

Pasta ......................................................112

Fish and seafood .................................126

Meat and poultry ................................152

Side dishes ...........................................178

Index .....................................................190

Acknowledgements ...........................192

ShakshukaA hearty breakfast recipe passed on to me by my younger brother – he was taught it fi rst-hand in the highlands of Scotland by a wayward Israeli hitchhiker. I have to say that when Will fi rst described the dish I wasn’t convinced, but then I actually cooked it – and here it is!

Shakshuka is popular throughout the Middle East, and though more complicated variations abound, this simple version will take little more than fi ve minutes to make.

It’s great served with good chunks of fresh bread.

Ingredients Serves 2

O A little olive oil

O 1 onion, fi nely sliced

O 4 cloves of garlic, fi nely

chopped

O 1 tsp paprika

O 1 tin of chopped

tomatoes

O 2 eggs

O Sea salt & fresh ground

black pepper

O Fresh fl at leaf parsley,

chopped

Equipment Sharp knife, non-stick frying

pan

23

I’LL ALWAYS REMEMBER an episode at my small village primary school when I complained about having to eat a chicken salad on a cold winter’s day. “This won’t keep me warm,” I moaned. Mrs Tidswell, the head dinner lady (and chef) soon put me straight with a withering look and a few words on the nutritional value of leaves. All that stuff about calories, energy expenditure and a balanced diet went over my head, I’m afraid – I was only eight years old, after all. Nowadays, though, I think of salad as an amazing dish, offering loads of reward in return for very little effort. It can be a quick standalone snack or it can accompany a bigger meal. All the dishes here – particularly the tabouleh, potato salad and coleslaw – keep really well in Tupperware containers in the camping coolbox.

51

Grilled halloumi with lime Something magical happens to halloumi when you toast or fry it. It’s culinary alchemy, as far as I’m concerned. Virtually inedible in its raw state, the salty Greek cheese transforms into something incredible when cooked and dressed with lime juice. The semi-sweet zing of the citrus cuts through the salt of the cheese to create a mouthwatering delight. A great little tapa!

Ingredients Serves 4

O 250g halloumi cheese

O 1 fresh lime

O Fresh ground black pepper

Equipment Sharp knife, grill

Drink suggestion A Mexican beer with a wedge

of lime in the neck

Chickpea and apricot pilafI bagged this from campervan owner and fi ne food connoisseur Alan Harrison. I’d spotted his tweet about a dish he’d made on a road trip in his campervan, Chalky. I loved the sound of cinnamon with apricots and almonds and immediately asked him for the recipe. It’s great with lamb chops, when it gets a kind of Middle Eastern thing going.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and cook the sliced onion and chopped garlic until soft. Add the cinnamon and tomato purée and stir in the basmati rice. Add the stock to cover the rice and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the chickpeas along with the chopped apricots and almonds. Simmer for a further 5 minutes and add the fresh coriander to serve.

Drink suggestion Pilaf, like couscous, likes a good warm red.

Don’t choose anything too dry for this dish, though, as it could clash

with the sweetness of the apricot.

Ingredients Serves 4

O Olive oil

O 1 large onion, thinly sliced

O 2 cloves of garlic, fi nely

chopped

O 2 tsp ground cinnamon

O 2 tbsp tomato purée

O 250g basmati rice

O 500ml vegetable stock

O 1 tin of chickpeas, drained

O A handful of chopped,

dried apricots

O A handful of chopped

almonds

O Fresh coriander, chopped

Equipment Sharp knife, large saucepan

Pour the cherry mixture into the frying pan with the venison and simmer vigorously to reduce. This way, the juices from the meat aren’t wasted and will add a good

plate it up and drizzle it with the cherry and port sauce. Season to taste with ground black pepper.

To prepare the spinach, add just a tiny splash of water to a hot pan, throw in the spinach and stir – it will wilt in a matter of seconds.

Drink suggestion A Californian red Zinfandel or a South

American Merlot should have enough fruit to match the sweetness here.

165

172

140