Suffering from the holiday blues or opting for a staycation this year? Bring a taste of your favourite holiday to the home with three simple recipes from some of our most popular holiday destinations.

Paella

Paella is a staple dish in Spain, and the Spanish are very particular about how it should be made. You can simplify this notoriously detailed dish by using a paella seasoning mix that includes all the spices you need, rather than splashing out on high end ingredients such as saffron.

Ingredients:

Dry white wine

Olive oil

1 large onion

Paella seasoning mix

Paella rice

1 large red pepper

Green beans

Tomatoes

Chicken Stock

Clams

Prawns

Mussels

Scallops

Peas

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onion, pepper and green beans and soften for 5 mins.

2. Add the paella seasoning mix and paella rice, stir for 1 min, add a splash of white wine. Once evaporated, stir in the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock.

3. Season and cook, uncovered, for about 15 mins, stirring now and again until the rice is almost tender and still surrounded with some liquid.

4. Stir in the seafood mix and peas, and cover with a lid. Simmer for 5 mins, or until the seafood is cooked through and the rice is tender. Squeeze over the lemon juice, scatter over the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.

Spaghetti vongole

This Venetian dish is the perfect romantic dinner to impress and will certainly take you back to the picturesque scenes of Venice, though nowadays you’ll find this dish in many regions of Italy. Cockles make a good cheaper alternative to clams and mussels will also work well in this dish.

Ingredients:

Spaghetti

Fresh clams in shells

2 ripe tomatoes

Olive oil

1 garlic clove chopped

1 small red chilli finely chopped

Splash of white wine (about half a small glass)

Parsley

Method:

1. Put the water for the spaghetti on to boil. Rinse the clams in several changes of cold water. Discard any that are open or damaged. Cover the tomatoes with boiling water, leave for 1 min, then drain and slip off the skins. Remove the seeds and chop the flesh.

2. Cook spaghetti according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large pan, add the garlic and chilli, then fry gently for a few seconds. Stir in the tomatoes, then add the clams and a splash of wine, salt and pepper and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 mins, until the clams are open. Drain the pasta, then tip into the pan with the parsley and toss together. Serve in bowls with bread for mopping up the juices.

Tzatziki

Made from simple ingredients, tzatziki is the perfect dip for warm weather It’s no wonder the Greeks love it. This dip pairs perfectly with grilled meats, so for your next BBQ , quickly whip up this minute-make dip to bring a taste of Greece to the back garden.

Ingredients:

Cucumber, partially peeled and diced

Minced garlic clove

Plain Greek yoghurt

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp lemon pepper

½ tsp salt

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine the white vinegar, olive oil, salt, Lemon Pepper and minced garlic. Mix well.

2. Stir in the cucumber and make sure everything is well combined.

3. Add the yoghurt and mix well before serving.

Matt Webster is a food and flavour expert at www.seasonedpioneers.com

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