There’s nothing better than going on holiday and discovering a new tasty dish that you just can’t get enough of! Food is a great way to spark memories of a fantastic holiday, and it’s so much fun trying to recreate the tasty meal back at home.
We’re lucky enough to have travelled all over the world, and we have sampled some of the best food from many different countries. It’s so hard to shortlist our favourite dishes, and new ones are added to the list all of the time, but here’s some of our current favourites!
Italy
Undoubtedly one of the best things about Italy is the food! So many of the tasty dishes are a carb lover’s dream, and they are super easy to recreate at home. Despite spaghetti bolognese being such an iconic pasta dish in restaurants in the UK, it isn’t an authentic Italian dish!
In Italy, meat-based sauces are called a ragu and are rarely served with spaghetti. Here’s one of our favourite, crowd-pleasing recipes that you can recreate at home.
Italian Sausage Ragu with Rag Pasta
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 600g Italian pork sausages
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 2x 400g cans diced tomatoes
- 375g packet fresh lasagne sheets
- Shaved parmesan, to serve
- Basil leaves, to serve
Method:
- Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Squeeze sausages from casings and discard casings. Add sausage mixture to pan. Keep stirring and cook for 10 minutes or until browned. Add the wine and bring to the boil. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until reduced by half.
- Add tomato to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile, tear the lasagne sheets into long strips. Cook pasta in a saucepan of boiling, salted water, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Drain. Return to pan.
- Add sauce to pasta, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Serve topped with parmesan and basil.
- Delicious!
Jamaica
Jamaica is known for its rum-soaked memories, bright colours and lively music, but most of all, its wonderful jerk chicken dishes. Jerk seasoning is perfect for spice lovers, and consists of allspice, scotch bonnet peppers and salt, among other flavours.
Pair this fantastic recipe with rice and peas or whatever you fancy, for a truly tasty Jamaican delight.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Ingredients:
- 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium spring onions, chopped
- 2 scotch bonnet chillies, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp five spice powder
- 1 tbsp allspice berries, finely ground
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- Two 4lb chickens
Method:
- Combine the onion, spring onion, chillies, garlic, five-spice powder, allspice, pepper, thyme, nutmeg and salt in a food processor and blend to a coarse paste.
- While blending, add the soy sauce and oil in a steady stream.
- Pour the marinade into a large, shallow dish, add the chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Bring chicken to room temperature before cooking.
- Light a barbeque and grill the chicken over a medium-hot fire, turning occasionally, until well browned and cooked through. (around 35 to 40 minutes)
- Your Jamaican Jerk Chicken is ready – tuck in!
Mexico
Mexican flavours are sure to create an explosion in your mouth and some of the spices are not for the faint hearted. A Mexican fiesta isn’t complete without home cooked goodness and you will find tables filled with tacos, fajitas, burritos and pico de gallo.
If you want to know how to create a Mexican flavour sensation at home, why not try our delicious beef burrito recipe?
Beef Burrito
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- Small pinch of cayenne pepper (or add more if you’re feeling spicy!)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 500g beef mince
- Pinch of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp wine vinegar or cider vinegar
- 400g can chopped tomatoes
- 400g can black beans or kidney beans, with the can water
- 8 flour or corn tortillas
- 500g cooked rice
- a selection of sliced avocado or guacamole, chopped tomatoes, soured cream, shredded lettuce, sliced red onion, grated cheddar, sliced red chilli and lime halves, to serve
Method:
- Heat the oil in a large pan. Fry the onions for 8 mins, then add the garlic, spices and oregano and cook for 1 min.
- Add the mince, breaking it up with the back of your wooden spoon as you go, and cook for 5 mins until browned. Stir in the sugar and leave for a minute, then splash in the vinegar and pour in the tomatoes.
- Simmer for 5 mins then tip in the beans and the water from the can. Season with salt and pepper, stir and simmer everything for 20 mins until the beef is in a thick gravy.
- Heat the tortillas following pack instructions.
- Pile some rice and beef sauce along each tortilla and scatter over your choice of topping. Fold over the ends and roll up to seal. Secure by wrapping with foil if you want.
- Enjoy!
Spain
A common sight when you visit a coastal town in Spain is beach hut restaurants, cafes and bars. As you walk past the delicious eateries, your senses are treated to a wave of smells thanks to the huge pots of paella being cooked right on the beach.
Paella is a traditional Spanish dish and you will find it on menus throughout the country. Added flavours often include chicken, chorizo and prawns, and there’s no better place to sample this delight than right in front of the peaceful ocean where the prawns were caught merely hours ago.
Prawn Paella
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 150g paella rice
- 1 large pinch saffron
- 1 large pinch smoked paprika
- 400ml chicken stock
- 150g large cooked prawns
- 100g frozen peas, defrosted
- 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
- lemon wedges, to serve
Method:
- Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onion, pepper and garlic until soft.
- Stir in the paella rice, saffron and paprika until well mixed.
- Pour in the stock and simmer for 15 minutes until just tender – add a splash more water if needed.
- Add the prawns and peas for the last few minutes until heated through.
- Season with salt and pepper, stir through the parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.
- Time to tuck in!
Greece
When it comes to delicious and authentic dishes, you will be spoilt for choice throughout your trip to Greece! Though the country is well known for so many delights – moussaka, meze platters and salads packed with olives and cheeses – our favourite Greek dish is chicken gyros.
Grilled chicken, tomatoes, onion, tzatziki, a few fries, all wrapped up in a warm flatbread…sounds good, right?!
Chicken Gyros
Ingredients:
- 2lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ½ large white onion, peeled and root side removed
- 1 wooden skewer, sturdy, roughly 10 inches (25 cm)
Marinade:
- 570g greek yogurt
- 60ml lemon juice
- 180ml olive oil
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp black pepper
Tzatziki Sauce:
- 1 large cucumber, shredded
- 570g greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp garlic, minced
- 60ml lemon juice
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 8 pita breads
- onion, sliced
- tomato, sliced
Method:
- In a large bowl, combine marinade ingredients and stir well.
- On a cutting board, place a piece of cling film or baking paper over the chicken thighs and pound until about ½ inch (1 cm) thick with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or heavy pan.
- In another large bowl, combine chicken thighs and marinade, stirring well to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to one day.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 200°C.
- Shred the cucumber, be sure to squeeze out any excess liquid.
- In a medium bowl, combine tzatziki ingredients and stir well. Cover and let it chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- On a baking sheet or a large cast-iron skillet, use the onion half as a base and position the skewer vertically like a spit. Skewer the chicken thighs individually, rotating each one 90 degrees.
- Bake for 1.5 to 2 hours and once cooked, let cool for 10 minutes.
- Carve off slices of chicken to fill a pita. Top with onion slices, tomato slices, and tzatziki sauce.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Got a Taste For Travel?
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