Quick and easy holiday recipes

Cooking on holiday is so much more relaxing and a great way to make the most of local produce.

Much time, joy and energy has been put into the Keep Cottage kitchen its very well equipped, no need to pack decent knives, your favourite pan nor a cheese grater! We have them all…

So on with some winning holiday recipes:

Baked piri piri Fish

Ingredients

  • 600g small new potatoes
    2 red peppers, cut into chunky pieces
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 large pieces tilapia or cod (go to Orford Quay for your fish)
  • green salad, to serve

For the piri-piri sauce

  • 6 hot pickled peppers
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • juice and zest 1 lemon
    1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika

Method

  1. Heat oven to 220C. Boil the potatoes until knife-tender, then drain. Spread out on a large baking tray and gently crush with the back of a spatula. Add the peppers, drizzle with the vinegar and oil, season well and roast for 25 mins.
  2. Put the piri-piri ingredients in a food processor (its in the drawer under the fridge) with some salt. Purée until fine, then pour into a bowl. Put the fish on a baking tray and spoon over some of the piri-piri sauce. Season and bake for the final 10 mins of the potatoes’ cooking time. Serve everything with the extra sauce and a green salad on the side.

Spiced chicken, spinach & sweet potato stew

Ingredients

For the spice paste

  • onions (if in season help yourself to some from the garden – bottom right raised bed)
  • 1 red chilli, chopped
  • 1 tsp paprika
    Paprika
  • thumb-sized piece ginger
    Ginger
  • 400g can tomatoes
    2 preserved lemons (some in larder in a jar)
    Lemondeseeded and chopped

To serve

  • pumpkin seeds, toasted
  • 2-3 preserved lemons
    deseeded and chopped
  • 4 naan bread, warmed

Method

  1. Put the sweet potato in a large, deep saucepan over a high heat. Cover with boiling water and boil for 10 mins. Meanwhile, put all the paste ingredients in a food processor (in drawer under the fridge) and blend until very finely chopped. Set aside until needed.
  2. Put the spinach in a large colander in the sink and pour the sweet potatoes and their cooking water over it to drain the potatoes and wilt the spinach at the same time. Leave to steam-dry.
  3. Return the saucepan to the heat (no need to wash it first), then add the oil, followed by the spice paste. Fry the paste for about 5 mins until thickened, then add the chicken. Fry for 8-10 mins until the chicken starts to colour. Pour over the stock, bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally.
  4. Check the chicken is cooked by cutting into one of the thighs and making sure it’s white throughout with no signs of pink. Season with black pepper, then add the sweet potato. Leave to simmer for a further 5 mins. Meanwhile, roughly chop the spinach and add to the stew.
  5. Scatter over the pumpkin seeds and preserved lemons, and serve with warm naan bread on the side.

Home-style lamb curry

Ingredients

  • thumb-sized piece ginger
    ½ cut into matchsticks, the rest left whole
  • onions, quartered
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil (we use Hillfarm from Suffolk)
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tbsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
    Cumin
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
    Fennel seeds
  • 750g leg of lamb, diced (go to the Meat Shed – its by the townhall)
  • 400g can chopped tomatoes
  • 1 red chilli or green chilli, deseeded and sliced
  • small bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
  • basmati rice and mango chutney or raita, to serve

Method

  1. Put the whole piece of ginger, the onions and garlic in a food processor with 300ml water. Blitz to a smooth purée. Scrape down the sides with a spoon and blitz again to make it as smooth as you can. Tip into a deep sauté pan, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins. Remove the lid and cook for 5 mins more, stirring occasionally. By now the liquid should be all gone. If not, cook a little longer.
  2. Add the oil to the pan with the rest of the ginger. Turn up the heat and fry, stirring, for 3-5 mins until it starts to colour.
  3. Stir in the spices and add the lamb. Stir-fry until the lamb changes colour. Tip in the tomatoes with a can of water and the chilli, season well, cover and leave to simmer for 1 hr.
  4. Stir in the coriander stalks, re-cover and cook for a final 30 mins until the lamb is tender. Add a splash of water if necessary to loosen the consistency as it cooks. Stir in the coriander leaves and serve with basmati rice and mango chutney or raita.

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