In our January 2016 issue we’ve listed the 10 pantry staples you should always take on holiday. A beach break isn’t the time or place for complicated, fussy eating – here are our great recipe ideas for delicious, simple meals and snacks on holiday, using 10 simple core ingredients.
The self-catering survival kit: extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, sea-salt flakes, lemons, white wine vinegar, dried pasta, dried chillies, Parmesan, onions and sunflower oil.
1. Aioli
Idea: serve a big bowl of aioli and a platter of crudités for snacking over sundowners.
Ingredients
- 300ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed to a paste with sea salt flakes (see below)
- Sea salt
- 1 egg yolk
Method
- Whisk an egg yolk until it looks thickened, add the oil – a half teaspoonful at a time – whisking vigorously after each addition.
- Once the yolk-oil mixture starts thickening, slowly add the oil in a thin, steady stream, whisking continuously.
- When very thick, add a tablespoon of water to thin out and continue whisking and adding the oil.
- Stir in the garlic paste and season if necessary.
Serve with raw or briefly blanched veggies: carrots, radishes, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Add cooked baby potatoes and halved boiled eggs.
2. Bruschetta
Tip: Roll out bruschetta as starters or to keep hunger at bay when the braaied steaks are still a way off.
Bruschetta and Cuban corn cobs (see below) – simple, fast and delicious. Photos by Brandon de Kock.
Ingredients
- Garlic
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Sea salt
- Sourdough loaf
Method
- Cut slices of sourdough 1.5cm thick and toast both sides over a hot fire or under a grill.
- Halve a garlic clove or two and while the toast is still hot, rub one side with the cut face of the garlic.
- Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt flakes.
- Optional add on: top with ripe tomatoes (skinned, seeded and chopped) tossed with extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, sea salt, freshly ground pepper and torn basil.
3. Salsa verde
A fresh, green sauce for accompanying braaied fish.
Ingredients
- Zest of 1 small lemon
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Quarter cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed with sea salt
- Third cup finely chopped flatleaf parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped capers
Method
It’s as simple as adding the ingredients to a bowl and combining well using a fork. Season to taste.
4. Green salad with garlicky dressing
A simple, zesty salad that’s brilliant with red meat.
Ingredients
- 120g green leaves
- 50g shaved Parmesan
- 30g pine nuts, toasted
For the dressing
- 1 tablespoon wine vinegar (red or white)
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, crushed into a paste (see below)
- Sea salt flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
- Add the garlic paste to a jar with the vinegar, seal tightly and shake well. Add the extra-virgin and shake well until emulsified. Season well.
- Rinse, drain, spin and dry the leaves in a clean tea towel. Tear into pieces, dress and season. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pine nuts and serve immediately.
5. Cuban corn cobs
Offer as a side dish or as part of a lunch spread – get everyone to muck in and make their own.
Ingredients
- 100g Parmesan, finely grated
- Juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
- Quarter cup smoked chilli flakes
- Half cup mayonnaise (homemade or Hellman’s)
- 4 corn cobs
Method
- Cook cleaned corn (on the cob) in salted boiling water for about four minutes.
- Dry well, brush with oil, season with salt and pepper and finished over the fire until blackened in places.
- Roll in each of the following, in this order: lemon juice, ground chilli flakes, mayonnaise and fluffy, finely grated Parmesan. Eat immediately. (It will be messy.)
6. Spaghetti aglio olio
A speedy supper when it’s too late to light a fire. Serves four.
Ingredients
- 500g spaghetti
- 4 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 200ml extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
Method
- Cook the garlic and chilli in the oil over low heat for eight minutes – as soon as the garlic looks like it’s got any colour, immediately remove from the heat.
- Cook the pasta for seven minutes in a large pot of rapidly boiling water that’s as salty as the sea. Reserve 1/2 a cup of pasta water and drain.
- Return the pasta to the pot, add the flavoured oil, chilli and garlic. Add some pasta water and toss around over medium-high heat for a few seconds until the pasta is nicely coated. Add plenty of grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
7. Fresh tomato pasta
This sauce makes itself in the zip-lock bag until you’re ready to boil pasta. Serves four.
Ingredients
- 1kg tomatoes, peeled (see below)
- 2 large sprigs of basil
- 8 garlic cloves, crushed to a paste (see below)
- Sea salt
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Half cup extra virgin olive oil
- 500g spaghetti
Method
- Halve the peeled tomatoes. Squeeze out the tomato pulp over a sieve and reserve the juices for the marinade. Cut the tomatoes into quarters and add to a zip-lock bag.
- Add the garlic, basil, vinegar, olive oil and strained tomatoes juices to the tomatoes and season with black pepper. Seal the bag well and move the tomatoes around so they are all covered with marinade. Leave to marinate for a few hours – no longer than five hours.
- Remove the tomatoes (reserving the marinade) and dice.
- Cook the pasta for six minutes in a large pot of rapidly boiling water that’s as salty as the sea. Drain, return to the pot with the marinade and a knob of butter. Cook over medium-high heat, tossing, until juices are thick and glossy. Add the diced tomato toss well and serve.
8. Caramelised onions
Here’s how to make the sweetest, stickiest caramelised onions for your boerie roll – you won’t even need chutney.
Ingredients
- 3 onions finely sliced
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or butter)
- Sea salt flakes
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions, replace the lid and sweat for 15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat slightly to be more like medium. Cook the onions for 15 to 45 minutes, stirring regularly. Season well.
Tips for beach holiday cooking
1. Peeling tomatoes
Summer is the season for ripe, red tomatoes – here’s how to eliminate any tough skins when making bruschetta or fresh tomato pasta. Core the tomatoes and cut a small cross at the other end. Place in a bowl and cover with freshly boiled water. Leave for 10 seconds or until the skins start peeling back where it was cut. Drain, submerge in ice water and drain again. Peel off the skins.
2. Garlic paste
Grinding garlic into a creamy paste means it mixes evenly through sauces and emulsifies salad dressing. Here’s how to make the paste you’ll need for the aioli, salad and tomato pasta above: peel and roughly chop the garlic. Keep chopping until it’s minced. Sprinkle with sea salt and place the flat face of the knife blade over it. Press down on the blade face and drag it over the garlic, smearing down and to the side as you go, until it dissolves into a creamy pulp.
3. Seasoning a pan
If you have any doubts about the hygiene of the pan in your holiday rental, or want to ensure your fried eggs slip out with ease, here’s how to season a frying pan. Heat a stainless-steel or cast-iron pan over a high heat. Once the pan is searing hot (you should see smoke coming off it) add a tablespoon of sunflower oil and tilt the pan so the oil covers the base. Add a pinch of salt and heat until the oil is smoking. Remove the pan from the heat and wipe it out with paper towels and then proceed with your recipe.
Read more from our food pages in the January 2016 issue of Getaway magazine.
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