Celebrity chef Rick Stein's dishes are flavoured by the many varied countries he visits for his cookery shows.
Last year the restaurateur, who travels to Australia three times a year to work on his restaurants out there, headed back to the Mediterranean for his latest six-part BBC Two series and accompanying cookery book, From Venice To Istanbul (see the show on BBC2 Fridays at 9.30pm).
In it we see the 69-year-old heading off the tourist trail to enjoy the culinary delights of the title cities as well as stop off to sample the cuisine in countries like Greece and Croatia.
Here are three tasty dishes from Rick's new recipe book, that are bursting with flavour and inspired by Eastern Mediterranean countries, for you to try at home.
Mesut's blue fish stew with chilli cornbread (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
For the fish stew
4 small mackerel or herring, scaled and gutted
1tsp salt
100ml olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced
6 green finger chillies, split open but kept whole
Large handful flat-leaf parsley
12 turns/grinds of the black pepper
3 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lemon, skin and pith removed, sliced
For the chilli cornbread
200g plain flour
70g yellow cornmeal
1tbsp baking powder
Pinch salt
4tbsp chopped coriander
2-3 jalapeno chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
50g feta cheese, crumbled
30g soft light brown sugar
6tbsp water
3 large eggs
70ml sunflower oil
Method:
1. To make the cornbread, first heat the oven to 180C/gas 4 and warm a baking sheet. Place paper cases in a 12 hole muffin tin.
Sift the flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Stir in the coriander, chillies, feta and sugar.
2. In a jug, mix together the water, eggs and oil. Add to the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined.
Fill each paper case about two-thirds full, then sit the tin on the warmed baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cornbread buns to cool in the tin for five minutes.
3. While the cornbread is baking, sprinkle the fish with the salt inside and out.
Pour two tablespoons of the olive oil into a large pan with a lid, scatter the onions in the base and lay the fish on top.
4. Tuck the chillies and sprigs of parsley in around the fish and sprinkle with the pepper. Add the tomatoes, garlic and slices of lemon, and pour the remaining olive oil over the top. Cover the pan with the lid, bring to a simmer and cook on a medium heat for about 25 minutes. Serve with warm cornbread.
Patrick Leigh Fermor's Moussaka (Serves 6-8)
Ingredients:
For the moussaka
1 aubergine, sliced lengthways
3 courgettes, sliced lengthways
About 300ml olive oil
Salt
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced lengthways
2 small onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
750g minced beef
3 beefsteak tomatoes, chopped
1 cinnamon stick
1 bay leaf
12 turns/grinds black pepper
For the bechamel sauce
100ml butter
100g plain flour
750ml full-fat milk
3 eggs
1/4tsp grated nutmeg
150g graviera cheese (or Gruyere if unavailable), freshly grated
Method:
1. Begin by salting the aubergine and courgette slices and leaving them for about 30 minutes, then rinse and dry on kitchen paper. Fry in plenty of the olive oil over a medium heat until lightly browned and starting to soften, then drain on kitchen paper and set aside. Fry the potatoes in the same way.
2. In a separate pan, heat 70ml of the olive oil and fry the onions and garlic for five minutes until softened. Add the minced beef and brown it before adding the tomatoes, cinnamon stick, bay leaf, one-and-a-half teaspoons of salt and the pepper. Simmer for 30-40 minutes. When done, remove the cinnamon and bay leaf.
3. In a deep, ovenproof dish, about 24cm x 35cm, arrange the potatoes in a layer. Top with a third of the beef, then the aubergine, another third of the beef, the courgettes, and finish with the remaining beef.
4. Heat the oven to 220C/gas 7.
5. Make the bechamel sauce: melt the butter in a saucepan over a gentle heat, stir in the flour and cook for two minutes so it loses its raw taste. Slowly incorporate the milk, and continue stirring until the sauce thickens.
6. Remove from the heat and whisk in the eggs, nutmeg and 100g of the grated cheese. Spread the bechamel over the layered meat and vegetables and top with the remaining 50g of grated cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, then take out and leave to cool. Serve warm. The dish is also very good the following day.
Dalmatian fresh fig tart (Serves 8)
Ingredients:
For the pastry
170g plain flour, sifted, plus extra for dusting
Pinch salt
100g unsalted butter, cubed
50g caster sugar
1 egg yolk
50ml double cream
For the filling
500g mascarpone cheese
6tbsp clear honey
6 large, 7 medium or 8 small fresh figs, stems trimmed, halved
Method:
1. For the pastry, mix the flour, salt and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs, and then stir in the sugar. Mix the egg yolk and cream, and add to the flour mixture so that it comes together to form a dough.
2. On a floured surface, roll out the pastry and use it to line a 26cm, loose bottomed flan tin. (If too difficult to handle, wrap and chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.)
3. Trim the edges of the pastry, cover with cling film and rest it in the freezer for 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Line the pastry with baking parchment, fill with baking beans or rice and bake blind for 10 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and cook for a further three minutes. Take out of the oven and lower the temperature to 160C/gas 3.
5. Soften the mascarpone with the honey in a small saucepan over a low heat. Pour into the pastry case, then lay the figs on top, cut-side up.
6. Bake for 30 minutes until just starting to turn golden around the edges. To serve, allow to cool to room temperature before removing from the tin and cutting.
From Venice To Istanbul by Rick Stein is published by BBC Books in hardback, priced £25. Available now.
Story Saved
You can find this story in My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.
