All products on this page have been selected by our editorial team, however we may make commission on some products.
5 Ingredients Mediterranean is everything people loved about the first book, but with the added va-va-voom of basing it on Jamie's lifelong travels around the Med. With over 125 delicious, easy-to-follow recipes, it's all about making everyday cooking super exciting, with minimal fuss – all while transporting you to sunnier climes. You'll find recipes to empower you to make incredibly delicious food, but without copious amounts of ingredients, long shopping lists or loads of washing up. 65% of the recipes are meat-free or meat-reduced, and all offer big, bold flavour. With chapters including Salads, Soups and Sarnies, Pasta, Veg, Pies and Parcels, Seafood, Fish, Chicken and Duck, Meat and Sweet Things, you'll find something for every day of the week, and every occasion.
Here Are Three Recipes To Make At Home…
Smoky Tender Aubergine
Silken houmous, crispy chickpeas, radishes & lemons
Vibing off flavours from the Levantine coast, I’m using chickpeas in two different ways to max out on both flavour and texture. Peeled blackened aubergine adds a smoky depth that’s hard to beat.
Serves
2
Total Time
22 Minutes
Ingredients
2 aubergines (250g each)
50g sesame seeds
½ x 700g jar or 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas
2 lemons
200g radishes, ideally with leaves
Method
Step 1
Prick the aubergines, then carefully blacken them over a direct flame on the hob (or under the grill), turning with tongs until soft inside. Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat until golden, tossing regularly. Put two-thirds of the toasted seeds into a blender, saving the rest for later. Drain the chickpeas (reserving the juice) and add two-thirds to the blender with the juice of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Blitz until super-smooth, loosening with splashes of chickpea juice, if needed, then season to perfection and divide between plates.
Step 2
Halve the radishes, toss with the remaining lemon juice and season with sea salt to quickly pickle. Once cool enough to handle, carefully remove the aubergine skin, then halve lengthways leaving them intact at the stalk, and season with salt and black pepper. Return the frying pan to a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil, and scatter in the remaining chickpeas. Push the chickpeas to one side, then add the aubergines and cook for 5 minutes, or until the chickpeas are golden and crispy and the aubergine is starting to caramelize, turning as needed. Divide between plates, scatter over the reserved toasted sesame seeds and radishes, and finish with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if you like.
Lemon-Tzatziki Chicken
Fluffy pan-juice rice, jammy onions & roasted lemons
A brilliant Greek-inspired one-pan family dish. Tzatziki makes a fantastic ready-to-go marinade – it’s untraditional used like this, but I can totally vouch for its deliciousness and ability to tenderize meat.
Serves
4
Total Time
2 Hours plus marinating
Ingredients
1x 1.5kg whole chicken
2 x 200g tubs tzatziki
2 lemons
4 mixed-colour onions
300g basmati rice
Method
Step 1
Use a sharp knife to carefully cut down the back of the chicken, so you can open it out flat. Rub half the tzatziki all over the chicken with the juice of ½ a lemon and good pinch of sea salt and black pepper, then cover and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Peel the onions, then very finely chop half an onion and place in a bowl with the juice of ½ a lemon and a pinch of salt to make a pickle. Quarter the rest of the onions and place in a deep tray or ovenproof pan, then halve and add the remaining lemon. Place the chicken skin side up on top (it should fit snugly) and drizzle with ½ a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until beautifully golden and the leg meat pulls easily away from the bone.
Step 2
When the time’s up, remove the chicken with half the roasted onions and one jammy lemon half to a board for later. Using tongs, carefully squeeze the other jammy lemon half into the pan of tray juices, then cut off and discard the white pith and finely slice the skin, along with the rest of the onions. Put them back into the pan or tray along with the rice and 600ml of boiling salted water, then cover and cook on the hob on a medium-low heat for 12 minutes, or until tender. Spoon the rice into a serving dish, place the chicken, any resting juices and the reserved roasted onions on top, and spoon over the remaining tzatziki. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and serve with the pickle and the reserved cooked lemon half, for squeezing over.
DAVID LOFTUS
Easy Fig Tart
Fruit & nut base, vanilla yoghurt & honey
Take the fuss out of creating a show-stopping dessert with this super-quick no-cook fig tart – a delicate base of crushed fruit and nuts, topped with yoghurt, figs and a drizzle of honey.
Serves
8
Total Time
10 Minutes plus chilling
Ingredients
300g luxury fruit and nut mix
500g Greek yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 teaspoon runny honey, plus extra to serve
4 perfectly ripe figs
Method
Step 1
Line a 20cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Tip the fruit and nuts into a food processor and blitz until fine and tacky (it should be easy to mould with your hands), then push and press it into the base of the lined tin, and 2.5cm up the sides. Leave to firm up in the freezer for 1 hour.
Step 2
When the time’s up, mix the yoghurt with the vanilla and 1 teaspoon of honey, then spoon into the chilled tart case. Freeze for 1 further hour, or until slightly set.
Step 3
Release the tart from the tin, halve or quarter the figs and arrange nicely on top, then drizzle generously with honey, to finish.
5 Ingredients Mediterranean by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2023 5 Ingredients Mediterranean). Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2023.
Visit Amazon.co.uk
