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World on a plate
We’re here to help you travel even when you can’t… Travelling with your taste buds and transporting your senses to distant destinations and cultures.
Food is synonymous with travel. For most of us, it’s an opportunity to discover exciting new flavours, sample regional specialities or simply enjoy lengthy al fresco lunches or balmy evenings under the stars. Food has the power to instantly bring back the smell of the air, the warmth of the sea breeze and that feeling of relaxation experienced whilst on holiday. Be it freshly baked Italian bread, zesty fish tacos or a dazzling gazpacho, there is nothing more reminiscent of a place than its food.
We’ve curated recipes from chefs at top hotels across the world that use simple ingredients you can find at home. For all the flavour hunters using this time to expand your recipe repertoire, here’s our five to try – deliciously easy dishes that remind us of our favourite faraway places…
Focaccia alla genovese - from Belmond Splendido
A Ligurian staple, focaccia was once so precious to the Romans that it was a prime offering to the gods during celebrations. It’s a perfect appetiser to pair with white wine; or enjoy it like a real Genoese and dip it in your morning cappuccino while picturing the yacht dotted harbour of Portofino.
Ingredients
- 550ml water, divided
- 15g active dry yeast
- 15g salt
- 10g sugar
- 500g strong flour
- 200ml olive oil
Method
Place yeast in a mixing bowl and add sugar plus 100ml of warm water. Stir the mixture until it begins to foam. Sprinkle in flour, adding another 150ml of water and salt. Knead for 20 minutes.
Make a ball with the dough and place it into a bowl, covering with a cloth. Place in an unheated oven and leave it to rise for two hours. Meanwhile, mix 200ml of water with 200ml of oil to make an emulsion.
Oil a baking tray and stretch out the dough. Coat it with the emulsion and dimple lightly with your fingers, careful to avoid making holes. Leave this to rise for one hour.
Sprinkle with salt, then bake for 10-15 minutes at 180°C.
Fish Tacos from The One & Only Palmilla
Exuberant and colourful with fiery food, Mexico is an assault on the senses. One&Only Palmilla is delightfully tasteful in every Mexican detail imaginable.
Here, we bring the taste of the sea into your home with this flavourful fish taco recipe. Whip up a simple guacamole to have on the side for a colourful Mexican feast.
Ingredients
- 150g Sea bass (striped)
- (or any white fish)
- 25g dried tomato
- 25g shallot (finely chopped)
- 1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
- 30g refried beans
Method
Buy pre-made tortillas from any supermarket.
For the tacos, warm up a pan and add olive oil. Place the fish and dried tomato in the pan and let it cook for 3 minutes. Add shallot, garlic, salt and pepper and cook everything on a low heat for another 5 minutes. Reserve in a warm place.
Plate the tortilla, add a small spoon of refried beans on one side of the tortilla, trying not to cover the whole tortilla surface. Place one spoon of the fish in the middle, and decorate it as you wish. Try cilantro leaves, chili pepper slices, sprouts, spring onion, or anything else you desire.
Serves 2.
Power Cookies - from Como Shambhala Estate
These COMO Shambhala power cookies are the perfect power pick-me-up to energise you after a day of home schooling. They are a fun way to get your recommended daily intake of nuts, which contain magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron, and also assist with lowering bad cholesterol
Ingredients
- 75g raw cashews
- 40g flaked almonds
- 50g walnuts
- 75g sunflower seeds
- 100g pumpkin seeds
- 100g dried figs
- 75g dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons raw honey
- 2 teaspoons freshly grated coconut
- Sea salt, to taste
Method
Place the nuts in a bowl, cover with water and soak for two hours. Drain and rinse the nuts. Transfer to a food processor, add the remaining ingredients and season with sea salt. Using the pulse button process until chopped. Check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.
Roll the mixture into 30 even balls and mould into round discs 2.5cm/1 inch in diameter using a small ring mould as a guide. Place the biscuits on a Teflex or non-stick sheet on a dehydrator tray and dry on 48ºC/118ºF for 12 hours, turning over after 6 hours. Alternatively, dry in an oven heated on its lowest setting. Cool and store in a sealed jar for up to 10 days.
Makes 30
Garden green gazpacho - from Gili Lankanfushi
This jade-green take on the classic chilled Spanish soup is the perfect light, fresh lunch dish. Once you’ve made your soup, adopt Gili Lankanfushi’s ‘No Shoes, No News’ philosophy; find a quiet spot in your garden, disconnect and switch off from your daily stresses and dream ahead of a private gourmet adventure in extraordinary settings at one of the finest water villa resorts in the world.
Ingredients
- 1 avocado
- 3 cucumbers
- 75g garden green leaves
- 25g garden herbs (basil, mint and fennel leaves)
- Half a lime
- Pinch of salt
- 10ml olive oil
- Cup of ice cubes
Method
Cut the avocado and cucumber into cubes. Mix with the garden greens and herbs and marinate in the olive oil and salt for an hour.
Blend together with the ice and finish with a squeeze of lime. Served chilled.
Serves 3-4
Quinoa Salad - from Marbella Club Hotel Golf Resort & Spa
Marbella Club Hotel, Golf Resort & Spa has a gastronomic lure, the delectable cuisine is prepared by award-winning Executive Chef Juan Gálvez. Filling and light, this is the perfect lunch bowl packed with plenty of goodness. As the summer months approach, it is the ideal plant-based dish to tuck into while taking a break from working at home.
Ingredients
- Quinoa
- 1/2 avocado, cut in cubes
- 6 raisins
- 1 sun-dried tomato
- 3 lime wedges
- 3 orange wedges
- Sunflower seeds
- 4 dates
- 1 cup Dijon mustard (or any other mustard)
- Lettuce mix
- 1 shallot
- Cashews
- Water
Method
Steam the quinoa, drain and let cool. Add the sliced shallot,
avocado and sun-dried tomato, sliced olives, lime wedges, orange wedges and chopped cashews.
For the vinaigrette: Crush the dates with the mustard and play with the texture by gradually adding water.
Place the quinoa mix in a serving bowl and top with sprouts and the sunflower seeds. Serve the vinaigrette separately and add to taste.
Pre-book your future Gourmet Stay
The above hotels cannot wait to showcase their gourmet flavours so to experience these amazing hotels in person we are already pre-booking for future travel – Have a look at the links below for more details.
Call : 020 8444 4444
mail: info@travelwiseuk.com
