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GREEN GAZPACHO 

Vibrant, fresh and full of flavour, this take on the Spanish favourite gazpacho, a cold soup, is sure to hit the spot. Perfect for a light lunch, starter, supper or just a moment of pure refreshment

CUCUMBER, PEPPER, PARSLEY & PISTACHIOS

Vibrant, fresh and full of flavour, this take on the Spanish favourite gazpacho, a cold soup, is sure to hit the spot. Perfect for a light lunch, starter, supper or just a moment of pure refreshment.

SERVES 4

TOTAL 15 MINUTES

• ½ x 270g ciabatta loaf
• 1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley (30g)
• 100g shelled unsalted pistachios
• 1 cucumber
• 2 green peppers

Cut 8 thin slices of ciabatta, and toast until golden. Tear the remaining bread into a blender. Keep back a little of each of the remaining ingredients for garnish. Rip the parsley into the blender with the pistachios, chop and add the cucumber. Tear in the peppers, discarding the seeds and stalks.

Pour in 200ml of cold water along with 3 tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, then season well with sea salt and black pepper. Whiz together, then add 300g of ice and blitz again until silky smooth – you may need to work in batches. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed. Serve sprinkled with the reserved garnishes (leave whole or finely chop in a delicate fashion, whatever you prefer) and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, if you like. An extra ice cube or two is always a nice touch, too. Serve the crispy toasts alongside for dunking.

All nutrition information is per serving

ENERGY 244kcal / FAT 14.9g /

SAT FAT 2.1g / PROTEIN 6.8g / CARBS 21.6g / SUGARS 4.6g /

SALT 0.8g / FIBRE 2.3g

SIZZLING SQUID 

All over the Mediterranean you see really big and bold combinations of surf and turf, and how beautifully it works together – this recipe comes with the harmony of all my favourite ingredients

CHORIZO, TOMATO, MINT & LEMON SAUCE

All over the Mediterranean you see really big and bold combinations of surf and turf, and how beautifully it works together – this recipe comes with the harmony of all my favourite ingredients.

SERVES 2

TOTAL 16 MINUTES

• 2 large super-ripe tomatoes (300g total)
• 300g whole squid, cleaned, gutted
• 70g chorizo or spicy sausage
• ½ a bunch of mint (15g)
• 1 lemon

Finely grate the tomatoes on a box grater, discarding the skin. Slice into the squid and open it out like a book, lightly score on the inside at 5mm intervals in a criss-cross fashion, slice off and reserve the tentacles, then season with sea salt and black pepper. Slice the chorizo (or break apart if using spicy sausage) and pick the mint leaves. Preheat a large non-stick frying pan on a very high heat. After 3 minutes, drizzle in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lay the squid in the pan scored side down and use a fish slice to press down on it for 1 minute, then add the tentacles and the chorizo (or spicy sausage). Scatter in half the mint leaves and cook for 3 minutes, tossing regularly.

Remove the scored squid to a plate, then tip the tomatoes into the pan and squeeze in a little lemon juice. Cook for a further 2 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, then divide between plates. Slice the scored squid 5mm thick and scatter over the sauce along with the rest of the mint leaves. Serve with the rest of the lemon cut into wedges, for squeezing over.

ENERGY 344kcal / FAT 20.5g / SAT FAT 5.8g / PROTEIN 32.6g / CARBS 7.8g / SUGARS 5.1g / SALT 1.7g / FIBRE 1.9g

CRISPY SARDINE TOASTS 

I love the way these easy Istanbul-inspired sizzling sardine toasts get so crispy and the sardines cook right into the bread. Contrast with a cold, crunchy, quick pickle, and it’s pure happiness on a plate

QUICK RED CABBAGE, FRESH CHILLI & FENNEL SEEDS

I love the way these easy Istanbul-inspired sizzling sardine toasts get so crispy and the sardines cook right into the bread. Contrast with a cold, crunchy, quick pickle, and it’s pure happiness on a plate.

SERVES 4

TOTAL 15 MINUTES

• 1 heaped tablespoon fennel seeds
• ¼ of a red cabbage (320g)
• 1-2 mixed-colour chillies
• 1 x 270g ciabatta loaf
• 12 fresh sardines, scaled, gutted, butterflied

Toast the fennel seeds in a large non-stick frying pan on a medium heat for 1 minute, then pour in 2 tablespoons of olive oil, fry for 1 further minute and tip into a large bowl. Very finely slice or grate the red cabbage and chilli(es), and toss into the bowl with 4 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and a generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Leave aside to quickly pickle.

Carefully halve the ciabatta lengthways, drizzle with olive oil, then cut each half into 6 slices. Open out the sardines and firmly press on to the spongy side of each ciabatta slice, flesh side down. Preheat a griddle or non-stick frying pan to high, then place the toasts in the pan fish side down and cook for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and crispy – you’ll need to work in batches. Stack up 3 toasts per person and serve, with the fresh chilli and fennel seed pickle on top.

ENERGY 462kcal / FAT 18.9g / SAT FAT 4.1g / PROTEIN 37.9g / CARBS 38.2g / SUGARS 4.9g / SALT 1.6g / FIBRE 4.2g

GREEK CHICKEN PASTA 

On the Greek island of Andros they serve variations of this undeniably delicious pasta – it’s the easiest thing to put together and the Oliver squad loves it (the teenagers thought the halloumi was peng!)

SWEET TOMATO SAUCE, MACARONI & GRATED HALLOUMI

On the Greek island of Andros they serve variations of this undeniably delicious pasta – it’s the easiest thing to put together and the Oliver squad loves it (the teenagers thought the halloumi was peng!).

SERVES 8

TOTAL 1 HOUR 30 MINUTES

• 1kg chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
• 500g frozen chopped mixed onion, carrot and celery
• 2 x 400g tins of plum tomatoes
• 600g dried macaroni
• 100g halloumi cheese

Brown the chicken thighs all over in a large non-stick casserole pan on a high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then remove to a plate. Tip in the frozen mixed veg and soften for 5 minutes, then put the chicken back into the pan with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and allow it to cook away. Scrunch in the tomatoes through clean hands, then pour in 1 tin’s worth of water. Bring to the boil, then leave to blip away on a low heat for 1 hour, or until the chicken is falling off the bone, stirring occasionally.

When the time’s up, cook the pasta in a pan of boiling salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain.Meanwhile, strip all the chicken meat from the bones and shred apart with forks, returning it to the sauce as you go and discarding any skin and bones. Taste the sauce and season to perfection. H To serve, stir the pasta into the sauce and grate in most of the halloumi. Finish drizzled with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and with the remaining halloumi grated over the top.

ENERGY 566kcal / FAT 19.5g /

SAT FAT 5.7g / PROTEIN 40.5g / CARBS 60g / SUGARS 4.4g /

SALT 0.8g / FIBRE 1.4g

STUFFED ONIONS 

Across the Greek islands they stuff many different vegetables with grains, herbs and all kinds of wonderful things, and this is my version, celebrating the best of onions filled with simple ingredients

HERBY SAUSAGE & FETA FILLING, TOMATO RICE

Across the Greek islands they stuff many different vegetables with grains, herbs and all kinds of wonderful things, and this is my version, celebrating the best of onions filled with simple ingredients.

SERVES 4

TOTAL 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES

• 4 large mixed onions
• 6 herby sausages (400g total)
• 60g feta cheese
• 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes
• 250g basmati rice

Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Peel the onions and halve widthways across the middle, then place in a large shallow casserole pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle over 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then roast for30 minutes. Squeeze the sausagemeat into a bowl, discarding the skins, scrunch in most of the feta, then put aside. When the time’s up on the onions, use tongs to transfer them to a board. Carefully remove and roughly chop the cores, then add just the chopped onion to the pan and place over a medium heat. Scrunch in the tomatoes through clean hands and pour in 1 tin’s worth of water, bring to a simmer, then add the rice, and mix together well.

Unclick and separate the onions into rings (like you can see in the picture), then roughly divide the sausage mixture between the rings. Arrange nicely on top of the rice, squashing them in, right up to the edges, to cover the rice. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then roast for 20 minutes, or until golden on top and the rice is cooked through. Crumble over the remaining feta and serve up.

ENERGY 630kcal / FAT 26.6g / SAT FAT 8.5g / PROTEIN 24.1g / CARBS 77.8g / SUGARS 14.6g / SALT 2.3g / FIBRE 5.3g

EASY FIG TART 

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

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 10 MINUTES, PLUS CHILLING

• 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

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. 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. Release the tart from the tin, halve or quarter the figs and arrange nicely on top, then drizzle generously with honey, to finish.

ENERGY 272kcal / FAT 16.3g /

SAT FAT 4.7g / PROTEIN 7.2g / CARBS 23.3g / SUGARS 22.6g / SALT 0.1g / FIBRE 2.5g

Now buy the book with 30% off

Our recipes are taken from 5 Ingredients Mediterranean by Jamie Oliver, with photographs by David Loftus, which is published by Penguin Michael Joseph, £28. To order a copy for £19.60 until 9 September, go to mailshop.co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25.