Jamie Oliver serves up simple, thrifty and super-tasty Mediterranean meals using just five ingredients in his latest book

ISLAND SALAD: STICKY PEACHES, HALLOUMI WEB & PICKLED CUCUMBER

Whenever I’ve visited the Greek islands, I’ve been inspired by wonderful fresh and fruity halloumi salads, so I’ve had some fun here creating little webs of golden crispy halloumi that just eat so well.

SERVES 2

TOTAL 15 MINUTES

• 1 cucumber
• 2 pittas
• 1 x 415g tin of sliced
• peaches in juice
• 120g mixed salad leaves
• 60g halloumi cheese

Speed-peel the cucumber lengthways into long ribbons, discarding the seedy core, and place in a bowl with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper, and 1 tablespoon each of red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. 

Toast the pittas, then slice into strips and arrange around the edges of two plates.

Place a large non-stick frying pan on a high heat. Drain and roughly chop the peaches (reserving the juice), then place in the pan with a good splash of the reserved juice, and season with pepper. 

Warm through for a few minutes while you toss the salad leaves with the dressed cucumber, and plate up.

Myrtia Moschofilero Assyrtiko Dry Rosé 2022 (12.5%) £10, M&S

Remove the peaches to a bowl, give the pan a quick wipe with a ball of kitchen paper, then use the fine side of a box grater to grate half the halloumi over the surface of the pan (like a lacy doily). 

Leave on the heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until golden on one side, then tip directly over one of the plates, using a spatula to ease it away from the pan, if needed. 

Repeat with the remaining halloumi for the second plate. Spoon over the peaches, and tuck straight in.

Jamie says: From your pantry, you should already have: olive oil, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt and black pepper.

Olly Smith’s wine pairing: Stunning with salad

Myrtia Moschofilero Assyrtiko Dry Rosé 2022 (12.5%) £10, M&S

Blessed with soaring citrus flair, this Greek rosé is an absolute peach of a wine that deserves a place in your basket in its own right – as well as getting on famously with the Island Salad.

JUICY CHARRED CHICKEN: FLUFFY COUSCOUS, EASY POMEGRANATE, CUCUMBER & MINT SALSA 

Celebrating some of the flavours common on the Levantine coast, as well as speed and excitement, just a kiss of pomegranate juice will give you gnarly, caramelised chicken with the juiciest inside.

SERVES 4 

TOTAL 20 MINUTES

• 1 bunch of mint (30g)
• 300g wholewheat couscous
• 1 large ripe pomegranate
• 1 cucumber
• 4 x 150g skinless chicken breasts, free-range

Tear off the top leafy half of the mint, then finely chop and place in a bowl. Put the stalks into another bowl with the couscous, just cover with boiling kettle water, season with sea salt and cover. 

Leave to hydrate. Halve the pomegranate and, holding one half cut side down in your fingers, bash the back of it with a spoon so all the seeds tumble into the mint bowl, then repeat with the other half. 

Cut the cucumber into ½cm dice and add to the bowl with 2 tablespoons each of extra virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar. Toss well and season to perfection.

Put a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat. Score the chicken breasts lengthways at 1cm intervals, going about halfway through. 

Rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt and black pepper, then squeeze over the juice from a few pomegranate seeds (nicked from the salsa).

Cook for 8 minutes, or until gnarly and cooked through, turning regularly. Discard the mint stalks from the couscous, fluff up with a fork, mix in half the salsa and divide between plates.

Slice the chicken and arrange on top, with the remaining salsa and mint leaves. Finish with extra virgin olive oil, if you like.

Olly’s wine pairing: Cracking with chicken

Finest Passerina 2022 (13%) £7, Tesco

Outstanding off-the-beaten-track value from Italy here. This wine is a pristine zingy white with immense character for the price tag – and it’s bang on for the Juicy Charred Chicken with its accompanying fruity salad.

 Olly’s wine pairing: Med-inspired magic

Piccini Histrio Organic Anfora Toscana Bianco 2022 (13%) £11.99 or £9.99 in a Mix Six, Majestic

A divinely lemony blend of vermentino and malvasia, this is an electrifyingly elegant wine with just the right concentration for Mediterranean dishes.

Pictured left: Finest Passerina 2022 (13%) £7, Tesco. Pictured right: Piccini Histrio Organic Anfora Toscana Bianco 2022 (13%) £11.99 or £9.99 in a Mix Six, Majestic

STUFFED FOLDED FLATBREAD: MEDITERRANEAN VEG, FRESH MINT, PISTACHIO & TANGY FETA

Inspired by the Turkish flatbreads called pide, this is my stripped-back expression that still packs a flavour punch, and gives you a portable lunch or dinner that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

SERVES 4 

TOTAL 1 HOUR

• 700g frozen chargrilled Mediterranean veg
• 400g self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 bunch of mint (30g)
• 30g shelled unsalted pistachios
• 100g feta cheese

Preheat the oven to 220°C/fan 200°C/gas 7. Tip the frozen veg into a large non-stick frying pan on a medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes, or until super-soft and sweet, stirring regularly.

Meanwhile, put the flour in a bowl with a small pinch of sea salt, then gradually add 275ml of water, mixing with a fork as you go. Tip on to a flour-dusted surface and knead for a few minutes until smooth, then cover and leave to rest.

When the time’s almost up on the veg, pick and roughly chop the mint leaves. Bash or chop the pistachios until fine, then mix half into the veg along with most of the mint leaves.

Crumble in half the feta and season to perfection. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, then roll each one out to roughly 12cm x 16cm. Spoon a quarter of the filling into the middle of each piece of dough, then pinch and crimp the shortest corners together (like in the picture).

Transfer to an oiled baking tray and break over the remaining feta. Brush the dough with olive oil and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Scatter over the remaining mint leaves and pistachios, to serve.

Olly’s wine pairing: Fab with flatbreads

Corbières Rosé Château Ollieux Romanis 2022 (12%) £10.95, thewinesociety.com

As thrilling as a Star Wars space chase (Jamie’s a big fan), this rosé is a galaxy of peachy freshness with laser-like silkiness. Launch it from your glass to orbit the Stuffed Folded Flatbread.

 Olly’s wine pairing: Vibrant with veg

Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava 2017 (12%) £7.50, Asda

This sparkling Spanish cava will tantalise your tastebuds while having a bubbly zing that’ll bounce off the flavours of the Mediterranean veggies in Jamie’s Stuffed Folded Flatbread recipe.

Pictured left to right: Corbières Rosé Château Ollieux Romanis 2022 (12%) £10.95, thewinesociety.com and Extra Special Mas Miralda Cava 2017 (12%) £7.50, Asda 

LEMON CURD TART: CITRUS-SWIRLED PASTRY & FRESH RASPBERRIES

Many wonderful desserts in the Med celebrate the bounty of citrus. I’ve embellished this lemon tart by rolling and flavouring pastry to create amazing texture, as the Portuguese and French do so well.

SERVES 6 

TOTAL 30 MINUTES

• 120g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 320g sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (cold)
• 5 lemons (120ml juice total)
• 4 large eggs, free-range
• 150g raspberries

Preheat the oven to 210°C/fan 190°C/gas 6½. Dust a clean work surface with icing sugar, then unroll the puff pastry, discarding the paper. Dust the pastry with icing sugar and finely grate over the zest of 2 lemons, then roll it tightly back up and slice into 1cm discs. 

Canti Liberty Asti 2022 (8%) £9, Sainsbury’s

Rub a 24cm non-stick ovenproof frying pan with olive oil, then distribute the pastry discs around the sides and base, pressing them together really well to create one piece of pastry. Bake on the bottom of the oven for 20 minutes, or until lightly golden.

Meanwhile, finely grate the zest from the remaining lemons into a large heatproof bowl, and squeeze in all the juice (you’ll need 120ml). Whisk in the icing sugar and eggs, then place the bowl over a pan of simmering water on a medium heat. 

Whisk continuously for around 10 minutes, or until thickened, then remove from the heat.

Pour the lemon curd into the pastry case, then finish under a hot grill for a few minutes (cover any pastry edges with tin foil, if it starts getting too dark). Serve at room temperature, with a few fresh raspberries scattered on top and the rest on the side.

Olly’s wine pairing: Luscious with lemon

Canti Liberty Asti 2022 (8%) £9, Sainsbury’s

Italian bubbly is among the best and this sweet, frothy fizz is a sizzling elderflower-lemon-sherbet detonation. Superb fun, light on booze and simply fabulous with the zingy Lemon Curd Tart.

• Enjoy 30 per cent off: Jamie’s 5 Ingredients – Mediterranean by Jamie Oliver is published by Penguin Michael Joseph on 31 August © Jamie Oliver Enterprises Limited (2023 5 Ingredients Mediterranean), £28. 
• To order a copy for £19.60 go to mailshop. co.uk/books or call 020 3176 2937. Free UK delivery on orders over £25. Promotional price valid until 9 September 2023. 
• Recipe photography: © David Loftus, 2023. 
• Jamie Cooks The Mediterranean will start on Channel 4 in September.

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