Content Executive, Olivia Matthews, headed into Leeds with a group of local bloggers to discover some of Europe’s best dishes from six of our sunshine destinations! Fancy trying your hand at making some yourself? Here are our favourite holiday-at-home recipes...

Italy

Arancini

Creamy, yet crunchy, these gooey balls of goodness are a delight for the taste buds. And they’re a staple in the Sicilian street food scene.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

15g unsalted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, crushed

350g risotto rice

150ml dry white wine

1.2l hot chicken stock

150g parmesan, finely grated

1 lemon, finely zested

150g ball mozzarella, chopped into 18 small pieces

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

For the coating

150g plain flour

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

150g fine dried breadcrumbs (panko works well)

Method

STEP 1

Heat the oil and butter in a saucepan until foamy. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and fry gently over a low heat for 15 minutes, or until softened and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in the rice and cook for a further minute, then pour in the wine. Bring to the boil and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Pour in half the stock and simmer, stirring continuously, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, one ladleful at a time, as the rice absorbs the liquid, stirring until the rice is cooked through (this should take about 20-25 minutes). Stir in the parmesan and lemon and season to taste. Spread the risotto out into a lipped tray and leave to cool to room temperature.

STEP 2

Scoop the cooled risotto into 18 equal portions – they should be slightly larger than a golf ball. Flatten a risotto ball in your hand and put a piece of the mozzarella in the centre, then enclose the cheese in the rice and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto balls.

STEP 3

Put the flour, eggs and breadcrumbs into three separate shallow bowls. Dip each prepared risotto ball into the flour, followed by the eggs and finally, the breadcrumbs. Transfer to a tray and set aside.

STEP 4

Half-fill a large, heavy-based saucepan with vegetable oil and heat over medium-low until it reads 170°C on a cooking thermometer, or until a piece of bread turns golden brown in the oil within 45 seconds. Lower the risotto balls into the oil in batches and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until golden brown and melted in the centre. Set aside on a tray lined with a clean kitchen towel.

STEP 5

Eat the arancini warm or serve with a basic tomato sauce for dipping.

Try at: Stuzzi, Leeds

Greece

Pork souvlaki

This popular Greek dish is simple, but effective. Beautifully grilled meat and a simple but flavourful marinade = foodie heaven.

Ingredients

400g lean pork shoulder, cut into chunks

1 tbsp olive oil

½ tbsp dried oregano

1 lemon, zested and juiced

½ tsp hot paprika

100ml fat-free yoghurt

1 small garlic clove, grated

½ cucumber, trimmed and grated

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into chunks

2 Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated

Chilli sauce, to serve (optional)

Flatbreads, warmed, to serve (optional)

Method

STEP 1

Put the pork in a large bowl with the oil, oregano, lemon zest and juice and paprika, as well as a good pinch of salt. Toss everything together and leave to marinate for ten minutes.

STEP 2

Combine the yoghurt, garlic and cucumber together in a bowl. Season with salt and set aside.

STEP 3

Heat the grill to high. Thread the marinated pork and the peppers on four metal skewers, alternating between the pork and peppers as you go. Place on a non-stick baking sheet and grill for three to four minutes on each side, or until cooked through and golden brown.

STEP 4

Serve with the lettuce, yoghurt mixture, chilli sauce and flatbreads.

Try at: Tavernaki, Leeds

Germany

Döner kebab

What started as a favourite of Turkish immigrants has now become a much-loved staple in Germany’s street food scene. The Berliner döner is usually made up of chicken, lamb or veal in crunchy triangular bread, topped up with cabbage, tomato, cucumber and parsley mix, and a choice of sauces.

Ingredients

500g lamb mince

1 small onion, coarsely grated

4 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated

100g fresh breadcrumbs

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp dried oregano

¼ tsp smoked paprika

Sunflower oil

To serve

Pita breads, shredded red or white cabbage, sliced onion, chopped tomatoes, pickled chillies, chilli sauce, garlic sauce and tahini.

Method

STEP 1

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Tip all the ingredients, except the oil, into a food processor with a large pinch of salt and lots of ground pepper. Pulse until everything is combined and chopped together. You can also just squish everything together in a bowl, but this will give you a looser finish.

STEP 2

Oil a large sheet of foil, tip the meat mix in the middle and mould to a very thick sausage, roughly the shape of an aubergine. Roll up the foil tightly, twisting up the ends to create a Christmas cracker shape.

STEP 3

Lay on a shallow roasting tin and roast in the oven for 35-40 mins, turning occasionally, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 75°C when pierced in the middle. Leave the kebab to cool a little, then unwrap the foil. Place back on the tray and brown under the grill or with a blowtorch.

STEP 4

Place on a board and carve into thin slices. For full döner mode, you can hold the kebab up with a roasting fork or metal skewer and carve. Serve with warm pita bread and any of the other accompaniments.

Try at: Doner Shack in Leeds, Glasgow or Manchester

Turkey

Mackerel sandwich

This street food favourite originated in Istanbul and is perfect for an easy lunch. Fresh grilled mackerel, crusty bread and a tangy dressing – yum!

Ingredients

4 rashers smoked streaky bacon

4 mackerel fillets, pin bones removed

3 tbsp olive oil

6 slices of good quality bread (sourdough works well)

2 eggs, boiled

2 tomatoes, sliced and lightly salted

1 Little Gem lettuce, leaves separated

For the tartare sauce

½ small pack dill, chopped

2 tsp capers, chopped

2 tsp gherkins, finely chopped

1 lemon, zested

4 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tsp horseradish sauce

Method

STEP 1

To make the tartare sauce, mix the dill, capers, gherkins, lemon zest, mayo and horseradish together and set aside. Can be made a day ahead and chilled.

STEP 2

Heat the grill to high. Grill the bacon for eight to ten minutes, turning halfway, until crisp. Remove from the tray and keep warm. Lay the mackerel skin-side up in the bacon fat, drizzle the skin with a little olive oil and season with salt, then grill for five minutes until the skin is crisp and the flesh can be flaked.

STEP 3

Slice the eggs and lightly toast the bread, then spread the tartare sauce over four of the slices. Lay the bacon, egg and sliced tomato on two of the mayo-covered slices, then lay the warm mackerel and lettuce on the other two. Stack the mackerel slices on the bacon slices and top off with the final slice of toasted bread on each. Press down gently and carefully halve the sandwiches, using cocktail sticks to hold them together. Serve immediately for four as a light lunch or a big lunch for two.

Try at: Mr Mackerel, Leeds

Spain

Chorizo croquettes with aioli

Combine two Spanish food favourites and what do you get? Breadcrumb-covered goodness with a spicy kick. They’re often filled with mashed potato too!

Ingredients

50g butter

½ medium onion, finely chopped

70g plain flour

435ml whole milk

135g chorizo, cut into small chunks

50g grated manchego cheese

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

3 eggs, lightly beaten

150g dry breadcrumbs

Groundnut oil, for frying

For the aioli

4 garlic cloves, crushed

2 large egg yolks (freeze the whites for another recipe)

250-300ml extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

STEP 1

Heat the butter in a pan over a medium-low heat and fry the onion for eight minutes until softened, but not coloured. Stir in the flour until it’s incorporated into the fat and onions. Reduce the heat to low and cook for four minutes, stirring – don’t let it brown. Warm the milk in a medium pan over a low heat until steaming.

STEP 2

Remove the onion mixture from the heat and add the milk, a little at a time, stirring after each addition until smooth. When all the milk has been added, return the pan to medium-low heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat to low and cook for six minutes, stirring often to prevent it from catching. Set aside.

STEP 3

Cook the chorizo in a frying pan over a medium heat for three minutes – you don’t need any fat, as fat will be released from the chorizo as it cooks. Stir the fried chorizo into the sauce along with the cheese, parsley and seasoning. Pour the sauce into a dish and leave to cool completely, then cover and chill for at least three hours, or overnight.

STEP 4

Next, make the aioli. Put the garlic and the egg yolks in a bowl and beat with an electric whisk while slowly adding the oil, a drop at a time. As the mixture starts to thicken, you can add the oil more quickly, in greater amounts. Squeeze in some lemon juice and season, tasting as you go to ensure the flavour is balanced (you can also add a drop of white wine vinegar as well as lemon juice, if you like). Cover and chill until ready to serve.

STEP 5

Using wet hands, roll the chilled chorizo mixture into walnut-sized balls. Put the egg in a shallow bowl and the breadcrumbs on a shallow plate. Roll the croquetas in the egg, then crumbs, making sure each is well coated. Put the croquetas on a baking tray, then cover loosely and chill for a few hours to firm up, so they don’t break up when you fry them.

STEP 6

Pour the groundnut oil into a pan until it is no more than a third full, and heat to 180°C, or until a cube of bread dropped in turns golden within 30 seconds. Deep-fry the croquetas in batches for two to three minutes per batch, keeping an eye on the temperature. If the oil is too hot, the croquettes will darken on the outside before the inside is hot – they should be golden. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the croquetas to a plate lined with kitchen paper, leave to drain for a few minutes, then serve with the aioli.

Try at: El Gato Negro in Leeds, Manchester and Liverpool