I don’t know about you, but I need to see some sunshine!

Quite a few  lucky friends have had the chance to sun themselves in foreign climes recently,  but we’ve been pretty short of those rays here. 

So, to cheer us all up, and remind us that summer is on its way (we hope) I thought I’d highlight a fabulous cookbook that was published last year by Bloomsbury:  Mediterra, by Ben Tish.  A beautifully photographed hardback, it’s £26 and will make a lovely gift.

About Ben Tish

Chef Director of Cubitt House, a group of London pubs, restaurants and boutique hotels, Ben oversees its food offering.

With a love of the Mediterranean, the food and its history, one of Ben’s passions is recreating the flavours and dishes of his travels in his own home and restaurants.

He appears regularly on TV including Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch, and Masterchef and writes for numerous publications.

This is his fourth book – and it’s a ray of very welcome, and much needed, sunshine.

From Spain and Italy, through Greece and Turkey and down to North Africa, the Med is a rich seam of deeply delicious food.

While each country has its own unique dishes and distinct cultures, there is a commonality that brings the Med together – hot summers, dry winters, coastal briny winds, alfresco eating, street markets, sacrosanct meal times and making the best of local seasonal ingredients and produce, often in the simplest way.

In this mouth-watering collection, Ben Tish creates outstanding simple, modern recipes whose flavours transport you to the Med with minimal effort in the kitchen, bringing the flavours, sights and smells of your favourite holiday meals to life.

Here are some recipes to give you a taste of the sun:

Sea bream crudo with blood orange and cumin seeds 

Islands – Sicily

“This beautiful, vibrant crudo will brighten up the winter months when blood oranges are at their best. The bittersweet, ruby-red juices lightly cure the fish, and the cumin-infused dressing adds an earthy, aromatic punch. Always choose the freshest possible fish for crudo, so the just-caught sweetness and texture of the flesh stand out among the accompanying flavours. 

“I like to serve a platter of this in the centre of the table to share, accompanied with really good bread to mop up the citrusy, oily juices.” 

Serves 4

2 sea bream fillets, skinned and cut into 1cm slices

1 small blood orange (or a bitter orange, such as Seville), skin and pith removed

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly crushed in a pestle and mortar

2 tablespoons sweet white wine vinegar, such as chardonnay 

1 teaspoon caster sugar  

a handful of mint leaves, to garnish    

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place the sea bream slices in a non-metallic bowl and season well. 

Segment the blood orange with a sharp knife, working over the bowl that the fish is in – you want the juices to marinate the fish. Give the sea bream a stir, then leave for 10 minutes to cure.

Heat the olive oil and cumin seeds in a small saucepan over a low heat. When the seeds start to slowly fizzle, remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the vinegar with the sugar and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, pile the crudo and blood orange onto a serving platter, drizzle over a little of the cumin vinaigrette and top with the mint leaves. 

Serve the remaining vinaigrette alongside in case anyone wants extra.

Roasted tuna with baked tomatoes and basil

Islands – Sardinia

“Tuna fishing is taken very seriously in Sardinia. The annual Carloforte tuna catch is renowned worldwide and takes place from late April through to early June. The fishermen use the only ‘tuna trap’ method of fishing still in practice – a method invented by the Arabs in the Middle Ages that uses a series of net trap chambers to catch and haul the fish to the banks of the port. People come from far and wide to see this macabre spectacle and it is considered cruel by some. This technique, however, is more humane than many other modern methods and the catch levels are monitored to ensure there is no overfishing.

“This recipe is similar to one that I first tasted in Sardinia – very simple, using the best-quality fish and ripe tomatoes in season. Try to get thick tuna steaks as they will be easier to cook and allow you to achieve a nice crust on the outside and retain a lovely pink colour on the inside.”

Serves 4

500g vine tomatoes, cored and cut in half widthways

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly crushed

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, such as cabernet sauvignon

olive oil

4 x 200g tuna steaks, each about 2.5cm thick

leaves from a small bunch of basil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 190°C/Fan 170°C/Gas Mark 5.

Place the tomatoes in a roasting tray, sprinkle over the garlic, coriander seeds and red wine vinegar, add a good drizzle of olive oil and season well. Transfer to the oven and roast for 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes have started to caramelise and release their natural juices. You’ll have a lovely self-made dressing in the pan from the mix of the oil, juices and vinegar. Leave in a warm spot.

Pat the tuna dry, then season each steak with salt and pepper. Heat a good splash of olive oil in large sauté pan over a high heat. When it is hot, add the tuna and fry for 2–3 minutes on each side to achieve a nicely caramelised crust. Remove from the pan if you like your tuna pink inside, but if you want it cooked more, cook it for a further 2–3 minutes, turning it as you go.

Rest the tuna for a few minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, gently stir the basil leaves through the roasted tomatoes. Divide among individual plates, then top each portion with a piece of tuna and spoon over the tomato-vinegar juices. Serve.

Medjool date and cardamom loaf

Southern Shores – Morocco

“A sweet-savoury juicy bread to be eaten with tangy fresh labneh or thick yoghurt, accompanied by a bowl of stewed stone fruits and nuts. It’s also delicious toasted and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil or just spread with salty butter.”

Serves 12

1 tablespoon clear honey

500ml lukewarm water

7g sachet fast-action dried yeast

300g strong white flour, plus extra for kneading

150g fine semolina flour 

50g ground almonds

8 green cardamom seeds, ground in a pestle and mortar or spice grinder

1 teaspoon table salt

olive oil for greasing the bowl

150g Medjool dates, pitted and chopped

date or pomegranate molasses

50g flaked almonds, toasted

Stir the honey into the lukewarm water, then stir in the yeast to dissolve. Set aside for an hour or so until it ferments and bubbles.

Mix both flours, the ground almonds, ground cardamom seeds and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the centre, pour in the yeast mixture and incorporate into the flour until you have a sticky dough. 

Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and knead for 5–10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Wash, dry and grease the bowl, then return the dough to it. Cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for an hour, or until it doubles in volume.

Tip the dough onto a floured surface and knead it briefly to knock the air out. Sprinkle over the chopped dates and knead them into the dough so they are evenly distributed.

Divide the dough into 2 equal portions, then shape each into a tight ball and put them on a lightly floured baking sheet. Slash the top of each twice with a sharp serrated knife.

Cover with a tea towel and leave for about an hour until doubled in size. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas Mark 7.

Bake the loaves for 35 minutes, or until nicely browned. Tap the bases of the loaves – they will sound hollow when baked through.

Transfer the loaves to a wire rack. Drizzle with molasses and brush to glaze the tops. Sprinkle with the toasted almonds and leave to cool completely before slicing.