Recipes inspired by Mediterranean summer holidays

A modern twist on the traditional Borek, this recipe from Mediterranea: Life-perfected Recipes from Grandmothers of the Mediterranean, by Anastasia Miari is salty, delicious and makes for a perfect packed lunch

Also known as ‘Gypsy Pilaf’, this Turkish recipe from Mediterranea: Life-perfected Recipes from Grandmothers of the Mediterranean by Anastasia Miari makes use of fresh vegetables and salty cheese

In an extract from Mediterranea: Life-perfected Recipes from Grandmothers of the Mediterranean, Anastasia Miari shares a Turkish recipe that makes for a perfect snack.

In this edited extract from her book Full of Beans: Delicious Beany Recipes to Obsess Over (Kyle Books, £22), Amelia Christie-Miller shares some of her favourite recipes

Our food editor Blanche Vaughan presents a delicious summer starter inspired by the River Café

Ricotta replaces butter in this cake and adds moisture, which keeps it tasting fresh for a few days. 

There is a small restaurant near where I used to live in Florence that serves this dish – the simplest but most delicious combination of perfect ingredients. It reminds me of the importance of ‘less is more’ in summer cooking

Every French fisherman, Italian grandmother or coastal restaurant has its own recipe for fish stew or soup, and I love to try them all. When it comes to cooking it at home, I adapt the dish to make it suit the fish available. The main thing is to achieve a balance of firm, sweet-fleshed and shelled fish for maximum flavour.

There is a small Greek island that I go to in the summer where you can find a family-run restaurant on a beach. It serves a sharing plate of crisp-skinned chicken bathed in oil, juicy with lemons and fragrant with mountain oregano – flavours that I will always associate with hot summers on sun-drenched islands.

I have never been a fan of squeaky, al dente green beans. I much prefer vegetables to be cooked to the point where they are yielding their natural sweetness. This works as a side dish or as part of a selection of vegetables for a lighter meal.