The Crazy Kitchen: Family Meals on a James Villa Holiday

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Thursday, 10 September 2015

Family Meals on a James Villa Holiday

Following on from my post showing off our James Villa in the Costa Blanca, I thought I would share a few of the meals that I cooked whilst we were away. 

Cooking whilst on a villa holiday is so relaxed, and you can eat your meals at whatever time suits. Some days we didn't get up until 10am and didn't eat our evening meal until 9 or 10pm, but other days we ate much earlier. Some days we ate out, but mostly we ate our meals at the covered dining area near the pool (we had 4 dining areas in our villa), which was next to the bbq, which we used for cooking many of the meals.

Family Meals on a James Villa Holiday

left to right / top to bottom :

bbq chicken, salad & roasted potatoes
bread & fruit for breakfast
cheese & ham toasties
BLT's
bbq pork shoulder, padron peppers, patatas bravas & salad
frittata, roasted vegetables & salad
non seafood paella, padron peppers, pizza & salad
bbq steak, padron peppers, chips & salad
croissants, bread, fruit & yogurt

The beauty of having a villa holiday means that you can climb straight out of the pool and sit and eat your evening meal in soggy swimwear if you choose!

Not only is cooking in a holiday villa convenient, it also means you can discover local produce whilst you're wandering around the supermarket, and pick up a few treats to bring home whilst you're there. It's also a good way to eat great meals at a fraction of the cost to eating out, which can become expensive when you have two teenagers to feed.


Spanish foods
A FEW SPANISH PURCHASES

Chef and author Jo Pratt has teamed up with James Villas to create some delicious looking dishes inspired by european holiday destinations. If you try any of these out at home, make sure you share on Twitter using #MyHolidayDish & tagging @JamesVillasUK .




Here's how you can enjoy some of my favourite, yet simple, Tapas at home; Padron Peppers and Patatas Bravas. I'm not saying that this is how the Spanish cook their patatas bravas, but this is my take on it.


Apparently 1 in 30 padron peppers have a kick, but this holiday I've probably eaten hundreds of them and am yet to come across a spicy one. I bought these home with me but they can be found in Waitrose, however they are considerably more expensive than our local Pepe le Sal supermarket on holiday, at £13.30 per kg, versus 2.50 Euros per kg (£1.81).

Padron peppers

Padron Peppers
500g padron peppers
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
  • Heat the oven to approx 220C
  • Add the peppers to an ovenproof dish
  • Drizzle olive oil generously over the peppers & sprinkle with sea salt
  • Roast for approx 15-20 minutes until softened & browned on the edges
  • Serve immediately
patatas bravas

Patatas Bravas
500g waxy potatoes, diced
extra virgin olive oil
smoked paprika
  • Heat the oven to approx 220C
  • Add the potatoes to a saucepan and cover them with cold water
  • Bring to the boil and boil for 2 minutes, and then drain
  • Heat an ovenproof dish in the oven for 5 minutes
  • Pour a generous amount of olive oil into the hot dish & then add the drained potatoes
  • Sprinkle the potatoes with a little smoked paprika, and then toss to coat them evenly
  • Roast in the oven for approx 25-30 minutes until browned and crispy

serve with Alioli & Brava sauce (I couldn't find it in the supermarket so instead bought a jar of mojo picon sauce - a slightly smokey & spicy pepper sauce)

alioli and mojo picon sauce

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