The robust and vibrant flavours that we love about Mediterranean cooking are perfect for autumn alfresco eating and entertaining. A taste of any of these dishes will keep warm nights and ocean breezes lingering for longer.
In fact, with the right recipes and colourful balance, summertime need never leave you.
1. Think bounty
Choose a selection of dishes and your choices don't have to be something that creates stress. Make it a selection of little dishes that are each prepared with simplicity and charm.
Kefalograviera is an aged, hard, sheep's milk cheese with a distinctive nutty flavour. Source: Kitti Gould
Ultimate crowd-pleaser. Source: Mark Roper
Hobz bil zeit translates as bread with oil - olive oil, of course. Source: Andrew Dorn
2. Olive oil is a must
If ever there was an ingredient that defined Mediterranean food, olive oil would have to be it. Glug as much of the stuff as you dare .
A Mallorcan-style stir-fry makes the oil a star ingredient. Source: Rochelle Eagle
How to make a cake disappear in 3, 2... Source: Kitti Gould
This is the kind of dish you can whiz up in a jiffy when unexpected friends pop in for a drink. Source: Paola Bacchia
3. Add fresh herbs, especially basil
With a distinctive, powerful flavour that somehow revs you up while it calms you down, basil is a necessity in Mediterranean cooking. In fact, don't skimp on any herby greens if you want to capture the Med's boldness.
Inside tip: throw a couple of ice cubes into the food processor when you're making your pesto. It will help your basil keep its vibrant green. Source: Jono Fleming
Kuku sabzi signifies starting afresh. Source: Adam Liaw
This salad is how you say delicious in Greek (actually, it's νόστιμος - same, same). Source: Alan Benson
4. Afternoon dip
It's not just your body you'll want to dip when in the Mediterranean. Veggies, crackers and flatbreads are just as up for it.
Eggplant, lemon, garlic, tahini, olive oil, pomegranate... is there anything missing from the bowl of good health? Source: One World Kitchen
Ditch the eggs and use garlic instead. Source: Tammi Kwok
Skip the pink food dye and serve your taramosalata at its salmon-hued best. Source: Adam Liaw
5. Don't be afraid to stuff
Take a vegetable, any vegetable, fill it with tasty morsels and make it better. Works with seafood too.
There are no rules. Source: Danya Weiner and Deanna Linder
Aromatic rice-stuffed mussels will soon have you hooked. Source: Alan Benson
Note to self: life is not too short to stuff an olive. Source: Paola Bacchia
Note to self: life is not too short to stuff an olive.
6. Everyday sides with a little somethin' somethin'
Why eat plain when you can so easily go fancy?
The natural sweetness of roasted beetroot is perfection with garlicky skordalia. Source: Jeremy Simons
Hyperbole aside, these carrots are a sensation. Source: Bloomsbury
Panzanella makes much out of little, using inexpensive, seasonal ingredients to great effect. Source: Kitti Gould
7. Let the veg do the talking
Meat isn't eaten often in most Mediterranean cultures and fish only sometimes. Instead, meals abound with vegetables, beans, legumes and plenty of good nutrition.
Mediterranean cuisine knows that beans have so much to offer beyond being an afterthought. Source: Danielle Abou Karam
Tarts are both quick to make and universally loved. Source: Desiree Nielsen
The low and slow stew can be left for hours in the oven, simmering in the residual heat after the bread comes out. Source: Karmen Tedesco
8. Because garlic
Garlic may well be one of the main reasons why the Mediterranean way of eating is . It's a known immunity booster, LDL cholesterol fighter and blood pressure reducer. But we love it because it makes everything taste so good!
Garlic prawn and halloumi skewers showcase everything delicious about healthy eating. Source: Kitti Gould
Lightly spiced with turmeric, paprika, chilli and garlic, and simmered with capsicum and coriander, chut b’chi zyu is surprisingly simple to make. Source: Brett Stevens
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This is one dreamy trip you'll want to take again and again. Source: Brett Stevens
9. Tomatoes like apples
The abundance of tomatoes in Mediterranean cuisine is no surprise - the climate is perfect for growing juicy toms almost year-round.
Ful medames blends the best of a light salad and a comforting stew, finished with a zesty tahini-based sauce. Source: Andrew Dorn
When cooking a dish as uncomplicated as this be sure to source the freshest possible ingredients. Source: Kitti Gould
Roasting caramelises tomatoes' sugars, enhancing their sweetness. Source: Benito Martin
10. Wine over wine
We'd be remiss if we didn't serve you up some wine with this list of Med faves. It's so often the ingredient that adds the 'extra' to any dish (or Nonna's secret weapon, but don't tell her we told you!).
Bite into this shawarma and you're instantly walking along Byblos Beach at sunset. Not one word of a lie. Source: China Squirrel
Traditionally served as a stuzzichino (an appetiser), these crisp fennel-scented biscuits hail from Puglia. Source: Alan Benson
This dessert will happily make you a bit wibbly, wobbly yourself. Source: Adelina Pulford
Eating while basking
Veggie paella
