Judi Love’s Culinary Cruise Recipes

British comedian and TV presenter Judi Love joined us on board one of our luxury yachts, Emerald Azzurra, to film ‘Judi Love’s Culinary Cruise,’ a unique five-part food and travel series. Bringing on board her signature humour to this delicious voyage of discovery, Judi visits a succession of incredible destinations featured on Emerald Cruises 8-Day ‘Mediterranean Enchantment’ itinerary.

Each of the five episodes sees Judi immersing herself in the distinctive culture of the places she visits, before bringing locally sourced ingredients back to the yacht to prepare dishes inspired by her new friends and experiences – invariably, infusing traditional recipes with her own signature twist.

Read on to discover how to five delicious dishes Judi masterfully creates on-board Emerald Azzurra and enjoy an authentic taste of the Mediterranean at home… 

Judi Love's Culinary Cruise Recipes

1. Mussels

2. Spicy lamb chops

3. Chargrilled vegetables

4. Spinach, feta and walnut parcel

5. Honey and rum peaches

Mussels in a fennel and white wine sauce

In Episode One, Judi’s culinary tour starts in Montenegro’s historic walled town, Kotor, where she visits one of the region’s oldest oyster and mussel farms. After spending the day with local owner Luka and coming away with freshly caught seafood, Judi returns to the deck of our luxury yacht to cook mussels in a fennel and white wine sauce.

Ingredients (serves two): 

1kg mussels  
200ml white wine  
60g butter  
1 tbsp olive oil  
3 banana shallots, finely chopped  
2 cloves garlic, grated  
½ fennel bulb, finely diced  
1 tsp mild curry powder  
200ml double cream  
Salt and freshly ground pepper  
Fresh dill, finely chopped to garnish  
Crusty bread to serve

Method: 

Step 1: Wash the mussels in a colander under cold running water and de-beard them. Place a large saucepan with a tight- fitting lid over a high heat to heat up.

Step 2: Add the mussels to the hot pan, pour in the wine and put the lid on. Steam over a medium-high heat for 6–8 minutes until all the mussels are opened; discard any that stay closed.

Step 3: Drain the mussels in a muslin-lined colander over a bowl to strain and collect the liquor to use later.

Step 4: Put the saucepan back over a medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter is foaming, add the shallots and cook for a few minutes until it starts to soften. Add the garlic and fennel and cook for a further 2–3 minutes. Sprinkle in the curry powder and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute.

Step 5: Pour the reserved mussel cooking liquor onto the vegetables and let it bubble until it has reduced by half. Add the cream and simmer for another 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is lightly thickened. Taste to check the seasoning and adjust as necessary.

Step 6: Add the mussels back to the pan and stir until they are well coated in the sauce. Warm through for a few minutes then remove from the heat.  

Step 7: Spoon the mussels and sauce into warm shallow bowls and sprinkle with some fresh dill. Serve with some crusty bread to mop up the delicious creamy curry sauce. 

Spicy lamb chops with saffron rice and a yoghurt and cucumber dressing

Episode Two sees Judi travel to the verdant Greek island of Corfu, where she creates a mouthwatering dish of spicy lamb chops with saffron rice and yoghurt and cucumber dressing.

Ingredients (serves two): 

Method: 

Step 1: Lay the lamb chops out onto a tray. Drizzle half the olive oil over the lamb chops and rub it well onto both sides of the lamb. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Mix all the spices together in a bowl and sprinkle this over both sides of the lamb also. Leave this to marinade for 15 minutes.

Step 2: Place a medium sauté pan over a medium heat and add the olive oil and butter to the pan. Once the butter is foaming, add the garlic and stir well for 1 minute before adding in the rice. Stir the rice grains in the pan for 1 minute and then add in the saffron and stock. Bring the mixture up to a simmer and season the rice with a little salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and pop a lid on the pan and cook for 15 minutes on a low heat until all the liquid is absorbed. Set the pan aside for a further 10 minutes with the lid left on. 

Step 3: Mix the yoghurt, cucumber, garlic, mint and lemon juice. Season with a little salt and set aside.

Step 4: Grab a large non-stick frying pan and place over a medium heat. Add the remaining oil to the pan. Make sure to place the lambs chops in fat side down first for a few minutes to render out some fat and get it crispy. Then cook them on each side for around 2-3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chilli and butter. Stir well until the butter has melted. Drizzle over a little honey and stir again.  

Step 5: Serve three lamb chops onto each plate and spoon over the delicious chilli, honey butter from the pan. Serve with the rice, minty cucumber yoghurt and a lemon wedge alongside.

Chargrilled vegetables with halloumi and a chilli and mint dressing

In Episode Three, Judi sails south to the charming seaside town of Parga, on the Greek mainland. Here, she tours the lush fruit and vegetable gardens of a boutique beach resort before heading back on board to prepare chargrilled vegetables with halloumi and a chilli and mint dressing.

Ingredients (serves two): 

Method: 

Step 1: Place the vegetables into a large bowl, sprinkle in the oregano and pour over 1 tbsp olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper.

Step 2: Place a griddle pan onto a high heat.  

Step 3: Halve the halloumi and press some paper towel into both pieces to absorb any excess moisture.

Step 4: Place the dressing ingredients into a small bowl, along with some seasoning and whisk well to combine.  

Step 5: Add the vegetables to the griddle pan and cook for 4-5 minutes or until charred well on each side. Repeat with the remaining vegetables and place them onto a tray until needed.

Step 6: Add a drizzle of olive oil to non-stick frying pan and place over a medium heat. When it has heated up, place the halloumi into the pan, and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown.  

Step 7: Arrange the chargrilled vegetables onto 2 serving plates. Spoon over half of the dressing. Add the halloumi on top and spoon over the remaining chilli dressing to serve.

Spinach, feta and walnut parcel with a tomato salad

Episode Four takes Judi to Cephalonia, the largest of Greece's Ionian Islands and renowned for its rugged natural beauty and delicious pies. On board the luxury Emerald Azzurra, Judi makes a spinach, feta, and walnut parcel with a fresh tomato salad.

Ingredients (makes six): 

Method: 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 170C fan.

Step 2: Heat oil in a large sauté pan and add the onion to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onion has softened. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the spinach to the pan and stirring well. Pop the lid on the pan for a few minutes or until the spinach has wilted. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a tray to cool completely. Tip this mixture into a sieve and squeeze out any excess liquid.  

Step 3: Place the drained spinach into a large bowl, add the lemon zest, feta cheese, hard cheese and ½ the walnuts. Season and mix well.

Step 4: Chop the remaining walnuts into a finer crumb and set aside.  

Step 5: Unroll the filo pastry and brush the whole sheet lightly with olive oil. Sprinkle a thin layer of finely chopped walnuts over the pastry and lay another layer of filo on top. Brush the top layer with a little more olive oil.

Step 6: Spoon ¼ of the filling in the middle bottom part of the pastry and shape into a log. Fold the edges in over the filling and tightly roll upwards. Brush a little more olive oil on Place the parcel onto a lined tray and repeat with the rest of the filling.  

Step 7: Brush the tops of each parcel with olive oil and sprinkle with any remaining walnuts and sesame seeds. Pop these parcels in the oven for 30- 35 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.

Step 8: Make the salad by mixing the tomatoes together with the cucumber and olives. Add the red wine vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil to the bowl along with the oregano, dill and a little seasoning and mix well.  

Step 9: Remove the filo parcels from the oven and serve with the tomato salad alongside.  

Honey and rum peaches with mini doughnuts

In Episode Five, Judi concludes her grand adventure in the charming port of Itea, where she gets acquainted with some busy bees at a local honey farm, before making a sweet treat of honey and rum peaches with mini doughnuts.

Ingredients: 

Method: 

Step 1: Place the egg and yoghurt into a large mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon, butter and sugar, whisk again. Lastly tip in the flour and mix well until it forms a dough.

Step 2: Remove the dough from the bowl and place it onto a floured surface and knead for a minute to bring it together. Using your hands or a rolling pin, flatten it out so that it is around 1.5cm in thickness.

Step 3: Pour 2 inches of the vegetable oil into a medium high sided sauté pan. Place it onto the heat until it reaches 170C.

Step 4: Using a 3cm-4cm round cookie cutter, stamp out circles of the dough and lay them onto a tray. Bring the remaining dough together again and repeat this process until all the dough has been used.  

Step 5: While you are waiting for the oil to heat up, place another sauté pan onto a medium high heat. Add the butter and when it begins to foam, add the peaches, vanilla and honey. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the peaches are tender and their colour begins to seep into the sauce. Add a bit of rum if you fancy it and flambé. Remove the pan from the heat and squeeze in the lemon juice. Set aside.

Step 6: Mix the cinnamon sugar ingredients into a small tray. And set up a wire rack over a tray for when your donuts are cooked.  

Step 7: When your oil reaches 170C, begin to carefully drop your donuts into the oil. Cook in batches, depending on how big your pan is. Cook for 2 minutes and then flip each one over in the oil. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until they are golden and cooked through.

Step 8: Lift them out of the oil and lay them onto a wire rack to drain off any excess oil, then drop them into the cinnamon sugar and shake them well until they are all evenly coated in sugar.  

Step 9: Serve 5-6 in a bowl with a few peach wedges alongside. Add a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle over some of that sweet peach vanilla syrup.

Watch Judi Love cooking up a storm

Tune in to 'Judi Love's Culinary Cruise' on SBS Food to watch Judi discover fabulous places in the Mediterranean then cook up her own dishes inspired by it all. 

Watch on SBS Food (Freeview channel 33):

Episode 1: Saturday, 12 April @ 7:30pm
Episode 2: Saturday, 19 April @ 7:30pm
Episode 3: Saturday, 26 April @ 7:30pm
Episode 4: Saturday, 3 May @ 7:30pm
Episode 5: Saturday, 10 May @ 7:30pm