Self-catering ski holidays are great and have loads of advantages. The main negative is you can end up chained to the stove all week.
The three meals below take minimum effort and give maximum flavour, they are also just what you need after a day on the slopes.
You could eat out all the time, but once you’ve paid out for restaurants you might as well have stayed in a restaurant or chalet.
Balancing cooking and your holiday
The meals below are perfect for a family ski holiday:
- Kids love them
- They only take around 15 minutes of your time to prepare
- They’ll give you plenty of time to have a cheeky drink while the stove does it’s work.
- Plus they taste amazing… you won’t look at a jar of sauce again.
Assuming like in most ski apartments you won’t have a stove, the meals below can all be cooked on the hob. If you really want to reduce your time in the kitchen the Chilli and Ragu could be doubled up and the sauce reheated the next day.
- Bacon Chilli – 15 mins prep (chop, fry and mix) and then leave for 30 mins to cook
- Ragu – 15 mins prep (chop, fry and mix) and then leave for 30 mins to cook
- Carbonara – 20 mins, that’s it. If you can chop quickly it can be made in the time it takes to cook the pasta
Bacon Chilli
This recipe is different take on your traditional chilli recipe and it tastes amazing. Serve with rice, soured cream, grated cheese, tortilla chips and avocado (if you can get it).
Ingredients
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 pack of lardons
- 2 tins of tomato, 400g
- 1 can kidney beans, 400g – not drained
- 2 can kidney beans, 400g – drained
- 1 tsp allspice*
- 1 tsp smoked paprika*
- 2 tsp oregano*
*To save time and money you can make a premix of these spices in a small pot and home and take with you.
Instructions
- Prepare the garlic, onions and bacon
- Put pan on high heat, to check hot enough either
- place hand about 10cm above pan and check can feel heat
- Then add a piece of bacon and wait until it starts to sizzle
- Once the pan is hot add bacon, spread evenly in the pan and brown it off, only stir occasionally.
- Once bacon is mostly brown turn heat down to medium and add onions and garlic.
- While cooking open the beans and tomatoes, drain the 2 can of kidney beans only
- we’re going to add one can with water
- Fry until the onions are starting to go translucent
- Now add remaining ingredients
- Bring to a simmer and leave for 30 mins
Serve and enjoy
Ragu
Five simple ingredients make one hell of a great sauce
Ingredients
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 onion
- 500g mince
- 2 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp oregano
Serve with 400g pasta and grated cheese, plus the remains of your baguette or bread from lunch.
Instructions
- chop up the onions and garlic
- Add the oil to a large saucepan and place on a medium heat
- Place a small piece of onion in the pan and once it starts to sizzle add the rest of the garlic and onions
- Once onion starts to go translucent, put mince into the pan, break up and stir through.
- Turn up to a full heat, continue occasionally stirring and cook the mince until it’s all brown and then add oregano and tin tomatoes.
- Once bubbling turn the heat low so it’s just bubbling and then leave to cook (approx 30mins)
- Cook pasta to be ready at same time as sauce.
- Add pasta to sauce, mix through
- Turn off the hob and leave pasta to absorb some of the sauce for a few minutes
Plate up… eat
Carbonara
Ingredients
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 pack lardons
- A cup full of peas
- A handful of green beans, top and tail, then chop into bite size pieces
- 1 tub creme fraiche
- 2 tsp oregano
Instructions
- Put beans and peas in a saucepan and cover with boiling water for 5 mins and then drain and put to one side
- Heat frying pan or pot (the larger the better) on a high heat, once hot add lardons
- Once lardons have started to brown (after 3-4 mins) turn down heat to a medium heat and add onion and garlic.
- Cook until they start to look translucent.
- Then add beans and peas and cook for 2 mins.
- Turn heat right down and add oregano and creme fraiche, you may not need the whole tub.
- It’ll need 5 mins on a medium heat to heat through, if it looks too thick add a spoon of pasta water.
- Now add pasta to the sauce