Some dishes translate very happily from one Mediterranean idiom to another and today’s recipes, inspired by travels in Spain and Portugal, work very well with ingredients available here like strawberries, oranges, polenta, shellfish and pork.

In Andalusia with strawberry fields on one side of the road and orange groves heady with blossom on the other, the perfect dessert came to mind. Here the orange blossom is every bit as fragrant and the strawberries even sweeter.

Simply peel and slice some oranges, put them in a bowl and keep one back for the juice. Rinse, hull and quarter a punnet or two of strawberries and scatter them among the oranges. Sprinkle on a little icing sugar if you wish, although the fruit will probably be sweet enough without it, and squeeze on the juice from the remaining orange. If you have it, a splash of orange flower water will make this into an even better dessert. Chill lightly until required, but do not make more than an hour or two in advance, as the strawberries will begin to flop.

Eggs have always played an important part in Iberian gastronomy, often combined with seasonal vegetables. The best known example is probably the tortilla, a thick cake of eggs and potatoes. A favourite is pisto manchego, in which red peppers, tomatoes and aubergines are cooked down to a rich stew.

Three or four raw eggs are slid on top of the mixture, which is put in the oven until the eggs are just set. Another way with eggs and vegetables is to take six to eight asparagus stalks for each person, boil them and serve with a soft-boiled, poached or fried egg, topped with fried breadcrumbs. This is one of the nicest first courses you can eat at this time of year and one of the easiest. If you add boiled potatoes, you have a delicious supper or lunch dish.

For a buffet, or larger lunch party, when eggs cooked à la minute are quite out of the question, simply make a bowl of mayonnaise, flavoured with lemon, or orange, to serve with the asparagus, which is just as good tepid as hot. Some would say better.

When I come across a dish I’ve never tasted before, I feel like an archaeologist with a rare potsherd, something I experienced when I was served a Portuguese dish I had never even heard of. It was in the Algarve, of all places, you might say, since the area is more known for its tourist food than its local gastronomy.

When I come across a dish I’ve never tasted before, I feel like an archaeologist with a rare potsherd

But look hard enough and there is a wealth of traditional food. In the back streets of Faro, we found a restaurant serving xarém. Made of cornmeal, it has the texture and flavour of soft polenta, which is exactly what it is, although it is usually given in translation as cornmeal mash or mush.

When people were poorer, it was served with sardines or even fried breadcrumbs, just as in Sicily some of the pasta dishes are served topped with breadcrumbs instead of cheese. Now xarém is served rico, rich, with prawns or conquilhas, tiny, smooth-shelled, wedge-shaped clams found along the Algarve and Costa de la Luz.

I’ve included a recipe for it, to which I suggest you add fresh prawns, as well as mussels or clams. Use the shells to make the stock for the polenta and serve the dish as a first course, preferably from a large earthenware pot.

The pork dish is also from Spain’s Huelva province, famous not only for its seafood and strawberries but for the cerdo iberico, the Iberian pig. Herds of these fine animals feed on herbs and acorns in the forests of the Sierra de Aracena and most of them end up as jamon iberico bellota, of which there is no better cured ham in the world.

But in this particular part of Spain, you can buy fresh Iberian pork and also find it on local menus. It is beautifully marbled, tender, with a deep, rich incomparable flavour.

Today’s recipe is one I learned from Spanish chef Nacho Martinez when I had the good fortune of being one of his fellow chefs during a series of master classes we gave some years ago under the auspices of the Spanish Foreign Trade Office. His recipe for marinated pork loin is very easy, although some advance preparation is required, and adapts well to local pork.

To drink, I recommend a well-chilled Tio Pepe to start with, accompanied by some olives, toasted almonds and thinly-sliced chorizo, before moving on to the first course.

It is worth noting that this is one of the few fino sherries to have the bottling date printed in other than code, so look for the youngest you can find. The best fino is the freshest.

To go with the pork, you need look no further than a Rioja. If a Crianza, lightly chilled; if a Reserva or Gran Reserva, cool. Before the dessert, and to finish the red wine, I recommend a piece of Manchego, Spain’s best-known cheese. A Moscatel de Valencia, if you can find it, or other dessert wine made with the muscat grape, will be a delight with the strawberries and oranges. Buen proveche!

Xarém com mariscos (Mashed corn with shellfish)

(Serves 6)

1kg raw Mediterranean prawns
100ml white wine
500g clams or mussels, or a mixture
250g coarse polenta or cornmeal
50g cured ham (like Jamon Serrano) optional
pepper to taste
fresh coriander

Shell the prawns and use the shells to make stock with the white wine and about one litre of water. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, then strain and reserve the stock. Scrub the shellfish and discard any that remain closed.

Put them in a saucepan with a glass of water. Cover with a tight-fitting lid, bring to the boil and steam until just opened. Remove from the heat and tip the shellfish into a colander set over a bowl to catch the cooking liquid. Remove from their shells and place the shellfish in a bowl, just covered with cold water to stop them drying out.

When cold, measure out 500ml liquid using the shellfish broth and the prawn stock, making it up with water if necessary. Put in a saucepan and stir in the polenta flour or cornmeal. Stirring all the time, bring to the boil and simmer for the time stated on the packet.

When it needs no longer than two or three minutes, stir in the shelled prawns and let them cook. Add more liquid if the mixture is stiff. It should have soft consistency. Stir in the cooked mussels and clams, together with the ham if using it, a little pepper to season and some fresh coriander leaves for that authentic Portuguese flavour.

Serve right away. Some recipes also call for the addition of chourico, the Portuguese sausage, and smoked bacon. Pancetta will do.

Solomillo de cerdo en abobo (Marinated pork fillet)

(Serves 6)

(Begin preparation at least 12 hours in advance)

3 pork tenderloin fillets
6 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp pimenton dulce
1 tbsp pimenton picante
1 tbsp ground cumin
1-2 tbsps fresh oregano
2 tsps freshly ground black pepper
3 large red peppers
3 large green peppers
1.5kg Gozo potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil

Cut the pork tenderloins down the middle without cutting them right through and open like a book. Rub them with some of the olive oil and then the garlic, spices and herbs. Place in a dish, cover, refrigerate and marinate for about 12 hours.

About one-and-a-half hours before serving, cut the potatoes, unpeeled, into thick slices and cook in the oven in more of the olive oil until tender. You can also add garlic if you wish. Roast the peppers for an hour, at about 150˚C and when cool enough, peel and cut into strips.

To cook the pork, first dry it then heat a griddle or large cast-iron frying pan and sear the pork all over. Then cook it for 15 to 20 minutes until cooked through, turning the pieces of meat to ensure even cooking. You can also grill this on the barbecue.

To serve, arrange the potatoes on a plate, lay the pork, sliced, on top, and spoon the peppers on top of the meat. Sprinkle some pimentón on the edge of the plate for decoration.