This year has been one of the busiest I can remember. Between family and work, I believe I am now in the period of my life an older generation call “The Blur”. They’ve told me it’s a magical time full of excitement and energy and that it “doesn’t get any easier” in the nicest possible way. But most seem pretty content to have exited The Blur and offer the wisdom of hindsight. I’ve put my seat belt on in preparation for the next five or so years anyway. One thing this year has yet to offer is a holiday, so I’ve been enjoying living through others’ experiences. When my editor needed columns filed ahead of the usual deadline, I was curious… what was she up to? A trip to southern Italy was the answer. There was no jealousy or malcontent here, just wonder. “Send me photos of all the food, spare no details” was my request. For this year at least, I can live through others and their adventures.The pictures that came back were splashed in sunshine and you could almost taste the produce just by looking at them. There was seafood and salads, regional pasta dishes and crispy calamari. Which leads me to this week’s recipes, packed with Italian heart but made with Irish produce, all inspired by (and here I might cry) somebody else’s family holiday. The first dish is simple to put together but relies heavily on quality squid, and the right balance of starch in the coating to go crispy. Squid is an underused ingredient and very cost effective. You can ask your fishmonger to prep the fresh stuff for you, including the tentacles. A mix of rice and plain flour is the perfect coating. These should be cooked hard and fast – squid needs to be cooked for a very short time or a long time; anything in between is rubber territory. A simple lemon aioli is easy to bring together and the perfect accompaniment to this dish.[ Sunshine salads: two perfect recipes inspired by the farmOpens in new window ]The second dish involves beautiful, ripened tomatoes seasoned in olive oil, vinegar, salt and sugar. All you have to do is leave them to soak and serve at room temperature (very important) with some yoghurt and smoked mackerel shards. This is simple cooking at it’s best, but it demands great ingredients. Thankfully, we still have some great tomato producers across the country and there’s no better time to sample their fare than now.Recipe: Fritto misto with lemon aioliRecipe: Dressed tomato salad with smoked mackerel and Thai basil