Featured recipe

Arepas boyacenses

Cheese-stuffed sweet arepas

Roadside stalls on the highway from Bogotá to Tunja sell these golden, puffed discs straight off the griddle. Unlike the plain arepas of Antioquia, the boyacense mixes yellow corn with wheat flour, butter and a little sugar, and it hides a layer of fresh cheese that melts as it cooks, so each bite is sweet, salty and buttery at once. Eat them warm with coffee, hot chocolate or a cup of aguapanela. Queso campesino or cuajada is traditionally set with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian mozzarella or other microbial-rennet fresh cheese. The trap is cooking them on a high heat: the sugar browns fast and the middle stays raw and doughy. Chef's tip: keep the griddle at low-medium and give them time; a slow cook gives a thin crisp crust and lets the cheese melt fully.

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High on the Aubrac plateau, where Aveyron, Cantal and Lozère meet, aligot was once the meal monks gave to pilgrims on the road to Santiago. Today it is beaten in huge copper pans at village fêtes and buron farm restaurants around Laguiole, then lifted high on a wooden spoon in long, glossy ribbons before it is served beside sausages or, for a vegetarian table, a big green salad and roasted mushrooms. It is a mash of floury potato, butter, cream and garlic, worked with young tomme fraîche until it stretches like mozzarella. Tomme fraîche is made with animal rennet; a mix of vegetarian mozzarella and a vegetarian mild cheddar gives a similar stretch. Chef's tip: keep beating in a figure of eight once the cheese goes in; the stretch only comes with steady work.

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Ankara tavasıBraised lamb on orzo pilaf

Ankara's signature dish is a tava, a baking pan, in which tender braised lamb is laid over a pilaf of rice and orzo and finished in the oven so the top grains go crisp and the meat juices soak right through. Old Ankara families serve it for guests and at festival lunches, with a bowl of cacık and pickles. Common mistake: using fully cooked pilaf, which dries out and turns hard in the oven; cook the rice only halfway. Chef's tip: save every spoon of the lamb's braising liquid; it's what flavours and finishes cooking the rice underneath.

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AntikristoSlow-roasted lamb

Antikristo means 'facing each other', and in the Psiloritis mountain villages above Anogeia it describes big pieces of lamb on long skewers set upright round a wood fire, turned now and then for four or five hours until the fat has dripped away and the meat is smoky and crisp. At village feasts and saint's-day fairs it is carved straight from the skewer onto paper with nothing more than salt and a squeeze of lemon. This home version roasts salted lamb shoulder and ribs slowly in the oven, then finishes them hot for crackling edges. Common mistake: adding herbs and marinades; the Cretan way is only coarse salt, so the lamb's own flavour comes through. Chef's tip: salt the meat the night before and leave it uncovered in the fridge so the surface dries and crisps.

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Arabaşı çorbasıSpicy chicken soup with dough cubes

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Arakas laderosPeas braised in olive oil

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55 min

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ArayesKafta-stuffed grilled pitta

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30 min

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ArnadíPumpkin, sweet potato and almond sweet

In Xàtiva and the villages of La Costera, arnadí is made for Holy Week and given as a gift between neighbours, its golden peaks spiked with almonds and pine nuts like a little fortress. The recipe is a legacy of the region's Moorish centuries: roast pumpkin and sweet potato cooked down with sugar and ground almonds until thick, then shaped by hand in an earthenware dish and browned in the oven. Texture-wise it sits between a fudge and a very dense pudding, fragrant with lemon and cinnamon. A common mistake is using boiled pumpkin; it holds too much water and the arnadí never firms up. Chef's tip: roast the vegetables until the edges caramelise, then leave the purée to drain in a sieve overnight for the best, densest result.

150 min

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25 min

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Arni fricasseeLamb and lettuce stew with egg-lemon

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125 min

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175 min

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Arròs brutSoupy rice with chicken and pork

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100 min

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ArrosticiniGrilled lamb skewers

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Nothing Greek about it: the name is pure Brazilian whimsy, and every carioca Christmas and New Year's Eve table has a big platter of this colourful rice next to the roast. Long-grain rice is cooked with onion and garlic and then tossed with diced carrot, peas, red pepper, raisins and spring onion, so each spoonful is savoury, a little sweet and full of colour. It also turns up at weekend lunches and as a side with grilled vegetables or bean dishes. Most people overload the pan and steam everything together, which turns the vegetables dull and soft. Cook the rice and the vegetables separately and fold them together at the end. Chef's tip: soak the raisins in a little hot water for 10 minutes; they plump up and don't pull moisture out of the rice.

35 min

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Arroz a la tumbadaSoupy seafood rice

Along the Veracruz coast, from Alvarado to the port itself, fishermen's families make arroz a la tumbada: a loose, soupy red rice cooked in tomato and fish stock and loaded with prawns, squid, clams and mussels. It sits between a paella and a seafood soup, eaten with a spoon at long Sunday lunches in beachside palapas, with lime wedges and hot sauce on the table. Epazote gives it its local scent; parsley with a pinch of oregano will do if you can't find it. Chef's tip: take it off the heat while it still looks too wet; the rice keeps drinking the broth on the way to the table.

70 min

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Arroz clavadoCoconut rice with cheese

From Quibdó and the river towns of the Chocó comes a rice dish built on coconut, where cubes of white cheese are pushed into the pot near the end and left to melt into sticky, golden pockets; clavado means nailed in. The coconut milk, ideally pressed from freshly grated coconut, gives the rice a creamy, gently sweet base, and the Pacific herbs of the azotea, the raised kitchen garden, add a sharp green note. It is a weekday lunch at home, eaten with fried plantain, avocado or alongside fried fish for those who eat it. White cheese in Colombia is usually set with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) halloumi or mozzarella-style cheese if needed. Stirring after the cheese goes in is the slip that turns it to mush, so poke the cheese into the rice and then leave the lid on. Chef's tip: culantro (long-leaf coriander) from Asian or Caribbean shops is close to the Chocó herbs; use ordinary coriander stems if not.

40 min

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Arroz com pequiRice with pequi fruit

Pequi is the taste of the cerrado: a yellow-orange fruit with a powerful perfume, somewhere between cheese, apricot and petrol, that goianos love and newcomers need time to get used to. In Goiânia and around Brasília, rice cooked with pequi turns golden and absorbs that aroma; it is often made with chicken, but this meatless version is everyday food in the November-to-February season. Pequi is sold fresh in cerrado markets and frozen or jarred in brine in Brazilian shops elsewhere. Important: the stone inside the flesh is covered in fine, sharp spines. Never bite into a pequi; gnaw the flesh off gently with your teeth, and warn your guests. The usual slip is stirring the rice too much after the water goes in, which breaks the soft fruit apart. Chef's tip: fry the pequi in the oil first until it colours, because that flavoured oil is what tints and scents every grain.

40 min

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Arroz con conejoRabbit and rosemary rice

On Sundays in the Murcian countryside, rice with rabbit is cooked in a wide, flat pan over a fire of vine shoots, and the whole family eats straight from the edges. The rice is Calasparra, grown along the Segura river in the north of the region, and the flavour comes from rabbit browned slowly in olive oil, dried ñora pepper, saffron and a sprig of mountain rosemary laid on top at the end. Many cooks add snails too. Chef's tip: brown the rabbit really well, until golden and sticky, because that crust is where the flavour of the broth comes from.

85 min

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Arroz con costraOven-baked rice with chicken and sausage

Elche and Orihuela, in the south of Alicante, finish their Sunday rice in a way no other Spanish rice is finished: a thick layer of beaten egg is poured over the cooked rice, chicken, chickpeas and sausages, and the earthenware dish goes into a hot oven until the egg puffs into a golden lid. Families argue about whether the costra should be cracked at the table or cut into wedges. This contains pork (white sausages and morcilla). A common mistake is pouring the egg over rice that is still soupy; the egg sinks in and goes rubbery, so wait until the liquid has almost all gone. Chef's tip: bake it in a wide earthenware cazuela if you have one, which holds the heat and gives the crust its traditional dome.

100 min

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Arroz con patoDuck and coriander rice

Chiclayo and the northern coast claim arroz con pato as their own, and family lunches and big Sunday gatherings there often centre on a deep pot of it: duck legs browned and simmered in dark beer and a purée of coriander and spinach, then rice cooked in the same green, duck-rich liquid with peas, red pepper and ají amarillo. The rice is moist and loose, the duck tender with crisp edges, and it is served with salsa criolla and, often, papa a la huancaína. The beer contains alcohol, and not all of it cooks off; for an alcohol-free pot use alcohol-free beer or the stock swap in the ingredients. A common mistake is skipping the browning, which leaves flabby skin and a pale, fatty rice; render the duck slowly first and pour off excess fat. Chef's tip: let the cooked rice rest under the lid off the heat for 10 minutes before fluffing.

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Arroz de cuxáRice with roselle leaves and shrimp

Green-flecked, sharp and nutty, arroz de cuxá is the signature rice of São Luís, served in Maranhão homes and seafood restaurants with fried fish, torta de camarão or a simple fried egg. The sourness comes from vinagreira, the leaves of the roselle hibiscus, cooked down into a thick cuxá sauce with dried shrimp, toasted sesame and a little cassava flour, then stirred into fluffy white rice. Roselle leaves are sold as gongura in Indian grocers and as sorrel leaves in Caribbean shops; spinach with lime juice is a mild stand-in. The common error is under-cooking the leaves, which leaves them stringy; they should collapse into a dark, soft purée. For a vegetarian version, leave out the shrimp and add a spoonful more sesame. Chef's tip: toast the sesame until it just turns gold and starts to pop, then grind it while warm so it releases its oil into the sauce.

55 min

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Arroz de lingueirãoRazor clam rice

When the tide drops on the Ria Formosa near Fuzeta, pickers dig razor clams from the mud, and by lunchtime the riverside tascas are serving them in this loose, brothy rice, called malandrinho because it should still ripple in the bowl. Tomato, garlic and a big handful of coriander carry the sweet, briny clam flavour. The recipe uses a little white wine; for an alcohol-free version use the same amount of water with a teaspoon of lemon juice. Chef's tip: add the razor clams for the last 2 minutes only, or they turn rubbery.

60 min

Portuguese Rice & Grains

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Arroz de mariscoSoupy seafood rice

This is not paella. Portuguese arroz de marisco is wet and soupy, eaten with a spoon straight from the pot, and Lisbon families order a big one to share at seafood restaurants on a Sunday, waiting while it is made fresh. The rice simmers in a rich tomato and shellfish broth, then prawns, clams and mussels go in at the end so they stay tender. White wine is traditional and contains alcohol; use more stock instead. A common mistake is letting it stand: the rice keeps drinking the broth, so serve it the moment it is ready. Chef's tip: make the broth from the prawn heads and shells; it is where most of the flavour comes from.

80 min

Portuguese Fish

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Arroz de pato à moda de BragaDuck rice with chouriço

In Braga, duck rice is moister than the crisp-topped versions elsewhere: the rice is cooked in a deep duck broth, layered with shredded meat and slices of chouriço, then given a short spell in a hot oven so the top just colours. It is a festive dish for christenings, weddings and Sunday lunches. This contains pork (chouriço and smoked bacon). Chef's tip: make the broth the day before and chill it, so you can lift off the duck fat and use a spoonful of it to fry the onion.

160 min

Portuguese Rice & Grains

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Arroz de pica no chãoChicken and blood rice

'Pica no chão' means 'pecks the ground', the Minho name for a free-range farmyard hen, and this soupy rice is how it is cooked for a family gathering in Barcelos or Vila Verde. Traditionally the bird's blood is stirred in at the end with vinegar, cabidela style, giving a dark, tangy, velvety sauce; without it you get a lighter but equally good chicken rice. Use a free-range bird or thighs for proper flavour. A common mistake is letting the rice sit before serving; this is a loose, soupy rice and it thickens fast, so bring it to the table at once. Chef's tip: the rice must be served the moment it is ready, still swimming in broth, because it keeps absorbing liquid.

90 min

Portuguese Chicken

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Arroz de sarrabulhoRice with mixed meats and blood

Ponte de Lima, the old market town on the river Lima, is the capital of sarrabulho, and on market Mondays its restaurants serve this dark, soupy rice from enormous pots. This contains pork (pork shoulder, belly and chouriço) and cooked pig's blood. Several meats are simmered together for a rich broth, then shredded and cooked with rice, cumin and blood until it turns deep brown and creamy. It is usually served next to rojões, with lemon to cut the richness. Chef's tip: add the blood at the very end and stir constantly, so it thickens the rice smoothly instead of forming lumps.

150 min

Portuguese Rice & Grains

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Arroz de tamborilMonkfish and tomato rice

Fish restaurants in Aveiro, Figueira da Foz and the fishing town of Praia de Mira serve this rice in the pot it was cooked in, steaming and loose, with chunks of firm monkfish and a broth coloured by tomato and peppers. It is a lunch for the weekend, eaten slowly near the beach. Monkfish holds its shape well, and its head and bones make a fine stock. You can add prawns if you like. Chef's tip: it should be 'malandrinho', loose and soupy, so take it off the heat while the rice is still slightly firm; it carries on softening at the table.

75 min

Portuguese Fish

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Arroz del senyoretPeeled seafood rice

The name means "the little gentleman's rice", after the well-to-do diners at Valencia's beach restaurants in Las Arenas and El Saler who refused to get their hands dirty peeling prawns. So every piece of seafood goes into the pan already peeled and cut to fork size, while the shells are fried into the stock to keep all their flavour. The result is a thin layer of saffron-gold rice dotted with sweet prawn, squid and monkfish, eaten straight from the pan on a summer Sunday. A common mistake is throwing the prawn shells away; they give the stock its depth. Chef's tip: grate the tomato rather than chopping it; the pulp melts into the sofrito and lets it darken quickly.

75 min

Spanish Fish

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