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53 recipes

Morcilla dulceSweet blood sausage with walnuts

No Uruguayan parrilla is complete without morcilla dulce: a soft pork blood sausage sweetened with sugar and scented with orange peel, studded with walnuts and raisins, grilled until the skin crisps and served first, as part of the achuras, while the beef is still cooking. It is pork throughout: pork blood, pork back fat and natural pork casings. Making it at home is a project. Buy fresh pork blood with an anticoagulant added from a butcher who supplies it for sausage making, keep it chilled below 4 °C and use it within a day. The common mistake is poaching at a rolling boil, which bursts the casings. Chef's tip: keep the water at 80–85 °C, just shivering, and prick a sausage after 25 minutes: it is done when brown, not red, juice comes out.

120 min

Paraguayan Meat

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BusecaTripe and white bean stew

Buseca arrived in Montevideo with Italian immigrants from Lombardy and became a classic winter dish of Uruguayan bodegones and family kitchens, eaten on cold June and July days. Honeycomb tripe is simmered until tender, then stewed with white beans, pork chorizo, bacon, peppers, tomato and paprika into a thick, warming stew served with crusty bread. Buy tripe that is already cleaned and blanched (dressed). The usual mistake is undercooking the tripe: it needs a full 2 hours, until it's soft enough to cut with a spoon. Slow-cooker option: after step 4, cook on low for 8 hours. Chef's tip: a little grated lemon zest and parsley stirred in at the end lifts the rich, gelatinous sauce.

185 min

Paraguayan Meat

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EinspännerBlack coffee with whipped cream

The Einspänner is named after the one-horse carriages of old Vienna: coachmen waiting outside in winter supposedly liked their coffee under a lid of cream that kept it hot and stopped it slopping. Today it is served in a handled glass at classic coffee houses, a strong black mocha (a double espresso or Großer Brauner without milk) topped with a thick layer of cold, lightly sweetened whipped cream and a pinch of icing sugar. You do not stir it: you sip the hot, bitter coffee through the cold, sweet cream, so each mouthful is two temperatures and two textures. It is an afternoon or late-morning coffee, often with a slice of Sachertorte. The common mistake is runny cream that sinks and turns the drink into a milky latte; whip it until it just holds a peak and spoon it on gently so it floats. It is ready when the cream stands at least 2 cm above the coffee and slowly sinks at the edges. It is strong: a double shot of caffeine in one glass. Chef's tip: pour the coffee in first and wait ten seconds before adding the cream, so the crema settles and helps support the cap.

6 min

Austrian Drinks

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Postre MassiniCustard sponge with burnt sugar top

Montevideo's birthday cake of choice since the early twentieth century, the Massini is two thin layers of sponge sandwiching a thick filling of whipped cream folded with egg-yolk custard, crowned with a thin glassy crust of torched yolk and sugar. Bakeries across Uruguay sell it on Sundays. Traditional versions sometimes add a sweet fortified wine to the custard; this one is alcohol-free. The custard is cooked to a safe 71 °C. The common mistake is assembling with warm custard, which melts the cream into a puddle. Chef's tip: if you don't have a blowtorch, put the sugared top under a very hot grill for a minute and watch it closely.

80 min

Paraguayan Baking

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ZlevankaBaked cornmeal and buttermilk cake

Zlevanka, from the Slovenian for 'poured', is a farmhouse batter cake from the Prekmurje and Štajerska regions, poured into a tin and baked for breakfast, then cut into squares and eaten with a big cup of milky white coffee. This sweet version is made with cornmeal and buttermilk, which give it a soft, moist, slightly crumbly crumb with a golden crust; some families add fruit on top. The common mistake is overmixing the batter once the flour goes in, which makes it tough; stir only until combined. Chef's tip: soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk for 15 minutes before mixing, so it softens and the cake isn't gritty.

50 minBalkan Baking

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LakrorLeek and cheese pie

Lakror comes from the south of Albania, around Korçë, where it was baked in a round copper tray under a saç, a domed iron lid heaped with embers, and eaten for breakfast or carried to the fields. Thin rounds of homemade dough are layered with oil, then filled with leeks, onions and cheese, giving a pie that is crisp at the top and soft inside. At home, a very hot oven stands in for the saç. The common mistake is rolling the dough too thick: each round should be thin enough to see your hand through, or the layers stay doughy. Chef's tip: rest the dough balls for 30 minutes after kneading; relaxed dough rolls out thin without shrinking back.

100 minBalkan Baking

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Cocido quemadoBurnt sugar mate drink

Cocido is how Paraguay starts the day: in Asunción, in the villages of Guairá and Itapúa, and in school kitchens, a pot of burnt yerba is brewed and poured into cups with chipa, the cheesy cassava bread, or with a hard galleta. The old way is to drop a glowing piece of charcoal into a pot with yerba and sugar and stir until the sugar burns. On a home stove you caramelise them together in a dry pan instead, which is safer and gives the same smoky, toffee-like taste. The drink is clear amber-brown, with roasted, slightly bitter mate notes over burnt-sugar sweetness; with milk added it becomes cocido con leche, creamy and coffee-coloured. Yerba mate contains caffeine, so treat it like a cup of coffee. The common mistake is letting the sugar go black: it turns acrid and bitter. Pull it off the heat when the caramel is deep amber and the yerba smells toasted, not burnt. It is ready when the liquid is a clear dark amber and tastes of toffee and smoke. Chef's tip: the water will spit fiercely when it hits the hot caramel, so pour it in from the side, at arm's length.

14 min

Paraguayan Drinks

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TereréIced yerba mate

In Asunción the hottest part of the day stops for tereré: a horn or cup packed with yerba mate, topped up again and again with ice water infused with crushed herbs, and passed round the group through a metal straw. It was recognised by UNESCO as part of Paraguay's cultural heritage, and the herbs (yuyos) change with the season and the drinker's mood. Yerba mate contains caffeine, so it isn't one for small children. The common mistake is pouring water straight into loose yerba, which then clogs the straw; tilt the yerba to one side first. Chef's tip: for tereré ruso, swap the water for cold orange or grapefruit juice.

10 min

Paraguayan Drinks

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Wiener MelangeCoffee with milk and foam

In Vienna you never simply order 'a coffee'; you order by name, and the Melange is the one most Viennese ask for. It arrives in a large cup on a small silver tray with a glass of water and often a tiny chocolate, and you may sit over it for an hour with the newspapers at Café Prückel or Hawelka, mid-morning or after lunch. Traditionally it is a mild, longer espresso (a Verlängerter) with roughly equal hot milk and a soft cap of milk foam; it is gentler than a cappuccino and the foam is looser and creamier. Expect a round, nutty, slightly sweet cup with little bitterness. The common mistake is overheating the milk: once it passes about 70 °C it smells cooked and loses its sweetness and the foam turns big-bubbled and dry. Stop when the jug is too hot to hold for more than a second or two. It is ready when the foam sits in a smooth, glossy dome about a finger thick and the coffee shows as a brown ring at the edge. One cup has about the caffeine of a single espresso. Chef's tip: always serve the glass of water alongside, as Vienna does; it is drunk first to clear the palate.

6 min

Austrian Drinks

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SchnitzelsemmelSchnitzel in a bread roll

Austrians setting off on a train journey, a ski day or a building-site shift pack a Schnitzelsemmel: a crisp Kaisersemmel roll holding a cold, golden pork schnitzel (veal for special days), a leaf of lettuce and a squeeze of lemon, sometimes with a smear of mustard or a gherkin. Leftover Sunday schnitzels are made for it. The common mistake is pressing the breadcrumbs on hard; they should sit loosely so they puff up and ripple away from the meat as it fries. Chef's tip: shake the pan constantly while frying so hot fat washes over the top, and the crust soufflés into those famous waves.

35 min

Austrian Meat

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FlijaLayered batter pie

Flija is the dish of long summer afternoons in Kosovo, from the Rugova valley to the villages around Prizren, when friends gather and take turns tending the saç, a domed iron lid heaped with embers. Thin batter is painted onto a round tray in spokes, cooked under the heat, brushed with a mix of sour cream and yogurt, then painted again, until 15 or more layers have built up over a couple of hours. Cut into wedges, it is chewy, buttery and lightly scorched, served with honey, white cheese, pickled peppers or a bowl of yogurt. At home, a very hot oven grill stands in for the saç. The most frequent mistake is crowding the batter: each spoke must leave a finger-wide gap for the next layer to fill, or the pie becomes a thick, gummy pancake. Chef's tip: keep the batter as thin as single cream, and whisk in a spoonful of water whenever it thickens as it stands.

240 minBalkan Baking

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ČobanacShepherd's meat stew with paprika

Slavonia, the flat farmland of eastern Croatia, cooks čobanac outdoors in a black cauldron at village fairs and hunting parties, and the smell of paprika drifts across the whole field. Three meats go in, typically beef, pork and venison or wild boar, with mountains of onion, sweet and hot paprika and a few peppers, simmering for hours until the sauce is thick, brick-red and spicy. This dish contains pork. Eat it with crusty bread or polenta. The usual slip is burning the paprika: it turns bitter in seconds, so always take the pot off the heat before stirring it in. Chef's tip: cook it a day ahead; like most stews it tastes deeper the next day.

180 minBalkan Meat

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Leskovačka mućkalicaCharred pork stew with peppers

Leskovac, in southern Serbia, is the country's grill capital, and its late-summer barbecue festival fills the main street with smoke; mućkalica is what the grill cooks make with meat that has spent time over the coals. Chunks of pork neck or shoulder are charred, then stewed with roasted peppers, onion, tomato and hot paprika until the sauce turns thick, glossy and fiery. This home version marinates the pork in the fridge and sears it on a griddle pan for that charred note. Serve straight from the pot with flatbread and a cucumber salad. The name comes from shaking the pan, and constant stirring is the usual mistake; swirl the pot instead so the pepper strips keep their shape. Chef's tip: char the peppers until black and blistered, then steam them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes and the skins slip off in seconds.

80 minBalkan Meat

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Njeguški ražanjPork rolls with ham and cheese

Njeguši, the stone village high above the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, is famous for two things: its air-dried pršut ham and its sheep's cheese. This dish wraps both inside thin pork escalopes, which are rolled tight, threaded onto skewers and roasted, traditionally on a spit, until the outside is browned and the cheese melts into the ham. It is pork through and through, and once the rolls are cooked right through the cured ham inside is cooked too. Serve with roast potatoes and a little kajmak or sour cream. A common mistake is pounding the pork too thin, so it tears; aim for 5 mm. Chef's tip: marinate the pork overnight in the fridge with garlic and oil; the meat stays juicy around the salty filling.

90 minBalkan Meat

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Reform tortaWalnut meringue chocolate cake

Belgrade pastry shops have sold reform torta since the early twentieth century, and it is still the cake Serbian families bring out for birthdays, weddings and the slava. Three thin layers of walnut meringue, crisp at the edge and chewy inside, are stacked with a dense chocolate butter cream made with egg yolks cooked over steam until thick. It is very rich, so cut thin slices and serve with strong coffee. The usual slip is beating the butter into a chocolate mixture that is still warm, which melts it and splits the cream; let it cool to room temperature first. Chef's tip: assemble the cake the day before; overnight in the fridge the meringue softens a little and the cake slices cleanly with a hot knife.

150 minBalkan Baking

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Svadbarski kupusSauerkraut and smoked pork stew

Wedding cabbage is cooked by the cauldron in central Serbia, and the village of Mrčajevci near Čačak holds a whole autumn festival in its honour, with cooks competing over clay pots that have bubbled in the embers since dawn. Sauerkraut is layered with smoked pork ribs, smoked bacon, pork shoulder and beef shin, then left alone for hours until the meat collapses and the cabbage turns soft, smoky and sour-sweet. This version goes into a low oven in a clay pot or heavy casserole. Serve it with bread, hot dried chillies and a glass of cold water. Hurrying it in a hot oven is the commonest error; at 200 °C the kraut dries and the meat tightens, while 150 °C and patience give silky results. Chef's tip: it is even better made a day ahead; cool, refrigerate and reheat covered until bubbling hot all the way through.

360 minBalkan Meat

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Sogan dolmaStuffed onions

Sarajevo's grandmothers make sogan dolma in summer, when the onions are sweet and juicy: whole onions are blanched, their layers peeled apart, and each shell is filled with spiced beef mince and rice, then baked until soft and caramel-edged and finished with a tangy sour cream sauce. In Bosnia and Herzegovina they are a dish for Ramadan iftar tables and family Sundays, eaten with bread to mop up the sauce. Where most people go wrong is not blanching the onions long enough; the layers tear instead of slipping apart. Chef's tip: chop the small inner hearts you cannot stuff and fry them into the filling, so nothing is wasted.

120 minBalkan Meat

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PodvarakSauerkraut baked with pork shoulder

On Serbian winter tables, at Christmas, slava feast days and Sunday lunch in Vojvodina farmhouses, podvarak is the sauerkraut that has drunk up the roast. Shredded fermented cabbage is fried with plenty of onion and paprika, then baked under pieces of pork shoulder (turkey is the other favourite) until the top of the kraut caramelises and the meat falls from the bone. It is sharp, sweet and savoury at once; serve it with mashed potato or bread and pickled peppers. Fry in lard for the old-fashioned flavour or sunflower oil if you prefer. Baking it dry is the common mistake: the cabbage needs water and a tight cover first, or the edges scorch before it softens. Chef's tip: uncover for the last 40 minutes and baste the meat; the sticky, browned edges of the kraut are the prized bit.

150 minBalkan Meat

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Kranjska klobasaSmoked pork sausage

Slovenians eat Carniolan sausage everywhere, from the stalls of Ljubljana's market to mountain huts and the ski slopes: a coarse, garlicky pork sausage, smoked until bronze, then heated in water and served with mustard, freshly grated horseradish and bread. Made with pork shoulder and back fat chopped rather than finely minced, it snaps when you bite it and spills juice. The official sausage uses curing salt for its pink colour; this home version leaves it out, so the inside is pale, and it is hot-smoked until fully cooked, so it is safe to eat. A common mistake is boiling the sausages to reheat them; they split and dry out, so keep the water just below a simmer. Chef's tip: cut the meat and fat by hand into small dice for some of the mix, it gives the classic chunky bite.

240 minBalkan Meat

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BallokumeCornmeal butter cookies

Every 14 March, Elbasan in central Albania celebrates Dita e Verës, Summer Day, an old spring festival that is now a national holiday, and the whole town smells of ballokume. These pale golden cookies are made from cornmeal, lots of butter, sugar and eggs, beaten until almost fluffy, then baked into little domes that crack on top and melt into sandy, buttery crumbs. Families give plates of them to neighbours and children nibble them alongside the red-and-white spring bracelets called verore; they are lovely with tea or Turkish-style coffee. This version is gluten free, made with fine cornmeal and cornflour, so check both packets carry a gluten-free label. Under-beating is the classic error: the butter and sugar need a full ten minutes until almost white, or the cookies bake dense and greasy. Chef's tip: chill the shaped cookies for 15 minutes before baking so they keep their dome.

45 minBalkan Baking

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KrompirušaPotato filo pie

In Bosnia only the meat pie is called burek; the potato version is krompiruša, and Sarajevo's buregdžinice bake it in great round copper trays, coiled like a snail. Thin pastry is wrapped around raw diced potato and onion seasoned with pepper, rolled into long ropes and coiled into the tin, then baked until the outside shatters and the potato inside turns soft and peppery. It is entirely plant-based when made with oil and shop-bought filo, which usually contains only flour, water and oil. Eat it hot with a glass of cold plain yogurt, or soya yogurt to keep it vegan. Where most people go wrong is cutting the potatoes too early, so they turn grey and watery; prepare them just before rolling. Chef's tip: when it comes out of the oven, sprinkle with a little hot water and cover with a clean tea towel for 10 minutes, which softens the top layers just as Bosnian bakers do.

90 minBalkan Baking

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Prekmurska gibanicaLayered poppy seed and apple cake

Prekmurje, the flat north-eastern corner of Slovenia on the Mura river near the Hungarian border, built this towering cake for weddings and harvest feasts, and it is now protected as a traditional speciality. On a shortcrust base sit eight thin layers, four fillings repeated twice: poppy seed, curd cheese, walnut and apple, each separated by thin pastry and soaked with sour cream and melted butter, so every slice shows neat stripes of grey, white, brown and gold. Serve it warm or the next day with coffee; it keeps for 3 days in the fridge and freezes well. Curd cheese (skuta or quark) is usually rennet-free, but check the label. Going heavy on the fillings is the classic trap: each layer should be about 1 cm, or the cake won't bake through and the stripes blur. Chef's tip: make all four fillings the evening before, and assembly the next day takes just 20 minutes.

180 minBalkan Baking

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KulenPaprika and garlic pork sausage

In Slavonia, eastern Croatia, kulen is the prize of the winter pig slaughter: lean pork, plenty of hot paprika and garlic packed into a thick casing and then smoked and air-dried for months until firm and brick-red. Long home dry-curing needs controlled rooms and curing salts, so this recipe makes a safer fresh kulen-spiced pork sausage, rested overnight in the fridge and cooked through to 71 °C. If you want the real cured kulen, buy it sliced from a good deli; it is eaten uncooked, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Serve the fresh sausages hot with bread, pickled peppers and sour cream or ajvar. A common mistake is letting the meat get warm while mixing, which makes it crumbly. Chef's tip: chill the mince and the bowl until icy before you start.

1485 minBalkan Meat

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SoparnikSwiss chard pie

Between Split and Omiš, in the stony villages of Poljica in Dalmatia, women once baked soparnik on the open hearth, sliding a huge round of thin dough under hot embers and ash. Its filling is nothing but raw Swiss chard, onion and parsley with olive oil, and the finished pie is brushed with garlic and more oil while it is still steaming. It is crisp at the edges, soft and green inside, and was traditionally eaten on fasting days such as Good Friday and Christmas Eve, cut into diamonds and served lukewarm with a glass of water or a plate of olives. A common mistake is salting the chard too early: it weeps water and the bottom turns soggy, so salt only as you spread it. Chef's tip: heat a large baking tray or pizza stone in the hottest possible oven so the base cooks fast, as it would on the hearthstone.

90 minBalkan Baking

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