All recipes

by KrazyBadal 0 views

SundaeKorean blood sausage

Sundae is the steamed sausage sold sliced from big steaming trays in every Korean market, from Seoul's Sillim-dong sundae town to the Byeongcheon market in Cheonan, and eaten with salt and pepper, tteokbokki sauce or a bowl of soup. This home version fills cleaned pork casings with pork blood, glass noodles, sticky rice, cabbage and bean sprouts, then poaches them gently until firm, giving soft, savoury, slightly springy slices. It is pork through and through: pork blood and pork casings. Buy the blood fresh from a butcher, keep it chilled and use it the same day. The common mistake is boiling the water hard, which bursts the casings; keep it at a lazy simmer and prick any air bubbles. Chef's tip: fill the casings only about three-quarters full; the rice swells as it cooks and an overfilled sausage splits.

140 min

Korean Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ebi fry (Japanese breaded prawns with tartare)Breaded fried prawns

In Nagoya, ebi fry is a point of local pride, served in long, straight prawns that stick out over the edge of the plate, but it is on the menu of every family restaurant and bento shop in Japan. Large prawns are scored so they stay straight, coated in panko and fried until crunchy, then served with a chunky tartare of boiled egg, onion and pickles. The common mistake is skipping the scoring; the prawns curl tight in the hot oil and the coating cracks. Prawns are done when they turn pink and opaque all the way through, usually in under 3 minutes. Use fresh or thawed raw prawns that smell of the sea; throw out any that smell of ammonia. Chef's tip: press each prawn flat on the board after scoring until you feel a slight click; that stops it curling.

35 min

Japanese Fish

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta della nonnaLemon custard pine nut tart

Torta della nonna, "grandmother's tart", is on the dessert menu of almost every trattoria in Florence and across Tuscany: a shortcrust case filled with thick lemon-scented custard, covered with a second layer of pastry and scattered with pine nuts and icing sugar. Despite the name it was probably invented by a Florentine restaurant cook in the 1900s, but it tastes of family Sunday lunches. Contains pine nuts. Chef's tip: let the custard cool completely before filling the tart; warm custard melts the butter in the pastry and makes the base soggy.

90 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chikuzenni (Fukuoka simmered chicken and root vegetables)

Chikuzen is the old name for the Fukuoka area of northern Kyushu, where this sweet-savoury simmer of chicken and root vegetables is called gameni and turns up at every family gathering; across Japan it is packed into the New Year osechi boxes and eaten cold. The chicken and vegetables are first stir-fried in oil, then simmered in dashi with soy, sugar, sake and mirin until the liquid reduces to a glaze. The sake and mirin simmer for 20 minutes, so the alcohol cooks off; use water and extra sugar for an alcohol-free version. The common mistake is stirring too much, which breaks the taro and lotus root into mush; shake the pan instead. Chef's tip: let it cool in the pot; the vegetables soak up flavour as it cools, so it is even better the next day.

50 min

Japanese Chicken

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Savoiardi

Savoiardi were created in the 1300s at the court of the House of Savoy in Piedmont, for a visit by the King of France. They are long, light finger biscuits of whipped eggs, sugar and flour, with a crisp sugary crust and a dry, spongy inside, made to be soaked: in coffee for tiramisù, in liqueur for zuppa inglese, or in milk for children's breakfast. Chef's tip: dust the piped fingers twice with icing sugar, 5 minutes apart; this forms the pearly crust that keeps them crisp outside.

37 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Myeolchi bokkeumSweet stir-fried anchovies

Myeolchi bokkeum is the lunchbox banchan of Korea, made with tiny dried anchovies landed and sun-dried on the southern coast around Tongyeong and Namhae, the country's anchovy heartland. The little fish are toasted in a dry pan, then tossed in garlic oil and a quick soy and rice-syrup glaze, so they end up crunchy, sweet, salty and deeply savoury. A small dish goes alongside rice at almost every Korean meal. The common mistake is adding the syrup over a high heat: it caramelises into a hard sheet that welds the anchovies into a brick. Chef's tip: take the pan off the heat before the syrup goes in and toss; the pan's leftover warmth is enough to glaze without hardening.

15 min

Korean Fish

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Torta capreseFlourless chocolate almond cake

Torta caprese was born on the island of Capri in the 1920s, the story goes, when a baker forgot to add flour to a chocolate almond cake and created a classic by accident. It is now the cake of the Amalfi Coast: dense, moist and fudgy in the middle, with a thin crackled crust and a dusting of icing sugar. Restaurants in Capri and Sorrento serve it with a spoonful of cream or lemon sorbet. It is naturally gluten free. Contains nuts. Chef's tip: take it out while the middle is still slightly soft; it firms up as it cools and stays moist for days.

65 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

DongeurangttaengPork and tofu patties

Dongeurangttaeng are the coin-sized pork patties that Korean families fry by the hundred in the days before Chuseok and Seollal, the whole kitchen floor in Seoul flats covered with newspaper and pans. Minced pork is mixed with mashed tofu, onion, carrot and spring onion, dipped in flour and egg and pan-fried until golden, tender and juicy. They are eaten warm or at room temperature with a soy-vinegar dip, and children love them. The common mistake is frying over high heat: the egg coating browns long before the pork is cooked through to the middle. Chef's tip: squeeze the tofu bone-dry in a cloth; wet tofu makes the patties fall apart and spit.

55 min

Korean Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Tonno sott'olioTuna preserved in oil

In the tonnare, the old tuna fisheries of Sicily and Calabria around Favignana and Pizzo, fresh bluefin tuna was boiled in sea water and packed in olive oil to keep for months. At home, Italian families still do it with a piece of fresh tuna: poached gently in salted water with bay and lemon, dried and covered in good oil. It tastes far better than tinned tuna and is perfect for salads and pasta. Chef's tip: poach the tuna at a bare simmer and let it cool in the water; boiling makes it dry and stringy.

80 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Carpaccio di manzoRaw beef carpaccio

Carpaccio was created at Harry's Bar in Venice in the 1950s for a countess whose doctor had told her to avoid cooked meat, and it was named after the painter Vittore Carpaccio for its deep red colour. Venetians eat it as a light first course at lunch: beef sliced so thin you can see the plate through it, with a creamy mustard-lemon sauce drizzled in lines across the top, rocket and shaved Parmigiano. The classic version is completely raw, which is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system; the safer version here sears the outside of the beef first, which kills surface bacteria and keeps the centre rosy. Chef's tip: wrap the beef tightly and freeze it for 40 minutes before slicing; firm meat lets you cut wafer-thin slices with an ordinary sharp knife.

22 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Cannoncini alla cremaCustard puff pastry horns

Every pastry shop in Turin and Piedmont has a tray of cannoncini: puff pastry wrapped around metal cones, baked until golden and flaky, then piped full of vanilla custard and dusted with icing sugar. Little ones are part of the "pasticcini mignon" bought on Sunday morning after church to take to lunch at the grandparents' house. You need cannoncino or cream-horn moulds. Chef's tip: fill them just before serving; custard softens the pastry within a few hours.

60 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pani ca' meusaVeal spleen sandwich

Pani ca' meusa ("bread with spleen") has been sold in Palermo since the Middle Ages, when the Jewish butchers of the city were paid with the offal of the animals they slaughtered and sold it in bread. At the old Focacceria San Francesco and the stalls around the Vucciria market, veal spleen and lung are boiled, sliced thin and then fried in pork lard in a huge pan before being piled into a sesame roll. Ordered "schettu" (single) it comes with lemon; "maritatu" (married) with ricotta and caciocavallo. Lung is not sold in many countries, so this recipe uses spleen only. Chef's tip: slice the boiled spleen while it is cold and firm; warm spleen crumbles.

170 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Panino con il lampredottoTripe sandwich

Lampredotto is the fourth stomach of the cow, slowly simmered in a broth with tomato, onion and celery until tender, and for Florentines it is the true street food of the city. Lampredottai sell it from carts at the San Lorenzo market and Porta Romana from mid-morning: the meat is chopped on a board, salted, piled into a crusty roll whose top half is dipped in the broth, and topped with salsa verde and chilli oil. Ask a butcher for lampredotto or abomasum tripe, ready cleaned. Chef's tip: dip the top of the bun ("bagnato") briefly in the hot broth; it soaks up the flavour but shouldn't fall apart.

205 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Insalata di mareSeafood salad

Along every Italian coast, from the Adriatic beaches of Romagna to the Amalfi Coast, insalata di mare is the cold antipasto that opens a seafood lunch in summer and the Christmas Eve feast in winter. Squid, prawns, mussels and clams are cooked separately, each just long enough, then dressed with lemon, olive oil, garlic, celery and parsley and left to chill so the flavours meld. Chef's tip: cook each kind of seafood on its own and pull it the moment it is done; squid needs only a minute or two, and overcooked squid turns as tough as a rubber band.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Abbacchio alla romanaRoman Easter lamb

Abbacchio is the Roman name for young milk-fed lamb, and abbacchio alla romana is what Roman families cook for Easter Sunday: small pieces of shoulder and leg browned in a pan, then cooked slowly with garlic, rosemary and sage and finished with a paste of anchovy and vinegar that cuts through the richness. It is served with roast potatoes or puntarelle. Outside Italy, use young spring lamb on the bone. Chef's tip: brown the lamb in batches until really golden before adding anything else; pale lamb gives a pale sauce.

95 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Folpetti lessiBoiled baby octopus

In the bacari (wine bars) of Venice, around the Rialto market, folpetti sit warm in a tray on the counter and are speared with a toothpick as a cicchetto, the city's small bite eaten standing up before lunch or after work. They are tiny musky octopus from the lagoon, simply boiled until tender and dressed with olive oil, lemon, garlic and parsley. The texture should be tender with a slight bite, never rubbery. Chef's tip: let the octopus cool in its cooking water for 15 minutes; it finishes softening gently and soaks up flavour.

55 min

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gyudon (beef and onion rice bowl)

Gyudon fuels Japan's commuters: at 24-hour counters near every big station from Tokyo to Osaka, a bowl of rice topped with soft onions and wafer-thin beef in sweet soy broth arrives in under a minute. At home it takes about 20. Sake and mirin go into the broth and simmer away, so very little alcohol is left; swap them for water and a little sugar if you prefer. The usual mistake is boiling the beef hard and long, which makes thin slices tough and grey; simmer the onion first, then add the beef only until it changes colour. Chef's tip: pile on pink pickled ginger (beni shoga) and a raw or soft-poached egg yolk for the full counter experience; use a soft-poached egg for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system.

20 min

Japanese Meat

by KrazyBadal 0 views

SujeonggwaCinnamon persimmon punch

After a big Seollal feast in Seoul, sujeonggwa comes out ice-cold in small bowls, dark red-brown and fragrant with cinnamon and ginger, with a soft dried persimmon and a few pine nuts floating in each one. It is the punch of the New Year season, made a day or two ahead and kept on a cold balcony. The cinnamon and ginger are boiled separately and then combined, which keeps each flavour clean. The common mistake is boiling the cinnamon too long or too hard: it turns bitter and cloudy, so keep it to a gentle simmer. Contains pine nuts. Chef's tip: soak the dried persimmons in the cooled punch only a few hours before serving, so they soften without falling apart.

60 min

Korean Drinks

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Acciughe al verdeAnchovies in green sauce

Piedmont has no coast, yet anchovies are part of its soul: salt-packed anchovies came over the mountain passes from Liguria with the salt traders, and acciughe al verde is still on the antipasto trolley of every trattoria in Turin and the Langhe. Fillets are layered in a jar with a green sauce of parsley, garlic, olive oil and a little vinegar and chilli, then left for a day to mellow. They are eaten with bread and butter or with boiled potatoes. Chef's tip: soak salted anchovies in a bowl of milk or water and vinegar for 10 minutes; it draws out the harsh salt and makes the fillets easy to lift off the bone.

30 min