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996 recipes

Pizza de muzzarellaThick-crust mozzarella pizza

The pizza de muzzarella, or simply muzza, is the pride of Buenos Aires' old pizzerías along Avenida Corrientes, eaten standing at the counter after the theatre, often with a slice of fainá on top. Unlike a Neapolitan pizza it has a thick, soft, bready base baked in a round metal pan, a thin smear of oregano tomato sauce and a deep layer of mozzarella that bubbles and browns, finished with green olives. The common mistake is using fresh mozzarella balls: they release water and the pizza swims. Use firm, low-moisture mozzarella grated or sliced thick. Many mozzarellas use animal rennet; choose a vegetarian one if you prefer. Chef's tip: give the dough a second rise in the oiled pan, so the base bakes airy inside and fried-crisp underneath.

45 min

Argentinian Pizza

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Crema volteadaBaked caramel custard

In Lima, crema volteada is the dessert that appears at Sunday lunch in Miraflores and Barranco homes and at every birthday where an aunt is in charge of the sweets. It is firmer and richer than a Spanish flan because it is made with both evaporated and condensed milk, so it slices cleanly and tastes of toffee. The usual mistake is baking it in an oven that is too hot: the custard boils, fills with tiny holes and weeps. Keep the water bath at a bare simmer and take it out while the centre still wobbles slightly. Chef's tip: chill it overnight before turning it out; a cold custard releases in one piece and the caramel has time to melt into a pourable sauce.

80 min

Peruvian Desserts

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Canelones de verduraSpinach and ricotta crêpe cannelloni

In Argentina, Sunday lunch at the nonna's house in Rosario or Buenos Aires often means canelones, a legacy of Italian immigrants made the Río de la Plata way: thin crêpes instead of pasta tubes, rolled around chard and ricotta, then baked under tomato sauce and béchamel. They are often served on the 29th of the month or for Christmas too. The common mistake is thick crêpes: they turn stodgy. The batter should be as thin as single cream and the pancakes almost see-through. Hard cheeses are usually made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer. Chef's tip: roll the canelones and chill them for an hour before saucing; they hold their shape better in the oven.

80 min

Argentinian Vegetarian

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Lomo saltadoBeef stir-fry with chips

Lomo saltado was born in the chifas of central Lima, where Chinese cooks met Peruvian ingredients, and today it is the lunch every Peruvian family makes when they want something fast and a little indulgent. Strips of beef are seared in a smoking-hot wok with red onion, tomato and yellow chilli, splashed with soy sauce and vinegar, then tossed with chips and served beside white rice, so you get both starches on one plate. The common mistake is crowding the wok: the beef stews in its juices and turns grey and chewy instead of charring. Cook it in two batches over the highest heat you have. Chef's tip: add the chips at the very last second, or serve them on the side, so they soak up a little sauce but stay crisp.

45 min

Peruvian Meat

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Pescado a lo machoFried fish in spicy seafood sauce

Pescado a lo macho is a classic of Lima's seafood restaurants, the dish people order for a long Sunday lunch near the sea in Chorrillos: a fillet of fried white fish smothered in a thick, spicy sauce of ají panca and ají amarillo packed with prawns, squid and mussels. The name boasts that you need to be brave for the chilli, but you can turn it down. The common mistake is overcooking the seafood while the sauce reduces; add it only when the sauce is already thick. Discard mussels that are open and do not close when tapped, and any that stay shut after cooking. Chef's tip: dust the fish in flour seasoned with cumin and fry it last, so it reaches the table crisp under the sauce.

55 min

Peruvian Fish

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Tamales peruanosChicken corn tamales in banana leaf

In Lima, tamales are a Sunday breakfast, bought warm from street vendors calling 'tamaleeeeros' or made at home for Christmas, and eaten with crusty bread and a pile of salsa criolla. Peruvian tamales are larger and softer than Mexican ones, made from corn dough coloured with ají and wrapped in banana leaves, hiding chicken, a black olive, a slice of egg and a peanut. Peanuts are an allergen, so leave them out if needed. The usual mistake is a dry dough: the tamales turn crumbly. Beat in enough warm stock to make a soft paste that just holds its shape. The chicken must reach 74 °C before it goes in. Chef's tip: fat makes the dough tender; beat the oil and dough for a full 5 minutes until light, as Lima cooks do with pork lard.

150 min

Peruvian Chicken

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Ceviche peruanoLime-cured white fish

Ceviche is Peru's national dish, eaten at lunchtime in the cevicherías of Lima's Surquillo and Chorrillos markets, because the fish must be fresh off the morning boats and cevicherías traditionally close in the afternoon. The classic is raw white fish 'cooked' in lime juice with red onion, chilli and coriander, served with sweet potato and corn. Lime juice does not kill bacteria or parasites, so this version first poaches the fish for a minute until just opaque, then dresses it, which keeps the classic flavour and texture far safer. Even so, it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. The usual mistake is leaving the fish in the lime for an hour: it turns chalky and the juice goes bitter. Chef's tip: squeeze the limes gently by hand and stop before the pith; over-squeezed limes make bitter leche de tigre.

40 min

Peruvian Fish

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Tarta pascualinaSpinach and egg pie

Tarta pascualina came to Buenos Aires and Montevideo with Ligurian immigrants, and it is still baked for Easter (Pascua, hence the name), though most porteños now buy or make it any weekday for a light supper with a tomato salad. A crisp, olive-oil crust holds chard or spinach bound with ricotta and cheese, with whole eggs baked into hollows so every slice shows a ring of yolk. The usual mistake is not squeezing the greens: the filling floods and the base goes soggy. Wring them in a clean tea towel until no more water drips. Hard cheeses such as Parmesan are usually made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer. Chef's tip: bake the tart on the lowest shelf on a hot baking sheet so the bottom crust browns as well as the top.

90 min

Argentinian Vegetarian

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Arroz tapadoRice dome with beef filling

Arroz tapado means covered rice, and it is the thrifty weekday lunch of Lima homes and school canteens: garlic rice pressed into a bowl, filled with a sweet-savoury beef mince and turned out like a dome. The filling of minced beef with onion, ají panca, raisins, black olives and hard-boiled egg is the same picadillo that goes into papas rellenas. The usual mistake is leaving the filling wet: the dome collapses and the rice turns soggy. Simmer it until the pan is almost dry. Minced beef must reach 71 °C, so cook it until no pink remains. Serve with a spoonful of salsa criolla. Chef's tip: brush the bowl with a little oil and pack the rice firmly with the back of a spoon; a well-pressed dome holds its shape on the plate.

60 min

Peruvian Meat

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Bife de chorizoGrilled sirloin steak with chimichurri

Bife de chorizo, despite the name, has nothing to do with sausage: it is the thick sirloin (strip loin) steak that every parrilla in Buenos Aires grills, from the steakhouses of Palermo to the roadside grills of the pampas, and it is the Saturday-night order for anyone who wants beef and nothing else. It is cut at least 3 cm thick, seasoned only with coarse salt and grilled over hot embers, then served with chimichurri and a simple tomato and onion salad. The common mistake is cooking it straight from the fridge and turning it constantly; it greys outside and stays raw in the middle. Bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes and turn it only once. Chef's tip: salt the steak with coarse salt only just before it goes on the grill, and cut into it only after a 5-minute rest.

55 min

Argentinian Meat

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Arroz con mariscosSeafood rice

Arroz con mariscos is the weekend dish of Callao and the beach towns south of Lima, served in cevicherías as the hot partner to a cold ceviche. It is moister than a paella, closer to a risotto, coloured with ají panca and ají amarillo and finished with peas and a little Parmesan-style cheese, as many Lima cooks do. The common mistake is adding all the seafood at the start: the squid turns rubbery and the prawns shrink to nothing. Cook the rice first and add the shellfish only for the final minutes. Discard any mussels that are open before cooking and do not close when tapped, and any that stay shut after cooking. The cheese is often made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian hard cheese if you prefer. Chef's tip: simmer the prawn shells in the stock for 10 minutes; they give the rice its deep seafood taste.

60 min

Peruvian Fish

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Sopa criollaCreamy beef noodle soup

Sopa criolla is the soup Lima turns to on grey winter evenings, when the garúa mist hangs over the city: a beef broth reddened with ají panca, full of thin noodles and strips of beef, enriched with evaporated milk and finished with a poached egg. It arrives with toasted bread for dunking. The common mistake is boiling the soup after adding the milk; it splits into specks. Lower the heat first and stir it in gently. The beef strips are thin, so they cook through in a few minutes. Chef's tip: crack the eggs straight into the barely simmering soup and leave them alone for three minutes; the whites set into soft ribbons that thicken the broth.

45 min

Peruvian Soups

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Tostado de jamón y quesoPressed ham and cheese sandwich

The tostado is what Buenos Aires orders in a café at merienda or as a light late dinner, and what Uruguayan kids get made at home: thin crustless pan de miga layered with cooked pork ham and mild cheese, buttered outside and pressed until crisp and oozing. The common mistake is too much filling; this sandwich is meant to be thin, so the cheese melts before the bread burns. Chef's tip: if you have no sandwich press, weigh it down in the pan with a second heavy pan so it toasts flat and even.

9 min

Argentinian Fast Food

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Uova al pomodoroEggs in tomato sauce

Uova al pomodoro, called uova in purgatorio around Naples, is the supper that kitchens from Rome down to Calabria fall back on at the end of the month or on a meatless Friday: a tin of tomatoes, a little garlic and basil, and eggs cooked gently in the sauce until set. The whites turn tender, the sauce goes sweet and thick, and a hunk of bread does the rest. The usual mistake is adding the eggs to a thin, watery sauce; they spread out, poach in pink liquid and the dish turns soupy. Chef's tip: crack each egg into a cup first, then slide it into a well in the sauce so the yolk stays whole and sits exactly where you want it.

15 min

Italian Vegetarian

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Pan con butifarraHam roll with onion salsa

Pan con butifarra is Lima's evening sandwich, sold in old-school sangucherías and made at home for a light dinner with coffee: a crusty roll filled with jamón del país, a spiced Peruvian pork ham, under a heap of salsa criolla, red onion sliced thin and soaked in lime with chilli. Outside Peru, use a good cooked pork ham. The common mistake is leaving the onion harsh; give it a quick rinse in salted water before dressing it. Chef's tip: a leaf of lettuce under the ham stops the lime juice soaking straight into the bread.

10 min

Peruvian Meat

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Revuelto de zapallitosCourgettes scrambled with egg and cheese

Revuelto de zapallitos is a weeknight dinner in Buenos Aires homes and all over Argentina in summer, when the little round courgettes called zapallitos are cheap: diced courgette and onion cooked down in oil, scrambled with eggs and finished with grated cheese. It is eaten with bread or as a side to a salad. Grated hard cheese like reggianito or Parmesan is usually made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian hard cheese for a vegetarian dinner. The common mistake is adding the eggs before the courgettes have given up their water, which turns the scramble wet and grey. Chef's tip: salt the courgettes as they go in, so they release their juice early and it cooks away.

15 min

Argentinian Vegetarian

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Asparagi alla BismarckAsparagus with fried egg and Parmesan

Asparagi alla Bismarck is how trattorias from the Veneto to Emilia serve the first asparagus of April and May as a light evening meal: just-tender spears laid on a plate, topped with eggs fried in butter, the butter poured over and a snowfall of Parmigiano. Dip the asparagus tips into the yolk and wipe the plate with bread. Parmigiano is always made with animal rennet, so use a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese for a vegetarian plate. The mistake to avoid is overcooking the asparagus until it droops; it should still stand up straight when you lift a spear by its base. Chef's tip: let the butter foam until it turns hazelnut brown and smells nutty before you spoon it over, which makes the whole dish taste richer.

14 min

Italian Vegetarian

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Penne al gorgonzolaPenne with blue cheese sauce

Penne al gorgonzola is the weeknight dinner of Milan and the Piedmontese towns around Novara, where gorgonzola is made: the soft, sweet dolce kind melted with a little butter and milk into a pale, tangy sauce that coats every tube of pasta. It needs only a green salad alongside. Gorgonzola is traditionally made with animal rennet; for a vegetarian dinner choose a soft blue cheese labelled vegetarian. The most common mistake is letting the sauce boil, which splits the cheese into oil and grainy curds. Chef's tip: drain the penne a minute early and let it finish cooking in the sauce, so it drinks up the flavour instead of sitting under it.

17 min

Italian Pasta & Noodles

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Stracciatella alla romanaEgg and Parmesan broth

In Roman homes stracciatella is the soup of Easter week and of any cold evening when someone needs looking after: a pot of good chicken broth with eggs, Parmigiano and a scrape of nutmeg beaten in so they set into soft, ragged threads. It is light but filling, and takes ten minutes if the broth is already made. The common mistake is pouring the egg into broth at a rolling boil, which turns it into rubbery lumps; a gentle simmer gives fine, silky rags. Chef's tip: beat a spoonful of semolina into the eggs, as many Roman cooks do, so the threads hold together and the soup has a little body.

10 min

Italian Soups

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Pasta cacio e ovaPasta with cheese, egg and pepper

In the hill towns of Abruzzo and around Naples, pasta cacio e ova (cheese and egg) is the meatless cousin of carbonara and a classic late supper when the cupboard is nearly bare: short pasta tossed off the heat with eggs beaten with pecorino, Parmigiano and lots of black pepper until it turns into a glossy, golden coating. Children love it. Pecorino and Parmigiano are traditionally made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese if that matters to you. The common mistake is pouring the egg into a pan that is still on a high flame: it scrambles into rubbery bits instead of turning creamy. Chef's tip: keep a mug of the starchy cooking water by the hob; a splash loosens the sauce the moment it starts to tighten.

15 min

Italian Pasta & Noodles

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GrießbreiSemolina porridge

Grießbrei is the soft, sweet semolina pudding that German and Austrian families from Bavaria to Vienna eat warm as a light supper on cold evenings, especially when children are tired or someone is under the weather. Semolina is rained into hot milk and stirred until thick and velvety, then topped with cinnamon sugar, a knob of butter or stewed fruit. The classic mistake is tipping the semolina in all at once, which makes lumps that never smooth out. Chef's tip: take it off the heat while it still looks a little runny, because it keeps thickening on the plate.

10 min

German Breakfast & Brunch

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TripleAvocado, tomato and egg sandwich

The triple is the soft, layered sandwich of Lima's cafés and bakeries, eaten at lonche, the Peruvian late-afternoon meal, or as a light supper: three slices of crustless white bread layered with avocado, tomato and sliced hard-boiled egg, all held together with mayonnaise. It looks neat, tastes fresh and is loved by children. Shop-bought mayonnaise is made with pasteurised egg, so it is safe for everyone. The common mistake is letting wet tomato touch the bread, which turns it soggy within minutes. Chef's tip: pat the tomato dry and sit it between the avocado and egg, then press the sandwich under a board for a minute before cutting.

15 min

Peruvian Snacks & Starters

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FettuntaGarlic bread with olive oil

In Tuscany fettunta (from 'fetta unta', oiled slice) is the ritual of November, when the olive mills press the new season's oil and families in Florence and the Chianti hills grill thick slices of bread, rub them with garlic and pour the green, peppery oil over. With a bowl of beans or a few leaves of cavolo nero, it is supper. The common mistake is rubbing garlic onto cold or barely toasted bread; it needs a rough, charred, hot surface or the garlic just slides around. Chef's tip: be generous with the oil, so it soaks into the crumb, and salt only at the very end so the flakes stay crunchy.

8 min

Italian Snacks & Starters

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Fave dei mortiBean-shaped almond biscuits

On 2 November, All Souls' Day (il Giorno dei Morti), many Italian regions, especially Lombardy, Veneto and Rome, make fave dei morti: small, pale almond biscuits shaped like broad beans. Beans were once linked with the dead and given as alms at funerals, and these sweet 'beans' replaced them; in Venice they come in pink, white and brown. They are crisp outside and chewy within. Chef's tip: press a thumb lightly into each one to make the bean's dimple; it also helps them bake evenly.

35 min

Italian Baking

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Pizza chienaEgg, ricotta and cured pork pie

Pizza chiena ('full pie', also pizza rustica or pizza piena) is baked across Campania on Good Friday and eaten after the Lenten fast ends on Easter Sunday or at the Pasquetta picnic. It is a tall pie of short pastry packed with a filling of eggs, ricotta and grated cheeses, layered with cubes of cured pork: salami, prosciutto, soppressata and sometimes fresh sausage. It is rich, so slices are thin. Chef's tip: bake it the day before and chill it overnight, as it cuts cleanly only once fully set.

120 min

Italian Meat

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Torrone dei mortiChocolate hazelnut bar

In Naples, the weeks around All Souls' Day on 2 November are 'torrone time': pastry shops pile up the torrone dei morti, a soft bar of white or dark chocolate filled with a creamy hazelnut or chocolate centre and studded with whole toasted hazelnuts, which friends bring as a gift when visiting. Despite its name it contains no nougat. This homemade version layers dark chocolate around a white-chocolate and hazelnut-paste filling. It is gluten free; some versions add liqueur, this one doesn't. Chef's tip: let the chocolate shell set fully in the fridge before filling, so it doesn't melt through.

40 min

Italian Desserts

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MuffolettaFennel seed rolls with cheese

On 2 November, the Day of the Dead in Sicily, Palermo families eat muffoletta: soft, round rolls scented with fennel seed, split warm and dressed 'cunzata' with olive oil, oregano, salt, pepper, anchovy or caciocavallo cheese. The custom recalls when the dead were said to bring gifts to children, and bakers make them only around this time. The bread itself is egg-free and dairy-free; dress it with just oil and oregano for a vegan version. Sicilian caciocavallo and pecorino are usually made with animal rennet, so choose a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you. Chef's tip: dress the rolls while still warm so they drink in the oil.

180 min

Italian Breads & Parathas

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Coratella con carciofiLamb offal with artichokes

In Rome, spring lamb (abbacchio) is the Easter meat, and nothing is wasted: the coratella, the lamb's heart, lungs and liver, is sautéed with onion, white wine and the first spring artichokes for Easter Sunday lunch or the day after. It is a classic of the Testaccio trattorie, earthy and rich, the artichokes bringing a gentle bitterness. Ask a butcher for 'lamb pluck', or use lamb's liver and heart only. White wine is traditional; use stock with a squeeze of lemon for an alcohol-free version. Chef's tip: cook the meats in the order of how long they take, lungs first, then heart, and liver last, so the liver stays tender.

60 min

Italian Meat

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Torcolo di San CostanzoRaisin and pine nut ring bread

Perugia celebrates its patron saint, Costanzo, on 29 January with the torcolo: a big ring of soft, lightly sweet bread with candied citron, raisins, pine nuts and aniseed, its top cut five times for the gates of the old city. Young women in Perugia once used the torcolo to test their sweethearts, and it is still eaten everywhere in town that week, often dunked in vin santo by adults. This recipe has no alcohol. Chef's tip: dust the raisins and peel with a little flour before kneading them in, so they stay evenly spread.

85 min

Italian Baking

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Pan co' santiWalnut and raisin loaf

In Siena and the Tuscan countryside, pan co' santi ('bread with the saints') is baked for All Saints' Day on 1 November, when the new walnuts and the late grapes come in. It is a dark, lightly sweet bread dough rich with olive oil, walnuts, raisins and a surprising amount of black pepper, which gives a warm bite. It is eaten with the new wine by adults, or with roasted chestnuts. It is vegan. Chef's tip: fry the raisins and walnuts briefly in the olive oil before adding them, as Sienese bakers do; it brings out their flavour.

80 min

Italian Baking

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Biscotti di San MartinoRicotta-filled fennel biscuits

St Martin's Day, 11 November, is when Sicilians traditionally open the new wine, and in Palermo it is marked with biscotti di San Martino: round, hard, fennel-scented yeast biscuits shaped like little turbans. Eaten plain, they are dunked in sweet Moscato; the pastry-shop version is split, soaked in a sweet syrup and filled with ricotta cream and candied fruit. This recipe soaks them in an orange syrup, so it is alcohol-free; adults can use Moscato or Marsala. Choose a vegetarian ricotta if needed. Chef's tip: bake them twice, the second time low, so they dry right through and keep for weeks.

80 min

Italian Baking

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Cuddura cu l'ovaEaster bread with baked eggs

In Sicily, children are given a cuddura cu l'ova at Easter: a sweet, biscuit-like bread shaped into a ring, a basket, a dove or a heart, with one or more whole eggs in their shells held in place by crossed strips of dough. They are baked on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter Monday, Pasquetta, at picnics in the countryside. The eggs are hard-cooked in the oven, and sprinkles make them festive. Chef's tip: use eggs at room temperature and wash them gently; cold eggs crack in the oven.

75 min

Italian Baking

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CiaramicolaRed Easter ring cake

Ciaramicola is Perugia's Easter cake, a ring tinted red under a cloud of white meringue and coloured sprinkles, the red and white of the city's flag. It was traditionally baked by girls on Holy Saturday for their sweethearts, and it is eaten at Easter breakfast. The red colour usually comes from alchermes, a spiced liqueur; this version uses beetroot juice and a pinch of cinnamon and clove, so it is alcohol-free. The meringue is baked until set. Chef's tip: spread the meringue right down to the base all round, so it seals in the cake and stays glossy.

90 min

Italian Baking

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QuaresimaliLenten almond biscuits

Quaresimali are biscuits for Quaresima, the forty days of Lent, when Catholic Italy once gave up butter, egg yolks and rich foods. In Florence they are crisp cocoa biscuits shaped like letters of the alphabet; in Palermo they are long, crunchy almond and honey biscotti, sliced like cantucci. This is the Palermo-style version: whole almonds in a light dough of egg white, sugar and flour, scented with orange and cinnamon, baked twice. They are dairy free and keep for weeks. Chef's tip: slice the logs while still warm with a serrated knife; once cold they shatter.

50 min

Italian Baking

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Minne di Sant'AgataDomed ricotta cakes

Catania's patron saint, Agatha, was martyred by having her breasts cut off, and for her feast on 5 February the city's pastry shops make minne (also minnuzzi): small domed cakes of sponge filled with sweet ricotta, chocolate chips and candied fruit, covered in white icing and topped with a candied cherry. They are eaten during the three days of processions. Many bakers brush the sponge with a liqueur syrup; this one uses an orange syrup and is alcohol-free. Choose a vegetarian ricotta if needed. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight and sieve it with the sugar for a silky filling.

85 min

Italian Desserts

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MartinsgansRoast goose with red cabbage

On 11 November, St Martin's Day, children in Germany and Austria walk in lantern processions, and families and restaurants serve the Martinsgans: a goose roasted slowly with apples, onion and mugwort or marjoram until the skin is crisp and the meat tender, with red cabbage, potato dumplings and a rich gravy. Legend says the geese's cackling gave away St Martin when he hid to avoid being made bishop. Goose gives off a lot of fat; save it for roast potatoes. Chef's tip: prick the skin all over (not the meat) and roast on a rack so the fat drains and the skin crisps.

270 min

German Meat

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PardulasSaffron ricotta pastries

Pardulas (called casadinas in some villages) are the sweet of Easter in Sardinia, baked in quantity on Holy Saturday and offered to visitors through the week. Thin, crisp pastry is pinched into little star-shaped cups and filled with fresh ricotta or soft sheep's cheese mixed with saffron, orange and lemon zest and a little semolina, then baked until the filling puffs and turns golden. They are often finished with honey. Most ricotta is made without animal rennet, but check the label for a vegetarian table. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight, as wet cheese makes the filling run and the cups collapse.

75 min

Italian Baking

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OsterlammEaster lamb sponge cake

In Germany and Austria an Osterlamm, a light sponge baked in a two-piece lamb-shaped mould, stands on the Easter breakfast table, dusted with icing sugar with a ribbon and bell around its neck and sometimes a little flag. In Catholic regions it is taken to church on Holy Saturday to be blessed with the Easter basket. The cake is a buttery, lemony sponge, firm enough to keep its shape. You need a lamb cake mould, sold in kitchen shops before Easter. Chef's tip: grease the mould with soft butter and dust it with breadcrumbs or flour into every crevice, or the lamb's head stays in the tin.

65 min

German Baking

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KerbelsuppeChervil soup

In Germany, Maundy Thursday is called Gründonnerstag, 'green Thursday', and many families eat something green that day for health in the coming year: spinach with eggs, herb soup or this creamy chervil soup. Chervil is one of the first herbs of spring, with a delicate taste of aniseed and parsley, and the soup is simply potato, shallot and vegetable stock blended with a big bunch of fresh chervil and finished with cream. It is ready in half an hour and gluten free. Chef's tip: add the chervil only at the very end and blend straight away, because heat quickly dulls its colour and flavour.

30 min

German Soups

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Lengua a la vinagretaBeef tongue with vinaigrette

Argentina's Nochebuena is a hot summer night, so the table is full of cold dishes, and lengua a la vinagreta is one of the classics: beef tongue simmered until tender, peeled, sliced and covered with a sharp vinaigrette of parsley, garlic, red pepper, onion and chopped hard-boiled egg. It is made a day ahead and served chilled with vitel toné and Russian salad. Chef's tip: peel the tongue while it is still hot, as the skin comes away easily then and clings once it cools.

210 min

Argentinian Meat

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BabbaluciSnails with garlic and parsley

During the Festino di Santa Rosalia in July, Palermo's patron saint's festival, stalls along the streets sell paper cones of babbaluci: small snails in their shells, cooked with masses of garlic, parsley and olive oil and sucked straight from the shell. It is a very old street food of the city. At home, buy snails that have already been purged, cleaned and pre-cooked from a fishmonger or Italian deli, so the work is just the sauce. Chef's tip: simmer the snails gently in the oil, never boil hard, or they go rubbery and leave the shells.

45 min

Italian Meat

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Pane dei mortiFig, cocoa and almond biscuits

Pane dei morti ('bread of the dead') is baked in Milan and across Lombardy for All Souls' Day on 2 November. Bakers once made them to use up leftover biscuits, crumbling them with dried figs, raisins, almonds, cocoa and spices into a dark, chewy dough, shaped into long ovals and dusted with icing sugar. Older recipes add a glass of vin santo or white wine; this one uses orange juice. They taste of fig and spice and keep for weeks. Chef's tip: let the mixture rest overnight, which softens the crumbs and deepens the flavour.

55 min

Italian Baking

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CaldarrosteRoasted chestnuts

From October to St Martin's Day on 11 November, Italian towns hold chestnut festivals, the sagre delle castagne, and the smoke of caldarroste drifts from street braziers where chestnuts are shaken in long-handled pans with holes. At home they are roasted in the same way on the hob or in the oven and eaten hot from a paper cone, sweet, floury and smoky, with a glass of new wine for adults or warm milk for children. Chef's tip: wrap the hot chestnuts in a damp tea towel for 5 minutes; the steam loosens the inner skin so they peel cleanly.

35 min

Italian Snacks & Starters

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Cavallo di San MartinoShortbread horse and rider

On 11 November in Venice, children go from shop to shop banging pots and singing for San Martino, and every pastry window fills with big shortbread horses carrying the saint on horseback, cut out, iced and studded with sweets and chocolates. The biscuit is a plain, buttery pasta frolla that holds its shape well, and the fun is all in the decoration, so it's a perfect baking afternoon with children. Chef's tip: chill the cut shapes for 15 minutes before baking so the horse's legs and sword keep sharp edges.

110 min

Italian Baking

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Olivette di Sant'AgataAlmond paste olives

Olivette are tiny green 'olives' of almond paste rolled in sugar, sold in Catania for the feast of St Agatha in early February. A legend tells that as the young saint was led to her trial she stopped to tie her shoe, and a wild olive tree sprang up on the spot and fed her. The sweets are made from ground almonds, sugar and a little water, coloured green and shaped in the palm. They are gluten free and dairy free, and children love to help shape them. Use a natural green such as matcha or spinach powder if you prefer. Chef's tip: knead the paste only until smooth, as overworking draws out the almond oil and it turns greasy.

40 min

Italian Desserts

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Pane di San GiuseppeSculpted festival breads

For St Joseph's Day on 19 March, families in western Sicily (Salemi, Trapani, Marsala) build 'tavolate' or altars to the saint, laden with ornate, sculpted breads: beards for Joseph, a staff, flowers, birds, fish and the hand of God. The breads are later given to the poor and to guests. The dough is a firm, plain semolina bread, so it holds fine detail, brushed with egg and scattered with sesame. Shape a few simple ones first; they are as much decoration as food. It is vegan, glazed with water rather than the egg some bakers use. Chef's tip: keep the dough firm and rest it so it doesn't spring back; soft dough loses its shapes in the oven.

120 min

Italian Baking

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Sopa teólogaTurkey broth with bread and cheese

Sopa teóloga ('the theologian's soup') goes back to colonial convents in Lima and Arequipa, where it was cooked for feast days, and it is still served at Holy Week and family celebrations. A rich turkey (or chicken) broth is thickened with soaked bread, milk and fresh cheese, with yellow potatoes and shreds of turkey, and finished with a little ají amarillo and chopped huacatay or parsley. It is thick, comforting and filling. Chef's tip: blend part of the soaked bread with broth before adding it, which gives the soup its creamy body without lumps.

115 min

Peruvian Soups

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HeringssalatPickled herring and beetroot salad

When the carnival ends in the Rhineland and northern Germany, Ash Wednesday brings the Heringsessen, a herring meal shared in pubs and homes to mark the start of the Lenten fast. This rosy salad mixes diced pickled herring with beetroot, apple, gherkin and boiled potato in a creamy yogurt-mayonnaise dressing, and is served with rye bread. Use pickled herring bought ready-made in jars from the chiller, which has been commercially cured, and keep the salad in the fridge. Pickled and cured fish is not cooked, so it is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system; for a safer version use hot-smoked mackerel or cooked fish. The common mistake is dressing the salad while the potatoes are hot, which turns it mushy. Chef's tip: make it the day before; the flavours deepen overnight.

55 min

German Salads

by KrazyBadal 0 views

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