Skip to content
LoginRegister
WhatToEat.Today
Recipes

All recipes

Vegetarian, or something you can't eat? Set your diet once and we'll hide recipes that don't fit.

593 recipes

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 minGermanSaladsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Dowina (Kurdish yogurt soup)

Dowina, called ash-e doogh in Persian, is warming spring food in Kurdish homes around Newroz, when yogurt is plentiful and the first herbs are cut from the garden. Rice and chickpeas simmer in a tangy, lightly thickened yogurt broth, finished with fresh dill, coriander and a sizzle of dried mint in oil. It is eaten warm, never boiling hot, with flatbread. The common mistake is to heat the yogurt too fast without stirring, which makes it split into grainy curds. Chef's tip: whisk an egg yolk and a spoonful of rice flour into the yogurt before it goes on the heat; it holds the soup smooth all the way to the simmer.

75 minMiddle EasternSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KäsewäheCheese tart

At four in the morning on Basel's Morgestraich, when the lanterns go out and Fasnacht begins, the restaurants fill with drummers and pipers eating Mehlsuppe and slices of hot Käsewähe. The tart is a thin buttery pastry base filled with grated Gruyère or Emmentaler set in a nutmeg-scented custard of egg and milk, baked until puffed and golden. Traditional Swiss hard cheeses are made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian Alpine-style hard cheese if you need to. The common mistake is a soggy base, so bake the pastry blind first. Chef's tip: toss the grated cheese with a spoon of flour, which stops it sinking into a rubbery layer.

70 minSwissBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

ZigerkrapfenSweet cheese and nut pastries

In the Glarus valleys, Fasnacht means Zigerkrapfen: half-moon pastry pockets filled with sweetened Ziger, a soft fresh whey cheese, mixed with ground hazelnuts, raisins, cinnamon and pear, then fried or baked. Ziger itself is set with acid rather than rennet, but if you use ricotta check the label, and choose one marked vegetarian if needed. The common mistake is a wet filling, which bursts the seams; drain the cheese well. Chef's tip: brush the edges with egg white before folding and press with a fork, so they stay sealed in the hot oil.

65 minSwissDesserts
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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 minPeruvianSoups
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KaguyjyWhite corn pudding

On the night of 23–24 June, Paraguayans celebrate San Juan with bonfires, games like walking over hot coals and the 'paso de fuego', and a table of traditional foods, and kaguyjy (also mazamorra) is one of them. It is a soft, creamy pudding of cracked white corn (locro) simmered slowly in water and then milk with sugar or honey, sometimes with orange peel. It is eaten warm or cold. It is gluten free. Chef's tip: soak the corn overnight and cook it until each kernel is tender before adding the milk, or it never turns creamy.

130 minParaguayanDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

AllerheiligenstriezelBraided sweet loaf

In Bavaria and Austria, godparents give their godchildren an Allerheiligenstriezel on All Saints' Day, 1 November: a large braided loaf of sweet yeast dough, brushed with egg and scattered with almonds or pearl sugar. The braid is said to recall the old custom of cutting a plait of hair in mourning, and the size of the loaf once showed how generous the godparent was. It is lightly sweet, with lemon and vanilla, and is eaten sliced with butter or jam. Some recipes add rum-soaked raisins; these are soaked in warm water instead. Chef's tip: braid four strands for an impressive, high loaf.

85 minAustrianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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 minGermanSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

FastenwäheCaraway pretzel bread

Basel bakeries sell Fastenwähe only from the start of the new year until Easter, and through Fasnacht people buy them warm by the bagful. The flat, chewy yeast bread is shaped like a squashed pretzel with four slits, glazed with egg and scattered with caraway seeds, and is eaten plain or with cheese and Mehlsuppe. The common mistake is cutting the slits too short, so they close up as the dough rises. Chef's tip: a little lard or butter in the dough gives the soft bite of the bakery ones.

50 minSwissBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Schinkli im BrotteigHam baked in bread crust

Schinkli im Brotteig, a small smoked pork ham baked inside a bread crust, is a much-loved Christmas Eve dish in German-speaking Switzerland because it can be prepared ahead and goes into the oven while the family opens presents. The dough seals in the ham's juices and soaks them up as it bakes, and the ham is sliced with the crust and served with potato salad, mustard and pickles. Buy a ready-cooked smoked ham (Schüfeli or Schinkli) of about 1 kg. Chef's tip: dry the ham well before wrapping it, or the dough turns soggy inside.

120 minSwissMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Fasnachts-SchenkeliFried lemon dough fingers

Schenkeli ('little thighs') are fried for Fasnacht, the Carnival weeks that lead up to Lent in Switzerland, when bakeries in Basel, Lucerne and Zurich sell them by the bagful beside Fasnachtschüechli. The dough is rich with butter, eggs and lemon zest, rolled into finger-length logs and fried until they have a crisp, cracked golden shell and a soft, cakey middle. Some recipes add a splash of kirsch to the dough; this one doesn't. Chef's tip: fry them at a moderate temperature, as they need time to cook through and the signature cracks form only if they aren't browned too fast.

60 minSwissBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Iahnie de fasoleWhite bean stew

Iahnie de fasole is one of the most loved dishes of the Romanian Orthodox fasting periods: the seven weeks of Great Lent before Easter, and the Christmas fast. White beans are cooked until creamy, then baked or simmered with a lot of slowly fried onion, tomato paste, bay, thyme and paprika until thick and sweet. It is vegan, high in protein and eaten with pickles and bread. Chef's tip: fry the onion slowly in plenty of oil until golden and jammy; the onion is the heart of the stew.

120 minRomanianCurriesVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

OsterfladenSemolina and almond Easter tart

Osterfladen is the Easter tart of Basel and northern Switzerland, baked on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter Sunday. A shortcrust case holds a creamy filling of semolina (or rice) cooked in milk, folded with ground almonds, raisins, lemon zest and whipped egg white, which bakes into a light, sliceable custard under a dusting of icing sugar. Some bakers soak the raisins in kirsch; here they are soaked in warm water, so it is alcohol-free. Chef's tip: fold the egg whites in gently and last, as they are what makes the filling light.

90 minSwissBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pomana porculuiFresh pork fry-up

St Ignatius' Day (Ignatul), 20 December, is when Romanian villages traditionally slaughter the pig for Christmas, and the people who help are thanked with pomana porcului: chunks of the freshest pork (neck, belly and loin, sometimes liver) fried in their own fat with salt and garlic, then eaten hot with polenta, pickles and a glass of plum brandy for the adults. At home it is a quick, rustic dish; buy pork shoulder or neck with a good amount of fat. Chef's tip: start the pork in a cold pan so the fat renders slowly and the meat fries in it.

30 minRomanianMeatGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Ciorbă de mielSoured lamb soup

Romanian Easter Sunday lunch, after the Resurrection service at midnight and the long Lenten fast, always includes ciorbă de miel: a sour soup of young lamb with spring onions, green garlic, rice and lovage, soured with borș (fermented bran liquid) or lemon and finished with a liaison of egg and soured cream. It is light, tangy and very green, a taste of spring. Chef's tip: temper the egg and cream with ladlefuls of hot soup before stirring them in, or they will scramble.

125 minRomanianSoupsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Chipa so'oCheese bread with spiced beef

In Paraguay, families bake chipa in the clay tatakua ovens on Holy Wednesday so there is food for Thursday and Good Friday, when cooking stops. Chipa so'o ('chipa with meat') is a cassava-starch and cheese bread wrapped around a little filling of minced beef cooked with onion and egg, then baked until crisp outside and chewy within. It is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: knead the dough until it no longer cracks at the edges when pressed; dry dough splits around the filling.

90 minParaguayanBreads & ParathasGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

MässmoggeHazelnut-filled striped sweets

Every autumn the Basler Herbstmesse, Switzerland's oldest fair, fills the old town with rides and stalls, and the smell of boiling sugar from the stands selling Mässmogge, glossy striped sweets in bright colours with a soft chocolate-hazelnut centre. They are made by pulling hot sugar until it turns satiny, wrapping it round a rope of filling and snipping it into little pillows. It takes practice and a sugar thermometer, and adults should do all the hot work; children can help once the sweets are cool. Chef's tip: work on an oiled silicone mat near a low oven, so the sugar stays pliable for longer.

75 minSwissDessertsGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Boudin blanc aux pommesWhite sausage with apple compote

In Liège and across Wallonia, Christmas Eve supper often begins with boudin blanc: pale, delicate sausages of finely minced pork and milk, sometimes with a little chicken, gently fried in butter until golden and served with warm, chunky apple compote and bread. Butchers make piles of them in December. Buy them fresh from a good butcher, or poached and ready to fry. Chef's tip: prick nothing and cook gently; boudin blanc is fragile, and a hot pan splits the skins.

30 minBelgianMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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 minGermanBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pajagua mascadaBeef and cassava patties

Pajagua mascada is a Paraguayan street-food classic that appears on every table for the San Juan festival on 24 June, when bonfires burn and the night is full of games and traditional food. Minced beef is mixed with mashed cassava, onion, garlic and a little egg and flour, shaped into flat patties and fried until crisp. The name comes from Guaraní and refers to the 'chewing' of old Paraguayan cooks, who made it from leftover meat. Chef's tip: dry the boiled cassava well and remove its woody core, which keeps the patties light and crunchy.

60 minParaguayanMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

OsterpinzeEaster anise brioche

Osterpinze is the Easter bread of Styria, Carinthia and the area around Trieste, a soft, golden brioche dome with three deep cuts on top for the Holy Trinity, so that it opens into a crown as it bakes. The dough is rich with egg yolks and butter and flavoured with anise and lemon; old recipes add a splash of white wine, left out here. It is blessed in the Easter basket on Holy Saturday and eaten on Easter morning with ham, horseradish and eggs, or with butter and jam. Chef's tip: make the three cuts with scissors just before baking, deep enough to reach halfway down, so the crown opens wide.

75 minAustrianBaking
by KrazyBadal 0 views

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 minGermanMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

KalanehWild leek stuffed flatbread

In Kurdistan and Kermanshah, Newroz arrives with the first spring greens on the hillsides, and families gather wild leeks to fold into kalaneh, thin griddle breads cooked over a fire or a hot pan and soaked in melted butter. The dough is plain and soft, rolled very thin around a pile of chopped leek or chives with a little salt and pepper, so the greens steam inside as the bread blisters. Eat it hot, torn into strips, with yogurt and tea at a Newroz picnic. The common mistake is wet greens, which turn the dough soggy and make it tear; dry them well after washing. Chef's tip: brush the butter on the moment the bread leaves the pan so it soaks right in.

65 minMiddle EasternBreads & Parathas
by KrazyBadal 0 views

QuittengeleeQuince jelly

Quinces are too hard and sour to eat raw, so in Germany they are turned into Quittengelee, one of the jewel-coloured jars set out with the pumpkins and sheaves of wheat for Erntedank, the October harvest thanksgiving. The fruit is simmered whole in pieces, the juice drips through a cloth overnight, and then it is boiled with sugar until it sets into a clear jelly the colour of rosé, with a perfume like pear, honey and roses. Eat it on bread rolls, with cheese, or melted as a glaze for apple tart. Chef's tip: quince skin and cores are full of natural pectin, so cook them in with the flesh rather than peeling.

180 minGermanChutneys & DipsVeganGluten free
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 24 of 593 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 1 of 25