Skip to content
Recipes

All recipes

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

Chichi frégiChickpea flour fritters in sugar

On the seafront at L'Estaque, the old fishing quarter of Marseille, and at summer fêtes all along the coast, kiosks fry chichi frégi: long, ridged fritters of wheat and chickpea flour, rolled hot in sugar and eaten in a paper cone. The dough is a yeasted, egg-free batter piped straight into the oil, crisp outside and soft inside, with a faint nutty taste from the chickpea flour and a hint of orange flower. Chef's tip: keep the oil at 175 °C; cooler and the fritters soak up fat, hotter and they burn before the middle cooks.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Brioche de Saint-GenixPink praline brioche

In Saint-Genix-sur-Guiers, in Savoie, this round brioche dotted with bright pink sugared almonds is baked for the feast of Saint Agatha on 5 February, and its shape is said to recall the saint's martyrdom. Today it is sold all year in the bakeries of the Savoie and Lyon, rich and buttery, with the pralines melting into sticky pink pockets. The dough rests overnight in the fridge, so start the day before. Chef's tip: crush the pralines roughly and fold them in at the very end, or they dissolve and stain the whole dough pink.

595 minFrenchBaking
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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Galette comtoiseChoux king cake

While most of France eats a puff-pastry galette des rois at Epiphany in January, Franche-Comté has its own: a flat golden cake made from a choux-like dough, tender and slightly custardy inside and scented with orange-flower water. As elsewhere, a fève (a little charm or a dried bean) is hidden inside, the youngest child under the table calls out who gets each slice, and whoever finds the fève is crowned king or queen. Chef's tip: let the cooked paste cool for a few minutes before beating in the eggs, or they scramble.

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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

CornuellesAniseed biscuits

On Palm Sunday in Villebois-Lavalette, in Charente, stalls sell cornuelles, hard triangular biscuits with a hole in the middle, threaded onto a stick or a sprig of blessed box. The three points are said to stand for the Trinity, and children carry them home from church. They are crisp and scented with aniseed, glazed with a thin sugar icing. Chef's tip: roll the dough thin and even, about 5 mm, so every biscuit bakes through crisp without burning at the points.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ShebaTomato and onion relish

On 24 September, Heritage Day, South Africans light the braai, and next to the boerewors and chops there is always a pot of stiff pap with sheba spooned over it. Sheba is the everyday township relish of onions and tomatoes cooked down with chilli and curry powder until thick and jammy, sweet, sour and gently hot. It keeps well, so many families make a big pot the day before. Chef's tip: cook the onions slowly first; their sweetness is what balances the sharp tomatoes.

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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Gardianne de taureauBull beef braised in red wine

Gardianne is named after the gardians, the mounted herdsmen who raise black bulls on the marshes of the Camargue, and it is served at the summer ferias and village fêtes of Arles and Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer with nutty Camargue red rice. Taureau (bull meat) is lean and deeply flavoured, braised slowly in red wine with onions, garlic, herbes de Provence and black olives until dark and tender; beef shin or chuck makes a fine substitute. This recipe contains alcohol: for an alcohol-free version, replace the wine with the same amount of beef stock plus 2 tbsp red wine vinegar and 1 tbsp grape juice. Chef's tip: marinate the meat overnight in the fridge for the deepest flavour.

235 minFrenchMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

BrasucadeGrilled mussels with garlic and parsley

At village fêtes around the étang de Thau in Languedoc, and on beaches in summer, people gather round a brasucade: mussels piled into a large pierced pan over a fire of vine prunings until they open, then doused with a garlicky oil of parsley and a little chilli and tossed. It is smoky, juicy and eaten by hand with bread. A barbecue grill works at home. Chef's tip: use a lid or a sheet of foil over the pan; the trapped steam opens the mussels evenly while the fire adds smoke.

25 minFrenchFish
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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Three-bean salad

No Heritage Day braai is complete without a row of salads on the table, and the sweet-sour three-bean salad is one of the oldest, handed down in Afrikaner and Cape kitchens and usually made the night before. Crisp green beans, creamy butter beans and red kidney beans soak in a sharp vinegar and sugar dressing with thin onion rings until they pickle lightly. It cuts through rich grilled meat or a vegetarian braai of mielies and halloumi. Chef's tip: dress the beans while the green beans are still warm so they drink up the dressing.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Cape Malay half-moonsCurried beef mince pastries

In Cape Town's Bo-Kaap and across the Cape Malay community, the weeks of Ramadan mean freezer boxes of half-moons, samoosas and pies, fried just before sunset and sent to neighbours as part of the custom of sharing boeka treats. Half-moons are soft pastry rounds folded over curried beef mince, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried until crunchy, and they are eaten with a cup of tea when the fast is broken. A potato-and-pea version is a variation to add later. Chef's tip: cool the filling completely before you fill the pastry, as warm mince makes the dough tear and leak.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

ManalaBrioche men

On 6 December, St Nicholas' Day, Alsatian bakeries fill with manala (also mannele): little brioche men with raisin eyes and buttons and a snipped belt, given to children by St Nicolas, who brings treats to good children. They are eaten for breakfast or an after-school snack, dipped in hot chocolate. The dough is a soft, buttery milk brioche. Chef's tip: shape the figures loosely and well apart, because they double as they rise and bake, and thin arms that touch become one blob.

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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Umphokoqo with amasiCrumbly maize pap with soured milk

Umphokoqo is the dry, crumbly pap of the Eastern Cape, beloved at Xhosa family gatherings and often brought out on Heritage Day as a taste of home. Instead of the stiff pap stirred into a smooth mound, the maize meal is steamed in a little water and broken up with a fork until it falls into fine, fluffy crumbs. It is served cold or at room temperature, with chilled amasi (thick soured milk) poured over, sour, cool and filling, or warm beside braai meat and chakalaka. Chef's tip: don't stir in circles like ordinary pap; cut and fluff with a fork so it stays crumbly.

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.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pâté de Pâques berrichonPork, veal and egg pastry loaf

In the Berry region of central France (around Bourges and Châteauroux), Easter Sunday lunch begins with pâté de Pâques: a long loaf of puff pastry filled with seasoned minced pork and veal around a row of whole hard-boiled eggs, so every slice shows a golden yolk in the middle. It is eaten warm or cold with a green salad. Some cooks marinate the meat in white wine or Cognac; this recipe uses no alcohol. Chef's tip: cut a chimney in the top crust and keep it open with a roll of card, so steam escapes and the pastry stays crisp.

110 minFrenchMeat
by KrazyBadal 0 views

TaloaMaize flatbread with ham and cheese

During the Fêtes de Bayonne in July, when the whole town dresses in white with red scarves, stalls in the Pays Basque sell taloa: thick flatbreads of maize and wheat flour cooked on a hot griddle and folded around fillings. The classic is with jambon de Bayonne (a cured pork ham), with sheep's cheese or with ventrèche (cured pork belly), and it's eaten hot in the street. Cheese alone makes a good vegetarian version. Chef's tip: cook the taloa on a dry, very hot pan; it should blister and puff in patches like a tortilla.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Macaronade sétoisePasta with beef rolls and sausage

In Sète, on the Languedoc coast, families of Italian origin cook macaronade for Sunday lunch and above all for the Saint-Louis festival in August, when the harbour hosts its famous water-jousting. Thin slices of beef are rolled around garlic and parsley (braciole), browned with Toulouse-style pork sausage and simmered for hours in a tomato sauce, which then dresses thick pasta. Traditionally a splash of white wine goes into the sauce; it is optional here, and stock works just as well. Chef's tip: simmer the sauce very gently, with the lid ajar; the beef rolls need time to turn tender, not fast boiling.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

BeraweckaDried fruit and nut Christmas loaf

In Alsace, berawecka (the name means 'pear loaf') is baked in early December and sliced thinly through Advent, often handed to neighbours and godchildren. It is mostly fruit: dried pears, figs, prunes, raisins and walnuts held together with just enough bread dough, spiced with cinnamon, star anise and clove. Alsatian families soak the fruit in kirsch; this version uses strong black tea, which keeps the loaf moist and alcohol-free, and you can add 3 tbsp kirsch to the soak for adults if you like. It is vegan, keeps for weeks wrapped in foil, and is lovely buttered with a cup of tea. Chef's tip: cut the pears and figs the same size as the raisins, so every slice holds a mosaic of fruit instead of big lumps that tear the loaf.

100 minFrenchBakingVegan
by KrazyBadal 0 views

Coussin de Lyon (green almond-paste cushions with chocolate ganache)

Lyon's sweet emblem recalls the city's plague vow of 1643, when the aldermen carried a candle and gold coins on a silk cushion to the chapel of Fourvière. Chocolatiers turned that cushion into a confection in the 1960s and it is now the gift Lyonnais bring at Christmas and New Year, or for a host on a Sunday visit. A soft, almond-sweet shell of pale green paste, marked with a darker green stripe, hides a melting dark chocolate ganache scented with orange. Serve two or three with coffee after dinner. The classic ganache is laced with orange liqueur; here fresh orange juice and zest give the flavour without alcohol. Shop marzipan is not always egg-free, so this almond paste is bound with sugar syrup cooked to the soft-ball stage, which coats the ground almonds and sets them firm as it cools. Chef's tip: chill the ganache until it holds a line before shaping; the common mistake is using it soft, so it squeezes out of the seams.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pruneaux d'Agen fourrés (stuffed Agen prunes)

Agen, on the Garonne in south-west France, has dried its plums into prunes for centuries, and its confectioners stuff the best ones with a paste of more prunes and almonds. Boxes of pruneaux fourrés are a Christmas present across the south-west and a speciality of the town's prune festival at the end of August. Each one is glossy and plump, with a soft, sticky skin and a dense, mellow filling that tastes of fruit, almond and a little orange. Serve them with coffee or tea, or as part of a cheese plate. The filling is a kind of almond paste, held together by the sticky prune purée and sugar, so it is egg-free like the rest of the sweet; some versions add a little brandy, and orange juice takes its place here. Chef's tip: if the prunes are dry, steam them for 5 minutes first; the common mistake is forcing filling into stiff prunes, which split.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Pâte de coingsQuince paste

On Christmas Eve in Provence the gros souper ends with the treize desserts, thirteen small sweets set out together and left on the table until 27 December. Pâte de coings, a firm, glowing amber quince paste cut into squares and rolled in sugar, is nearly always among them, beside nougat, dried fruit and fougasse. It is simply quince pulp and sugar cooked down slowly until it pulls away from the pan, so it is vegan and gluten free, and it keeps for months. Serve it in small cubes, or with a sharp cheese. Chef's tip: cook the quinces whole with their skins and cores, which hold most of the natural pectin, and only sieve them afterwards.

by KrazyBadal 0 views

Showing 24 of 628 recipes

Show more recipes

Page 1 of 27