Gombaleves is one of those everyday dishes that are hardly known abroad, even though they are a staple of Hungarian cuisine. Unlike goulash or paprikás, this mushroom soup is not a signature dish, but a genuine family meal – vegetarian,…
Marinara Sauce
We’ve already explained how to make a delicious tomato sauce – ideally enough to keep in stock: It does take quite a while, though. The so-called ‘marinara’ is quicker to make; it originates from Naples, or southern Italy, and is…
Hambagu
Hambagu (ハンバーグ) is part of yōshoku – Western-style cuisine, or more specifically, Japanese adaptations of Western dishes that emerged from the Meiji period (1868–1912) onwards, when Japan opened up to foreign culture and cuisine after centuries of isolation. The name…
Chicken Adobo
Adobo is regarded as the Philippines’ unofficial national dish – a remarkable consensus in a country with over 7,000 islands and just as many regional culinary traditions. The name derives from Spanish (‘adobar’, to marinate, to season), but the underlying…
French lentil salad
This is one of our favourite salads; it also makes an excellent lunch – light and nutritious. What’s more, it’s ideal for a picnic or for taking with you, as it keeps well for a long time. Everyone can adapt…
Tramezzini
Simply the story behind this little triangular sandwich without its crust is worth telling, and it is now turning 100. What is now a common sight in Italian bars today was not invented in Venice – where the tramezzino is…
Laotian Dill Curry – Susi Kai
Whilst travelling through Laos – a country we highly recommend visiting – we came across curries known as ‘Susi’ about 100 km south of the Chinese border. We didn’t see them anywhere else in the country, though that may simply…
Easy-to-grill vegan burger
Anyone wanting to make good vegan burger patties from scratch faces three challenges: flavour, texture and binding. The latter, in particular, is a problem if you want to avoid using eggs. Other binding agents, such as oatmeal, affect the bite,…
Tomates aux crevettes
Tomatoes stuffed with prawns, mayonnaise and herbs are a traditional Belgian dish. Known as ‘tomates aux crevettes’ in French and ‘tomaat garnaal’ in Flemish. Over there, they prepare it with small, grey-brown North Sea prawns, but you’re unlikely to come…
Adana Kebab
Adana kebab originates – surprise, surprise – from Adana, a major city in southern Turkey, near the Syrian border, in the fertile Çukurova plain. The region is known for its agriculture – cotton, cereals, sheep farming – and for a…
