Discover - Soul Spoon

In season

May produce

Tap any item to find recipes that use it.

Asparagus 0Rhubarb 0Peas 0Broad beans 0Radish 0Lettuce 0New potato 0Spring onion 0Watercress 0Sorrel 0

Sort

Bacalhau à Brás

Bacalhau à Brás is the dish Portugal turns to when the salt cod, the onions and the eggs all need to find their place in one pan: scrambled together with a tangle of fine matchstick chips so the whole thing reads as somewhere between a hash and a loose carbonara. The salt cod needs the usual day or two of cold soaks to draw the salt down, then a brief simmer to soften it; the onions take their time in olive oil with a few smashed garlic cloves until almost jam-like; the matchstick chips (palha) are fried separately so they stay crisp. Everything comes together in a wide pan, the eggs are whisked in over a low heat, and you stop the moment the eggs coat the cod and potato like a sauce. Never let them set firm. Olives, parsley and a wedge of lemon at the table.

Portuguese 45 minutes Serves4

Moussaka

Aubergines and potatoes pan-fry or roast separately. Lamb mince cooks down with onion, garlic, cinnamon and tomato into a rich ragù. The layers go into a deep dish, topped with a cheese-rich béchamel that sets golden in the oven.

Greek 2 hours Serves6-8

Niislel Salat

Potatoes, carrots and eggs boil separately to keep their texture distinct. Cooked smoked sausage (or boiled beef) and dill pickles dice to match. Frozen peas thaw under hot water. Everything mixes with mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. Chills at least an hour so the dressing thickens and the flavours marry. Eaten cold from the fridge.

Mongolian 1 hour 50 minutes Serves6

Ragù with Gnocchi

This ragù blends deep browning, layered aromatics, and a long, gentle oven braise to create a sauce with rich umami, silky texture, and balanced brightness. A two-milk finish adds softness, while a quick red wine gastrique lifts the sauce at the end.

Italian 2 hours 59 minutes Serves4-6

Tafelspitz

The Habsburg Sunday lunch, said to have been Emperor Franz Joseph's favourite dish, and still the proper-occasion centrepiece of any Viennese family table. You poach a whole 1.5 kg piece of beef rump cap very gently for two and a half to three hours in a stock built around onions, root vegetables and marrow bones, until the meat is fork-tender but still sliceable. The technique is the opposite of a roast: no browning, no sear, all the flavour pulled out gently into the broth and held in the slow-cooking beef. Two courses come from the one pot. The clarified broth comes to the table first, scattered with chives and served with semolina dumplings or the fine pancake strips called Frittaten. Then the beef itself is sliced and presented with apple-horseradish sauce, a sharp green chive sauce, crisp pan-roasted Bratkartoffeln and creamed spinach. A glass of cool grüner veltliner alongside; Sunday afternoon in front of you.

Austrian 3 hours 20 minutes Serves6

Vareniki

A simple egg-and-water dough rolls thin and cuts into circles. The filling is mashed potato folded through with deeply browned onions. Each round folds over a spoonful of filling, sealed and crimped. Boiled in batches; served drowned in butter, with extra fried onions on top and sour cream alongside.

Russian 1 hour 15 minutes Serves30-35

6 recipes