Discover - Soul Spoon

In season

May produce

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Asparagus 4 Rhubarb 2 Peas 136 Broad beans 3 Radish 20 Lettuce 22 New potato 12 Spring onion 207 Watercress 2 Sorrel 2

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Arancini

Cold risotto (saffron Milanese-style is traditional in arancini "alla Milanese"; plain works too) is mixed with grated parmesan and beaten egg to bind. Filling, a stew of beef-and-pork ragù with peas, OR a cube of mozzarella, sits in the centre of each ball. Hands wet with water shape the rice around the filling into a tight orange-sized ball (or cone, for the Catania style). Each ball is rolled first in flour, then in beaten egg, then in fine breadcrumbs (or in the doubled-up "panata" mix of flour + water for the Sicilian original). Deep-fried at 180°C in 4-5 cm of oil for 4-6 minutes per ball until deep gold. Drained on kitchen paper; eaten warm.

Snacks 45 minutes Serves4

Aroog

Fine bulgur (#1 grade) soaks in hot water until soft and fluffy. Lamb or beef mince mixes with the bulgur, grated onion, lots of chopped parsley and coriander, ground baharat, cumin and a pinch of cinnamon. The mixture should be soft enough to spread, if it's too dry the aroog crumble. Small portions press onto a hot oiled pan and flatten to 1 cm thick discs; cook for 4-5 minutes per side over medium heat until deeply browned and the meat is just cooked through. Lift, drain briefly, eat hot with lemon and yoghurt.

Snacks 1 hour 20 minutes Serves4

Bourek Tunisien

Potato is boiled, peeled and mashed. Mixed with drained tuna, harissa, capers, parsley, salt and pepper. A warka or filo sheet is laid flat; a line of filling is spooned across one edge; a small well is pressed into the filling; a whole raw egg is cracked into the well; the sheet is folded and rolled into a cigar. Fried seam-down immediately in moderately hot oil, the egg cooks inside as the pastry turns crisp. Eaten hot with lemon and harissa.

Snacks 45 minutes Serves8

Croquetas

A thick bechamel cooks with finely diced ham or cooked chicken until it pulls away from the pan in a glossy mass. Chilled overnight (or at minimum 4 hours) until firm enough to shape into small cylinders. Each croqueta is breaded twice for a crisp shell that holds the soft, almost-pourable filling inside. Shallow-fried, not deep-fried, at moderate heat.

Snacks 4 hours 45 minutes Serves4-6

Gefilte Fish

A mix of white-fleshed fish (carp, pike, whitefish, or a more modern blend of cod and haddock) is ground with grated onion, eggs, matzo meal and a little sugar, then formed into quenelles. The quenelles poach gently in a broth made from the fish skin, heads and bones with onion and carrot. After an hour they are lifted out and chilled overnight in the strained broth; some of the broth jellies as it cools, which is the point. Served cold, on a leaf of lettuce, with a generous spoon of horseradish.

Snacks 5 hours 45 minutes Serves8

Jian Bing

A thin batter of mung-bean flour, millet flour, plain flour, water, salt and five-spice is whisked to a single-cream consistency; rested for 1 hour. A wide flat griddle or large non-stick pan is heated; a ladle of batter is spread thinly with a wooden disc-rake (jian bing rake, or just rotate the pan to spread). An egg is cracked onto the crepe; smashed and spread with a spatula. The crepe is flipped; the cooked side is painted with sweet bean sauce and chilli paste; scattered with herbs; topped with a crisp wonton sheet; folded into quarters. Eaten warm, by hand.

Snacks 1 hour 35 minutes Serves4

Keftedakia (Greek Mini Meatballs)

A grated onion (juice squeezed out) folds into beef-or-pork-and-beef mince with bread soaked in milk and squeezed dry, an egg, a generous amount of dried mint and oregano, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper. A tablespoon of ouzo or red wine adds depth. Mixture rests for 30 minutes (the flavours mingle, the bread fully absorbs). Rolls into walnut-sized balls, dusts in flour, pan-fries in olive oil 6-8 minutes turning often until deep brown and cooked through. Serves with tzatziki and lemon wedges.

Snacks 1 hour 10 minutes Serves6

Lamb Pasties

A Cornish-inspired pastry parcel filled with seasoned lamb, tender vegetables, and a rich, savory gravy. These hand-held pastries are perfect for portable meals, picnics, or as a sophisticated starter. The flaky shortcrust pastry encloses a deeply flavorful filling, a British classic that's remarkably easy to prepare at home.

Snacks 18 minutes Serves8

Mac 'n' Cheese Bites

Make a stiff mac-and-cheese, sharp cheddar, parmesan, a touch of mustard, just enough béchamel to bind, no more. Spread in a parchment-lined 20×20 cm tin; level; chill 4+ hours till firm. Lift out; cut into 3 cm cubes. Each cube dips in flour → egg → seasoned panko. Deep-fries for 2-3 minutes at 175°C until amber-gold. Drains briefly. Eats hot with ranch or chipotle mayo.

Snacks 4 hours 50 minutes Serves24

Martabak Telur

A simple flour-water-oil dough rests for 1 hour (gluten relaxes; will roll paper-thin). Filling: beef mince cooks with shallot, garlic, ginger, curry-leaf, ground spices till dry and aromatic; cools; mixes with beaten eggs, spring onion and chopped coriander just before frying. Dough divides; each portion stretches paper-thin like a strudel; filling spoons in the centre; the edges fold over to make a flat square parcel; pan-fries for 3 minutes per side. Cuts in quarters; eats with chilli-pickle sauce.

Snacks 1 hour 55 minutes Serves4

Pasteis de Bacalhau

These are the little salt-cod fritters you'd order at a marble counter in Lisbon, sitting with a glass of vinho verde while the bartender slides a plate across with no ceremony. The recipe itself is simple, dry mashed potato through flaked bacalhau with onion, garlic, parsley and egg, then a brief fry, but it does start the day before because the salt cod wants 24 to 36 hours of cold water soaks to draw the salt out. That step is the one thing you cannot shortcut. Once the cod is desalted, everything else is an afternoon's work: simmer the cod, flake it through warm potato, shape into the three-sided football "quenelles" that are the Portuguese signature, and fry until amber. Eat them warm with a wedge of lemon and a dish of piri-piri on the side.

Snacks 36 hours 55 minutes Serves6

Pogácsa

A yeast-leavened, fat-rich dough rests cold so the fat stays solid in flaky layers. The dough is rolled, folded and rolled again like a rough puff pastry, then cut into rounds, scored, brushed with egg and baked at high heat until golden and crisp on the outside, tender inside. Cheese is added by folding grated cheese into the dough and showering more on top.

Snacks 1 hour 45 minutes Serves20-24

Pork Pie

Pork shoulder (uncured, fatty) and a small amount of bacon are chopped into 5 mm dice (not minced, the texture is key). Mixed with white pepper, mace, sage, salt and a touch of anchovy paste for umami. The hot-water-crust pastry: flour is mixed with hot water-and-lard mixture, kneaded warm into a pliable dough. Two-thirds of the dough lines a tall round tin (or is moulded freestanding around a glass jar); the filling is packed in tight; a lid of remaining dough is laid over the top with a 1 cm steam hole punched. Baked at 200°C for 30 min, then 160°C for another 60-75 min. Left to cool. A rich pork stock (made from trotters or with gelatin sheets) is poured through the steam hole while the pie is still warm. Refrigerated overnight to set the jelly. Sliced and eaten cold.

Snacks 3 hours 15 minutes Serves6

Sabich

Aubergine slices salt, drain 30 min, pat dry, fry crispy in olive oil. Eggs hard-boil (or for the traditional Iraqi-Jewish version, slow-cook overnight in a hamin pot, the brown eggs become beigene). Israeli salad: cucumber, tomato, red onion, parsley, lemon, olive oil. Tahini whisks with lemon juice and water to a pourable sauce. Pita warms briefly. Build: hummus smears inside; aubergine slices layer; egg quarters; salad; tahini drizzle; amba spoon; parsley.

Snacks 40 minutes Serves4

Takoyaki

A thin batter is whisked from plain flour, dashi (Japanese stock), eggs, a touch of soy and mirin, salt, like a thin pancake batter. The takoyaki pan (cast-iron or non-stick with half-spherical dimples) heats; each dimple oils with vegetable oil. Batter fills each dimple plus the connecting flat surface (overflow is intentional). A small piece of pre-cooked octopus, a pinch of pickled red ginger, a few cubes of tempura crumbs (tenkasu) and a sprinkle of spring onion drop into each dimple. As the bottom sets, a sharp wooden skewer rotates each ball: scrape the overflow from around each, fold it into the bottom, twist 90° to expose the wet top, allow it to set, twist another 90°, eventually achieving a complete sphere. Cooked until golden all around. The balls are plated and drizzled with takoyaki sauce and mayo, then scattered with bonito flakes and aonori.