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A good bánh mì is mostly assembly. The bread should be light and crackly, the pâté smeared on thickly, the mayo generous, the meat layered cold and the herbs and pickles loaded right to the edges. A short blast in a hot oven is what crisps the loaf; the filling goes in straight after. Eat standing up over the sink.
Bifanas are Portugal's national lunch sandwich, sold at every counter from Lisbon to Porto. Slices of pork loin (paper-thin, across the grain) marinate for a couple of hours in white wine, garlic, paprika, bay and black pepper, then go into a screaming-hot pan with olive oil and a knob of butter for sixty seconds a side. The marinade reduces in the pan to a salty, winey sauce, which gets ladled over a halved papo-seco roll along with the pork. Add mustard, or a squirt of piri-piri, and you've nailed it. Eaten standing at the counter with a glass of Sagres beer, or in Porto with a Super Bock.
Dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, simmered low and slow with a smoked ham hock and aromatics. The hock seasons the broth and gives up its meat at the end of the cook. Finished with a splash of cider vinegar to brighten and a pinch of cayenne for warmth. Eaten in shallow bowls with the broth, often spooned over rice.
A hearty Spanish soup featuring sweet chestnuts paired with spicy chorizo sausage, caramelized vegetables, and warming spices. The saffron adds a subtle earthiness, creating a comforting autumnal dish with rich, smoky flavors.
A classic Roman salad featuring crisp cos lettuce coated in a rich, anchovy-based dressing with crispy croutons, tender chicken, and pancetta. The soft-boiled egg adds creaminess to the velvety emulsified dressing.
Pork shoulder is rubbed with a paste of achiote, orange and lime juices, garlic, oregano and warming spices, then left to marinate overnight. The pork is wrapped in banana leaves and roasted low and slow until it shreds with two forks. The pibil sits in its own bright red juices; warm corn tortillas and habanero-bright pickled red onions are the only accompaniments needed.
Lamb and chicken poach slowly in a saffron-tomato broth with chunks of root vegetables and chickpeas. Merguez sausages grill or fry separately. Couscous steams (or is rehydrated quickly with hot broth and butter). Everything plates separately on a vast platter; diners build their own bowls and slick with harissa.
Beef chuck cubes brown hard; the trinity (onion, celery, pepper) soften deep in the rendered fat; tomato puree and tinned tomato build a rich base; red wine, stock, herbs and the beef simmer for 3 hours covered. Uncovered for the last 30 minutes to reduce. Serve over rice with chopped parsley.
These ribs are comfort food at its best and a moreish way to start a delicious Thai meal. I like to serve them with nam jim jaew or sweet chilli sauce.
Whole Kashmiri red chillies soak in white wine vinegar; ground with garlic, ginger, cumin, peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves and mustard into a thick wet paste. Pork shoulder cubes marinate overnight in the paste. Browned in oil; cooked with onions, tomato and reserved marinade until the pork is tender and the gravy is glossy. Salt last. A small spoonful of jaggery balances the vinegar.
This Roman classic showcases the magic of combining quality ingredients in the right proportions. Crispy pancetta, yielding its fat to the pan, mingles with soft onions and fierce chilli. A splash of white wine adds acidity and complexity. The result is a robust, warming sauce that transforms simple pasta into something memorable. Pecorino Romano provides a sharp finish.
Dried shrimp and dried shiitake soak in warm water until plump; the soaking water is reserved. Chinese sausage dices fine; shallots, soaked shrimp and shiitake chop separately. All these flavourings fry together in oil until aromatic. Grated daikon is added with the shiitake-shrimp soaking liquid; cooked for 10 minutes covered until softened. Rice flour whisks with cold water into a smooth slurry; pours into the daikon mixture; cooks for 2 minutes, stirring, until thickened into a batter. Tipped into a greased loaf tin; smoothed; steamed for 60 minutes in a wide pot. Cooled fully, refrigerated, then sliced 1 cm thick and pan-fried in oil until crusted gold on both sides. Served with chilli oil and a dipping sauce of light soy and rice vinegar.
Chilli con carne is a hearty, flavour-packed stew that celebrates bold Mexican spicing combined with slow-cooked beef, beans, and tomatoes. This version builds deep, complex flavours through toasted whole spices, umami ingredients (marmite and soy sauce), and slow simmering. The result is a comforting, warming dish that improves with time and is perfect for feeding a crowd.
Indonesian-style pork satay featuring tender, spiced meat on bamboo skewers with a creamy, complex peanut sauce enriched with coconut milk. The pork is infused with a paste of lemongrass, ground spices, and aromatics, making each bite deeply flavorful. This dish showcases traditional Southeast Asian techniques and is perfect for entertaining.
A Bhutanese pork belly braise that leans Sichuanese on the spice rack, the Himalayan border showing in the dish. You cut pork belly into thumb-length strips and start it on its own in a heavy pot to render the fat and brown the meat properly, the rendered juices becoming the cooking fat for everything that follows. Then in go whole dried red chillies, daikon cut into chunks, ginger, garlic, a measure of soy and a generous spoon of Sichuan pepper, and the lot braises gently in the pork's own rendered juices until the radish has gone soft and the sauce has thickened into a glossy red-brown lacquer that coats the pork. The whole chillies sit in the pot still intact, and the cook at the table can choose to eat them or push them to one side. Eaten with red Bhutanese rice, the broth ladled over.
Made popular by Chinese restaurants and takeaways, these are another menu item that have been adapted to have a subtle Thai flavour. You need to plan ahead as the filling must be cold (or room temperature) before rolling your spring rolls. To make these vegetarian, simply leave out the meat.