Açorda Alentejana

Açorda Alentejana

This is the Alentejo's classic morning-after breakfast and lunchtime supper: a thin garlic-and-coriander broth ladled over chunks of stale country bread with a poached egg slipped in at the end. You start by pounding fresh coriander, garlic, salt and olive oil into a paste in a wide bowl, then pour boiling water (or light stock) over it to make a fragrant broth. Stale bread goes in to soak up the liquid, eggs poach in the same broth for the last minute, and the whole bowl comes to the table warm enough to steam but cool enough to eat with a spoon. Stir the yolk through your portion as you eat. It is the cleanest, most aromatic 15-minute bowl of bread soup you will ever make.

Portuguese 30 minutes Serves4
Andouille Skewers

Andouille Skewers

A Cajun cookout skewer, the kind of thing that comes off the grill at a Louisiana backyard barbecue while the gumbo is finishing on the back burner. You take andouille (the heavily smoked, garlicky Cajun pork sausage) and cut it into thick coins, then thread them onto pre-soaked wooden skewers (or metal) with chunks of red and green pepper, red onion, and a few halved cherry tomatoes. Brush with a quick Cajun glaze of melted butter, garlic, brown sugar, hot sauce and Cajun seasoning. Onto a hot grill over high heat for just long enough to char the vegetables and bring the sausage shiny and sticky. Eaten straight off the skewer with a beer in the other hand, the smoke still hanging in the air.

Snacks 27 minutes Serves8
Areeka

Areeka

A Saudi sweet you can put together in five minutes from three ingredients you almost certainly have: bread, dates, samna. You tear soft, slightly toasted whole-wheat flatbread (khubz tameez works) into a heavy bowl, scatter pitted dates over it (medjool or kholas, the Saudi favourites), then press the mixture lightly with a wooden pestle or the back of a spoon while a generous pour of warm melted samna goes over the top. The dates collapse into the bread under the heat and the pressure, and the samna soaks through until you have a thick, buttery, intensely sweet mass that holds together in a spoon. Some versions add ground cardamom, a sprinkle of toasted sesame, or a final swirl of honey on top. Eaten warm with the fingers or a spoon, traditionally for breakfast or as the sweet course at the end of a heavy meal.

Sides 20 minutes Serves4
Aromatic Salt (Two Versions)

Aromatic Salt (Two Versions)

Aromatic salt is specifically designed for British-Indian Balti cooking, a finishing salt that brings subtle spice notes rather than aggressive heat. This is about using salt as a vehicle for flavor rather than just seasoning. The two versions allow choice between delicate (light version) and more assertive (spicy version). Both blend sea salt with warm spices, creating finishing touches that elevate a dish without overwhelming it.

Spices 10 minutes Serves120-130
Baharat

Baharat

Baharat is the signature spice blend of the Eastern Mediterranean and Arabian cuisine. It balances warm aromatics (cinnamon, cardamom, cloves) with peppery heat and depth from allspice and paprika. This is not a finishing blend but a foundational one, used to season meat dishes, rice, soups, and slow-cooked foods. The warm spices reflect the climate and trade history of the region, cinnamon from Sri Lanka, cardamom from India, tempered by local paprika. Each country has slight variations, but the core character remains: sophisticated, warm, and complex.

Spices 10 minutes Serves115
← Prev Page 1 of 29 Next →