🍳 Spanish & Latin Recipes

Chile en nogada is one of Mexico's most celebrated dishes and deeply tied to the calendar: it is made in August and September when walnuts and pomegranate seeds are in season. A roasted poblano chile is stuffed with a spiced meat and dried fruit filling, then covered with a cold walnut cream sauce and garnished with pomegranate and parsley — the colours of the Mexican flag.

Provençal ratatouille is the great vegetable stew of southern France. Aubergine, courgette, peppers and tomato are slowly cooked with garlic, thyme and herbes de Provence until soft and fragrant. It works as a warm side dish, but many argue it is even better cold the next day, when the flavours have had time to settle.

Argentine oven roast is the domestic version of the gaucho parrilla for days without a garden. Beef short ribs, criollo sausages, and blood sausages roast slowly until the fat sputters and the meat turns tender. Chimichurri — parsley, garlic, oregano, and vinegar — is the indispensable accompaniment. In Argentina this is not a special occasion dish; it is Sunday lunch.

Lomo saltado is the emblematic dish of Peruvian chifa cooking — the unique fusion of Chinese culinary tradition with Lima's creole cuisine. Strips of beef tenderloin are stir-fried over high heat with tomato wedges, red onion, ají amarillo, soy sauce, and a splash of vinegar, then served over white rice and french fries. A screaming-hot wok is essential for that characteristic sear.

Oven BBQ ribs work in two stages: first a slow three-hour bake covered in a spice dry rub until the meat pulls away from the bone; then a quick blast under the grill with BBQ sauce to lacquer and caramelise the outside. The result is tender, juicy ribs with that sweet-smoky flavour of American Southern barbecue.

Valencian seafood paella is cooked in a wide paella pan over high heat: bomba rice absorbs a rich seafood broth spiked with saffron, smoked paprika, and fried tomato. What sets it apart is the socarrat — the toasted crust of rice at the bottom achieved by turning up the heat at the end. You never stir it; you let the paella do its thing.

The cream Swiss roll is a traditional Spanish pastry dessert of simple baking: a thin, fluffy sponge cake rolled around itself with whipped cream and strawberries. The key is to bake the sponge for just the right amount of time—if it dries out too much it cracks when rolled—and to roll it while still hot on a damp cloth. Light, without heavy fats and perfect for spring celebrations.

Baked Argentinian empanadas are the most classic snack and bite of the Río de la Plata: a flour dough with lard or butter, filled with seasoned ground beef flavored with paprika, cumin, onion, olives and hard‑boiled egg, and baked until golden. The braided crimp is the hallmark of each region, and many households make them in bulk to store and reheat in the following days.

Piquillo peppers stuffed with cod are a specialty of Navarrese and Basque cuisine that brings together two star products of northern Spain: canned Lodosa piquillo peppers and desalinated cod. The filling is made with flaked cod, boiled potatoes and cream until a smooth brandade is achieved. They are served with piquillo sauce or béchamel and are perfect as a first course for festive meals.

Neapolitan pizza is the original and strictest of all pizzas: high-protein wheat dough cold-fermented for at least 24 hours, stretched thin with puffed air-bubble edges, topped with barely crushed San Marzano tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella or fior di latte. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana has written rules for every detail of its preparation. At home, a very hot oven and a baking stone get you surprisingly close.

Red pozole is one of Mexico's oldest ceremonial dishes: cacahuazintle corn — the large hominy kernels that bloom open when cooked — simmered in a long broth of guajillo and ancho chillies with shredded pork. Each diner builds their own bowl at the table, adding shredded lettuce, dried oregano, radishes, tostadas and lime to taste. Party food, New Year's food, the kind of meal that turns into a long afternoon.

Iberian ham croquettes made in an air‑fryer are a lighter version of one of Spain’s most beloved appetizers. The base is a thick béchamel cooked with finely chopped Iberian ham, cooled, shaped, coated with panko, and finished in the air‑fryer instead of being submerged in oil. The result: a crunchy exterior, creamy interior, and up to 70 % less fat than traditional deep‑frying.

Asturian fabada is the most substantial bean stew in Spanish cooking: large, buttery La Granja white beans slow-cooked with Asturian chorizo, morcilla and lacón until the broth thickens and the beans soften to the point of collapse. The slow cooking and the quality of the cured meats — the compango — are what make or break this dish. A winter recipe, mountain food, built for long Sunday afternoons.

Gyoza are the popular Japanese dumplings of Chinese origin: a thin dough made from flour and hot water, filled with ground pork mixed with Chinese cabbage, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. They are first pan‑fried to brown the bottom, then steamed with a splash of water so the wrapper stays tender. A dipping sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a few drops of chili oil is inseparable from them.

Mushroom risotto is one of the most representative dishes of northern Italy: arborio or carnaroli rice coaxed ladle by ladle with hot stock, fresh mushrooms, and a handful of dried porcini that add deep umami. A final knob of butter and parmesan give it the characteristic creaminess. It demands your attention at the stove, and it rewards every minute of it.

Carnitas tacos are one of the most beloved preparations in Mexican cooking. Pork shoulder is braised in its own lard with orange juice and peel, garlic, oregano, and cumin until it falls apart and crisps at the edges. Served in corn tortillas with chopped cilantro, white onion, and green salsa — a proper market taco, no frills needed.

Dark chocolate mousse is one of the most elegant desserts in French pastry-making and also one of the simplest: just 70% dark chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar. The key is folding stiffly beaten egg whites into the chocolate base with care to keep the mixture light and airy. Serve well chilled.

Shio ramen is the most delicate of all ramen styles: a long-simmered chicken broth seasoned with sea salt alone, without the opacity of miso or the richness of tonkotsu. The carcass cooks for hours with leek and ginger until the stock turns translucent and fragrant, ready to receive the noodles, chashu pork, marinated egg, and nori. Time-consuming, but deeply satisfying.

Cochinita pibil is one of the Yucatan's oldest dishes: pork marinated in achiote paste and sour orange, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-cooked until the meat falls apart. The achiote gives the flesh its deep terracotta colour and an earthy, floral flavour you can't replicate with anything else. Served in corn tortillas with pickled red onion and habanero, whose acidity and heat cut through the richness perfectly.

The Basque cheesecake is one of the few cheesecakes baked at very high heat to achieve that caramelized, almost burnt exterior while the inside stays creamy and just set. It was born at Bar La Viña in San Sebastián in the 1990s and now has fans worldwide. Just five ingredients: cream cheese, heavy cream, eggs, sugar, and a touch of flour.

Churros with thick hot chocolate are Spain's most beloved breakfast treat. The dough is fried until the outside is crisp and lightly golden, then dipped into a rich, thick drinking chocolate made with cocoa, milk and cornstarch. A true winter ritual, especially popular at Christmas, Carnival and late-night celebrations.

Italian meat lasagna is the quintessential Sunday dish of the Bolognese tradition: fresh pasta sheets layered with a slow-cooked ragù of minced meat and pancetta, velvety béchamel, and generously gratinéed parmesan. The ragù needs time — red wine, carrot, celery — but every minute of simmering shows in the final result. Feeds six hungry people.

Authentic Neapolitan pizza dough with 24-hour slow fermentation, San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and fresh basil. The perfect pizza you can make in a domestic oven with pizzeria results.

The real Valencian paella: with chicken, rabbit, green flat beans, and the perfect crispy rice crust. No chorizo or seafood. The original recipe from the Valencian Community passed down from generation to generation.