🍳 Spanish & Latin Recipes

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.

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.

Brazo de gitano — Spanish roulade — is a delicate rolled sponge cake filled with whipped cream and sliced strawberries. The thin sponge must be rolled while still warm using a damp cloth; once cold it will crack. The result is light, not too sweet, and visually striking when sliced. A Spanish pastry staple for spring birthdays and family gatherings.

Argentine baked empanadas are the most classic snack and finger food of the Río de la Plata region: a lard-enriched dough filled with seasoned ground beef, paprika, cumin, onion, olives, and hard-boiled egg, then baked until golden. The braided edge crimp — called repulgue — is the regional signature, and in many homes a large batch is made to reheat over the following days.

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.

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.

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.

Lemon and garlic roast chicken is one of the simplest and most satisfying dishes in Mediterranean cooking. Chicken pieces are marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, generous garlic, and fresh herbs, then roasted at high heat until the skin is crisp and the meat stays juicy. The pan juices reduce into a natural sauce that needs nothing else.

Homemade roscón de Reyes is the most anticipated pastry of the Spanish year: an enriched dough of egg, butter, sugar, and orange blossom water that rises slowly until the crumb turns fluffy and fragrant, then decorated with candied fruit and pearl sugar before baking. Tradition demands hiding a small figurine and a dried bean inside. It takes time — the proofing stages must be respected — but the result surpasses any bakery version by a wide margin.

Baked salmon with lemon and dill has its roots in northern European cooking, where fresh salmon and dill are a natural pairing. Fillets are rubbed with garlic, doused in lemon juice, and roasted gently until the flesh flakes apart in tender, juicy layers. It comes together in twenty minutes and needs little more than a green salad alongside.

The American brownie traces back to late 19th-century Chicago and remains the definitive dense chocolate treat. This version uses 70% dark chocolate melted with butter for that fudgy, almost molten centre under a slightly crisp top. Extra cocoa powder doubles the chocolate intensity, while optional walnuts add textural contrast. The key is pulling them from the oven just when the centre is still barely set.

Baked salmon with lemon and herbs is a clean, bright Mediterranean recipe: fresh fillets layered with dill, thyme, sliced garlic, and capers, drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice before roasting. In under half an hour you have moist, flaky fish that fills the kitchen with the scents of the Mediterranean coastline. An effortless midweek dinner.

Homemade croissants are one of the most rewarding challenges in baking: laminated dough with 27 layers of butter achieved through three folds and plenty of patience. The result — shatteringly crisp layers, an open crumb, and that unmistakable butter aroma — bears no resemblance to shop-bought. The recipe takes time, but each step is technically straightforward.

Tacos al pastor are one of the icons of Mexican street food: pork marinated in a guajillo and ancho chile adobo with achiote, orange juice, and spices, traditionally cooked on a vertical spit and served on a corn tortilla with fresh pineapple, cilantro, and white onion. The overnight marinade is what transforms a simple cut of pork into something with deep colour and complex smoky-sweet flavour.

Green enchiladas are one of the most popular dishes in Mexican home cooking: corn tortillas filled with shredded chicken, rolled up, and smothered in a green salsa made from tomatillo, roasted poblano pepper, onion, and garlic. Finished with soured cream, crumbled fresh cheese, and cilantro. The tomatillo gives the sauce a slightly tart, herbaceous flavour that no other green pepper can replicate.

American banana bread is a moist, dense quick bread born from the need to use up overripe bananas that nobody wants to eat fresh — the blacker and softer they are, the sweeter and more fragrant the loaf. Mixed together with flour, eggs, butter, sugar, and baking soda, with optional chopped walnuts and chocolate chips. Baked at a moderate temperature for an hour, it fills the kitchen with an aroma worth waking up for.

A hearty plant-based bowl built around Andean quinoa, oven-roasted sweet potato, red pepper and broccoli, creamy avocado, and crispy chickpeas. A lime-tahini dressing ties everything together with brightness and body. High in plant protein and fiber, this is a complete meal that keeps you full without feeling heavy.