28 min 23 minFresh, no-cook rolls of prawns, pork, rice noodles and herbs wrapped in rice paper. Fun to roll at the table. Adapted from “Summer Rolls” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Doubled to 8 rolls for 4 people, started from dried vermicelli, made the prawns and meat amounts specific. Photo: pelican, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Vietnamese spring rolls (23691938909)”).
36 min 16 minYellow toor dal cooked soft with tomatoes, onion and fresh fenugreek leaves, then finished with a sizzling tadka of ghee, mustard seeds, garlic and curry leaves. Comforting with hot rice. Adapted from “Pigeon Pea and Fenugreek Curry (Methi Tadka Dal)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Measured the fenugreek, salt, spices and lemon juice; added a stovetop option for cooks without a pressure cooker. Photo: AugustineKajur, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Dal Tadka-Delhi”).
57 min 40 minA homemade green paste of coriander, lemongrass, ginger and chile, simmered with leeks, peppers and coconut milk, then finished with soy-marinated chicken and fresh basil. Serve with rice. Adapted from “Green Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled to 4 servings (600 g chicken, 2 cans of coconut milk) with less coriander seed and pepper in the paste; gave amounts for the chiles, coriander, garlic, soy sauce, oil and basil. Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Green Curry, Kapunka Panoramas, Paris 002”).
25 minThick, fluffy griddle pancakes made light with a whipped egg white folded into the batter. Stack them up with butter, maple syrup and fresh berries. Adapted from “Pancakes (North American)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added butter for the pan, the heat level and cooking times. Photo: Herson Rodriguez, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pancakes with Berries (Unsplash)”).
1 h 27 min 27 minA light take on the Moroccan classic: chicken dusted with turmeric and a little heat, then braised with ginger, cinnamon, green olives and lemon. Serve with couscous or bread for the sauce. Adapted from “Chicken Tagine with Lemon and Olives” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chicken thighs instead of breasts (breasts dry out over a long simmer), simmered 40 minutes instead of an hour; more chicken and stock to serve 4, and an optional preserved lemon. Photo: Foodista, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Moroccan food-Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives-02”).
14 minThe tapas-bar favourite from southern Spain: shrimp sizzled in olive oil with lots of garlic, paprika and a splash of sherry. Bring bread for the oil. Adapted from “Gambas al Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Converted to metric with single amounts. Photo: Missvain (Sarah Stierch), CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Layla at MacArthur Place - 2021-05-20 - Sarah Stierch 03”).
54 min 30 minA hearty meatless beetroot soup with potato, cabbage and carrot, sweet-sour from a little vinegar and sugar. Serve it ruby red with a spoonful of sour cream and dill. Adapted from “Borscht” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Beetroot raised from about 150 g to 250 g for a deeper colour; single amounts chosen where the source gave ranges, and cup measures converted to metric. Photo: liz west, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Borscht served”).
47 min 45 minA creamy Italian risotto made with fish stock and white wine, with squid, king prawns and scallops stirred in for the last few minutes so they stay tender. Adapted from “Seafood Risotto” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Amounts given for the marinade, frying oil, wine and parsley. Photo: Ceeseven, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Seafood Risotto”).
57 min 20 minSpain's thick potato omelette: sliced potatoes and onions cooked slowly in olive oil, then set with beaten eggs and flipped onto a plate. Good warm or at room temperature, in wedges or in a sandwich. Adapted from “Tortilla Española de Patatas” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). More potato (750 g instead of 500 g) and 8 eggs instead of 10 for a better balance; salt and pepper given amounts and the optional cucumber left out. Photo: Tamorlan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Tortilla Española-2011”).
1 h 13 min 23 minHungarian chicken slowly cooked down in a generous amount of sweet paprika, then finished with sour cream. Serve with dumplings, rice or mash. Adapted from “Paprika Chicken” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Single amounts; served as 4 portions instead of 6–8 (one chicken). Photo: Kobako, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons (“Paprikahuhn”).
25 min 13 minThe Roman classic with no cream: crisp guanciale, egg yolks, pecorino and plenty of black pepper, turned silky by the heat of the pasta. Adapted from “Spaghetti alla Carbonara” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Pork, cheese and oil set to single amounts; steps reordered to run in parallel. Photo: Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Spaghetti alla carbonara (32998643591)”).
2 h 5 min 29 minA crisp-shelled, marshmallow-soft meringue piled with whipped cream and fresh berries, the celebration dessert of Australia and New Zealand. Bake the base ahead and assemble just before serving. Adapted from “Pavlova” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for the cream, powdered sugar and fruit; the sugar is beaten in gradually rather than folded, and the meringue cools in the switched-off oven, as the source's notes suggest. Photo: Dariusz Więckiewicz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pavlova Cake”).
13 minThe village salad of Greece: ripe tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, green pepper and olives in olive oil, crowned with a whole slab of feta and a pinch of oregano. No lettuce needed. Adapted from “Greek Salad” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for every ingredient (the source lists none) for 4 servings, and dried oregano over the feta instead of an optional fresh sprig. Photo: Jpatokal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Greece Food Horiatiki”).
42 min 39 minA creamy, deeply savoury risotto built on porcini and their soaking liquid, finished with butter, parsley and Parmesan. Dried porcini work just as well as fresh. Adapted from “Risotto ai Funghi” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Stock raised from 0.5 to 0.8 litre (plus the mushroom water) so the rice cooks through, wine cut from 1 cup to 150 ml, and vegetable stock used instead of chicken. Photo: Kolforn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“-2019-12-22 Mushroom Risotto with onion and herbs finished with Parmesan and Mushroom, Trimingham”).
1 h 12 min 37 minThe Provençal vegetable stew done slowly: eggplant and zucchini browned first, then simmered with soft onions, peppers and fresh tomatoes until tender but still whole. Good hot or cold. Adapted from “Ratatouille I” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for the oil and vegetable sizes; the salt, pepper and herb amounts suggested in the method moved into the ingredient list. Photo: Koichi Oda, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Ratatouille - Flickr - odako1”).
32 min 18 minNaples' clam pasta: fresh clams steamed open in garlicky olive oil with a little chile, tossed with spaghetti and parsley. Add tomatoes for the red version or leave them out for the white. Adapted from “Spaghetti with Clams” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added soaking the clams to purge sand; tomatoes made optional (the source's white version), canned clams left out and oil and garlic given amounts. Serves 4 rather than 6. Photo: Ka23 13, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Vongole 20220312 113850”).