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”).
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”).
12 h 41 min 46 minCrisp chickpea fritters made the proper way, from soaked raw chickpeas blitzed with onion, garlic, parsley and warm spices. Stuff them into pita or eat them hot from the pan. Adapted from “Falafel” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Halved the batch, made clear the chickpeas are soaked but not cooked, and added salt and frying times. Photo: やましこ, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Falafel (49728839526)”).
41 min 14 minEggs gently set in a pan of tomatoes, sweet red pepper, chile and plenty of garlic, all warmed by paprika. Bring it to the table in the pan with bread for mopping up. Adapted from “Shakshuka I” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Oil halved to 3 tbsp; added a 10-minute simmer so the tomatoes thicken before the eggs go in, and a lid to set the whites. Parsley moved from the notes into the recipe. Photo: Calliopejen1, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Shakshuka by Calliopejen1”).
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”).
23 minIndonesia's everyday fried rice: shallots, garlic and chile fried with chicken, then cold rice glazed with sweet soy sauce. Serve it with cucumber slices and, if you like, a fried egg on top. Adapted from “Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Gave amounts for the rice, oil and soy sauces; chose chicken and green beans from the optional list and read "fish oil" as fish sauce. The fried egg on top comes from the source's variations. Photo: Midori, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Nasi goreng di Rantepao”).
33 min 31 minMexico's ranch-style breakfast: crisp-edged corn tortillas topped with fried eggs and a quick tomato and chile sauce. Add beans, avocado or cheese if you want it heartier. Adapted from “Huevos Rancheros” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Doubled the eggs and tortillas to serve 2, with 6 tomatoes instead of 4 for the sauce; the chiles and chili powder given set amounts. Photo: Luca Nebuloni, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Huevos Rancheros (11494813583)”).
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”).
1 h 15 min 37 minMinced lamb simmered with carrots, peas and sweetcorn in a savoury gravy, topped with buttery mash and baked until golden. A proper British family supper. Adapted from “Shepherd's Pie III” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled from 1–2 to 4 servings with amounts for the vegetables, ketchup and stock; the stock now has 300 ml water so it can simmer, and an onion stands in for the unspecified mixed vegetables. Photo: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Shepherd Pie from Grand Cafe”).
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”).
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”).
1 h 1 min 37 minA quick home version of murgh makhani: chicken marinated in yogurt and tandoori spice, then simmered in a buttery onion, tomato and cream sauce. Serve with rice or naan. Adapted from “Indian Butter Chicken I” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Tandoori masala cut from 50 g plus 3–5 tbsp more to 3 tbsp; added water so the tomato paste becomes a sauce, salt, and single amounts for the chile powder and tomato paste. Photo: stu_spivack, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Chicken makhani”).
25 minSoft egg noodles tossed in a hot pan with chicken, shrimp and crisp vegetables and coated in soy sauce. A flexible stir-fry that takes whatever meat and vegetables you have. Adapted from “Lo Mein” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Fixed amounts for 4 in place of equal "parts" and "enough" soy sauce; picked chicken, shrimp, broccoli, carrot and asparagus from the suggested options and added spring onions to finish. Photo: jeffreyw, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Lo mein (13878821955)”).
23 minThe Cantonese fried rice found in every Hong Kong café: day-old jasmine rice tossed with prawns, char siu, bacon, peas and egg. A great home for leftover rice. Adapted from “Yeung Chow Fried Rice” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Salt and pepper cut from 1 tbsp each to 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp white pepper; serves 3 rather than 7 for the same amount of rice. Photo: Ceeseven, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Yeung Chow Fried Rice in Hong Kong Fast Food Shop”).
28 min 21 minA family recipe for Thailand's best-known noodle dish: rice noodles tossed in a sweet, sour and salty tamarind sauce with egg, bean sprouts and peanuts. Adapted from “Pad Thai” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Chili flakes cut from 2 tbsp to 1–2 tsp, fewer bean sprouts, the "assorted vegetables" made specific. Photo: Index Librorum Permissorum, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pad Thai 2018-12-26 (1)”).
19 min 9 minSichuan's famous numbing, spicy tofu: soft cubes simmered with minced meat and chili bean paste, finished with roasted Sichuan pepper. Serve over rice. Adapted from “Mapo Tofu” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Added the frying oil and a little water to simmer in; less Sichuan pepper (2 tsp instead of 1 tbsp). Photo: Guilhem Vellut, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Mapo Tofu @ Saturne @ Paris (33518107254)”).
34 min 16 minA punchy pantry pasta from the Italian islands: anchovies melted into olive oil, then olives, capers, tomatoes and a little chile. Ready in the time the pasta takes. Adapted from “Spaghetti alla Puttanesca” in the Wikibooks Cookbook (CC BY-SA 4.0). Scaled from 6–8 to 4 servings with fewer anchovies; timings added. Photo: Popo le Chien, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (“Pasta Puttanesca”).