El ham lahlou, Algeria
For a taste of North Africa, you can'tbeat el ham lahlou, astew ofslow-cooked lamb with prunes and orange blossom. Servessixtoeight.
12 prunes, destoned
200ml orange juice
50g butter
4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 onions, sliced
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cumin
1kg lamb neck fillet, chopped into 3cm pieces
400g tin of chickpeas, drained
50g blanched almonds
1 firm pear, cored and chopped
A splash of red-wine vinegar
2 tbsp orange blossom water
Cooked couscous, to serve
½ bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped, to serve
Greek yoghurt, to serve
Pop the prunes in a bowl, pour over the orange juice and leave to soak for one hour.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low and stir in the garlic, onion, cinnamon and cumin. Sauté for 15 minutes, until the onion is soft and sticky but not coloured.
Turn up the heat slightly, add thelamb and brown for 2-3 minutes. Season, then tip in the prunes andtheir soaking juice. Cover with300ml of water, bring to the boil and simmer over a low heat forone hour.
Stir in the chickpeas, almonds andpear, and simmer for a further 30 minutes. To finish, season and stir in the red-wine vinegar and orange blossom water. Serve on abed of couscous with the parsley scattered over and adollop of yoghurt on the side.
Japchae, South Korea
This sweet and salty stir-fry with sweet potato noodles is a traditional celebration dish. Although usually made with steak, this veggie version uses tofu. Serves four to six.
250g sweet potato noodles (a type of glass noodle made with sweet potato starch. Available from most Asian supermarkets or online at souschef.co.uk)
Sesame oil, for drizzling
4 tbsp low-salt soy sauce
2 heaped tbsp caster sugar
Vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 onions, finely sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
150g shiitake mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
200g fried tofu, chopped into 5cmcubes
200g baby spinach
4 spring onions, finely sliced, to serve
1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, to serve
Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and add the noodles. Simmer for five minutes, or until cooked, then drain. Rinse them under cold running water, then cut into 10–12cm lengths. Pop the noodles in a bowl, drizzle over a little sesame oil to coat, then setaside.
In another bowl, combine the soy sauce and caster sugar, and set aside.
Place a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat, add a splash of vegetable oil and, once hot, pour in the beaten eggs, tipping the pan so they spread out into a thin omelette. As soon as it is cooked, transfer the omelette to a plate and finely slice it.
Return the pan to the hob and add another good glug of oil. Fry the onion and carrot for 5–10 minutes, until softened, then tear in the mushrooms and stir in the garlic and tofu. Fry for another 2–3 minutes, until the mushrooms have softened.
Stir through the spinach, then take the pan off the heat. Add the noodles, soy sauce mixture and chopped egg, and mix to combine. Scatter over the spring onions and sesame seeds, then serve.
Arepas, Colombia
These soft yet substantial dough patties are a great South American street food. Serves six.
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1kg pork belly
300g vine-ripe tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
4 spring onions, sliced
1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finelychopped
A small bunch of coriander, leavespicked and roughly chopped, stalks finely chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
Extra-virgin olive oil
250g masa harina (flour made from corn. This dish is traditionally made with masarepa flour, but masa harina is easier to find in the UK, at souschef.co.uk)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 corn cobs
100g firm white goat's cheese
Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7. Mix the cumin and paprika in a bowl, along with ½ teaspoon ofsea salt. Score the skin of the pork belly with a sharp knife and rub the paprika mixture into it, making sure it gets into all the grooves. Place the meat in a small roasting pan and roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes.
Reduce the temperature to 170C/325F/gas mark 3 and cook the pork for another two hours, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily.
Meanwhile, make a salsa. In abowl, combine the tomato, spring onion, most of the chilli, the coriander stalks and most of its leaves. Add the lemon juice and adrizzle of olive oil, and season. Mixtogether and set aside.
To make the arepas, pop the masa harina in a bowl and stir in the vegetable oil and a pinch of salt. Pour in 275ml of water, then bring it together to form a smooth, pliable dough. Divide it into six and flatten each one into a disc about 1cm thick and 6-7cm in diameter. Pop them on a sheet of greaseproof paper and set aside until ready to serve.
When the pork is ready, take itoutof the oven (turn up the heatto 200C/400F/gas mark 6) andleave it to rest. Put a griddle pan on the hob over a medium heat. Griddle the arepas for 4-5 minuteson each side, until griddle marked, then place them on abaking sheet and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, or until cooked through. Keep the griddle pan onthe hob.
Place the corn cobs on the griddle pan, let them char for a few minutes on each side, then set aside to cool. Once the corn is cool enough to handle, use a knife to carefully slice off the kernels. Meanwhile, shred the pork belly into a bowl and set aside.
To serve, grate the goat's cheese over the arepas and top with pork, salsa and corn, then scatter over the rest of the chilli and coriander. Alternatively, slice them open and stuff with the topping ingredients.
Baleadas, Honduras
This central American street food is ideal to enjoy with pre-match drinks. Just top the tortillas with your favourites – refried beans, fried eggs, crisp chorizo, avocado… whatever you like. Serves six.
500g plain flour, plus extra fordusting
1 tbsp baking powder
125ml groundnut oil, plus extra forfrying
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
2 onions, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 x 400g tins of kidney beans, drained
2 tbsp sour cream
A splash of white-wine vinegar
1–2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped, to serve
A bunch of coriander, finely chopped, to serve
Lime wedges, to serve
Topping options
220g chorizo, sliced and fried
150g cheddar, coarsely grated
150g feta, broken into chunks
2-4 avocados, sliced and dressed with lime juice
4-6 fried eggs
Chilli sauce
Sift the flour, baking powder and two teaspoons of salt together in abowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the groundnut oil and about 200ml of warm water, or as much as you need to form a dough, mixing with a knife until it comes together.
Tip the dough on to a floured work surface and knead for four-five minutes, until smooth and elastic. Return it to the bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to prove for one hour.
Place a large nonstick frying pan over a low–medium heat and pour in a glug of oil. Add the garlic, onion and cumin, and sauté for about 10 minutes, until soft and sticky.
Turn up the heat to medium, stir in the kidney beans, sour cream and vinegar, season well and simmer for about five minutes, until the beans have softened.
Mash your refried beans for acoarse texture, or blitz them in ablender if you prefer them smooth. Return the beans to the pan and leave to one side for reheating later.
When your dough has risen, divide it into 12 pieces and roll them into balls. Flatten each one with your hand, then, on a floured surface, roll out into a tortilla 2mm thick and about 18cm in diameter.
Place a large nonstick frying pan over a medium heat and, once hot, dry-fry each tortilla for one minute on each side, until just coloured – you want them still soft enough to roll. Cover with kitchen foil to keep warm while you fry the rest.
When ready to serve, lay out your chosen toppings. Place the pan of bean mixture over a low–medium heat for 1-2 minutes, until warmed through, then spread a couple of spoonfuls over each tortilla. Scatter over the chilli and coriander, add your toppings and serve with lime wedges, for squeezing over.
Jollof rice, Ghana
This classic African dish is the ultimate comfort food. Serves six.
8 chicken thighs or drumsticks
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground white pepper
Vegetable oil
600g cherry tomatoes, on the vine
4 onions, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, sliced
½-1 scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and chopped
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves chopped, stalks finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato puree
500g vine-ripe tomatoes, chopped
750ml chicken stock
500g long-grain rice
1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. In abowl, toss the chicken thighs with the ground coriander, white pepper and a pinch of salt. Add a glug of oil to a large saucepan and fry the chicken over a medium heat for 7-8 minutes, until browned all over.
Transfer the chicken to amedium-sized roasting pan and cook in the oven for 30–40 minutes, until golden, adding the cherry tomatoes halfway through.
Meanwhile, using the same pan you browned the chicken in, add asplash of oil and sauté the onion, garlic, chilli and parsley stalks over alow heat for 10 minutes.
Stir in the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes, then pour in the chicken stock. Bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for five minutes. Stir in the rice, pop the lid on and let it bubble away for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, adding water if it gets too dry.
Stir in the parsley leaves, followedby the cooking juices and cherry tomatoes (discarding the stalk) from the roasting pan. Mix well, squashing the tomatoes into the rice.
Serve the rice with the chicken pieces on top and lemon wedges on the side for squeezing over.
Cevapi with ajvar, Bosnia-Herzegovina
These flatbreads filled with grilled meat (cevapi) and red pepper sauce (ajvar) are the ideal football feast – make ahead of time for an easy-to-assemble dinner. Serves six.
750g beef mince
400g pork mince
1 small garlic bulb, plus 4 cloves
2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
1 egg
150ml sparkling water
Olive oil
6 red peppers
2 aubergines
A bunch of flat-leaf parsley
Juice of 2 lemons
1 onion, chopped
6 flatbreads, to serve
Pickled guindilla peppers, to serve (optional)
Sour cream, to serve
Make the cevapi at least a few hours before you want to cook them, or ideally the night before. Place the minced beef and pork in a large bowl, then crush in the four garlic cloves. Sprinkle over the bicarbonate of soda and paprika, and season.
Crack in the egg and use your hands to scrunch everything together. Add as much of the sparkling water as you need to make a smooth, pliable mixture.
Divide the meat into 10–12 pieces and roll each one into a sausage about 10cm long and 2cm thick. Place the cevapi on an oiled baking tray, cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge until needed.
For the ajvar, preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas mark 8. Place the whole peppers and aubergines on a large roasting tray, along with the unpeeled garlic bulb, and roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, or until the veg skins are blackened, turning halfway through.
Once the peppers and aubergines are charred, place in a bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave for 20 minutes. Once they've cooled slightly, pull off and discard the skins, seeds and stalks, and chop the flesh on a board. Squeeze out the garlic from six roasted cloves and add to the veg, along with most of the parsley, then chop it all together. (If you have roasted garlic left over, stir into softened butter and store in the fridge – it's great for garlic bread.)
Keep chopping everything together, season with salt and pepper, squeeze over the juice of one of the lemons and drizzle over a good glug of olive oil. Adjust the seasoning to taste, then set aside.
Finely chop the remaining parsley, tip it into a bowl, then mix in the onion and remaining lemon juice. Set aside.
Just before you're ready to serve, warm the flatbreads in the oven and place a griddle pan over a high heat. When hot, cook the cevapi for 10–12 minutes, until cooked through.
To serve, spread some ajvar on top of the warm flatbreads, with a couple of cevapi and a guindilla pepper on top of each, a dollop of sour cream and the herby onion on the side.
