Chicken and pepper fajitas meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 30 active min · 1056 kcal Chicken thigh strips marinated with cumin, smoked paprika, chilli and lime, seared over a high heat, followed by peppers and onion in the browned juices: roll into warm tortillas with pico de gallo and crushed avocado. Recipe
Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino pareve main dish · 3/5 · medium · 20 active min · 796 kcal Glossy spaghetti coated in a generous olive oil sauce, gently infused with garlic and chilli and bound with starchy pasta water, with a final drizzle of uncooked oil. Serve with a southern Italian contorno of warm cannellini beans, red onion, olive oil and oregano. Recipe
Red lentil dal tadka with basmati rice pareve main dish · 2/5 · easy · 25 active min · 776 kcal North Indian dal: red lentils softened over a base of golden onion, ginger, garlic and slowly cooked tomato with turmeric and coriander, finished with garam masala and brought to life by tadka, hot oil with sizzling cumin seeds, chilli and garlic. Served with separate-grained basmati rice. Recipe
Homemade chicken shawarma with pita, tahini, amba and zhug meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 40 active min · 1175 kcal Israeli street-stall pita at home: chicken thigh strips marinated for 2 hours in shawarma spices, seared with onion in a smoking-hot pan, then chopped with a knife for crisp edges and tucked into pita with tahini, finely chopped salad, sumac onions, gherkins, amba and zhug. Recipe
Tunisian chicken with olives meat main dish · 2/5 · easy · 40 active min · 1165 kcal Chicken legs browned skin-side down, then simmered with blanched cracked green olives, turmeric, garlic and lemon slices, with potatoes cooking in the golden sauce. Recipe
Cantonese chicken, egg and pea fried rice meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 30 active min · 945 kcal Well-seasoned fried rice with separate grains, tender golden chicken, soft eggs and peas. Cook the rice the day before, or an hour ahead using the alternative method; finish dinner in the wok in two batches. Recipe
Vegetarian mapo tofu with mushrooms and fragrant rice pareve main dish · 3/5 · medium · 35 active min · 1182 kcal Tofu cubes in a glossy red doubanjiang and chopped mushroom sauce, with the tingling warmth of Sichuan pepper and white rice to soak it up. The meat-free version served in Chengdu canteens. Recipe
Pareve moussaka with lentils, roasted aubergines and olive oil béchamel pareve main dish · 4/5 · hard · 50 active min · 1044 kcal Layers of meltingly tender roasted potatoes and aubergines, whole lentils in a tomato sauce with cinnamon, bay and red wine, topped with a thick olive oil and soya béchamel, bound with egg, that sets in the oven beneath a golden breadcrumb crust. Recipe
Hraimi — fish steaks in a spicy red sauce pareve fish main dish · 2/5 · easy · 15 active min · 833 kcal The Friday-night fish of Jewish homes in Tunisia and Tripoli: steaks poached in a sauce of garlic, tomato purée, caraway and harissa, with potatoes to soak up the sauce. Recipe
Homemade pizza margherita with slow-fermented dough dairy main dish · 4/5 · hard · 60 active min · 1038 kcal Two 30 cm Neapolitan-style pizzas baked in a home oven: dough made with 00 flour and kneaded the day before, hand-crushed raw peeled tomatoes, well-drained fior di latte, fresh basil and a drizzle of oil, baked on a blazing-hot tray until the rim is puffed and mottled. Recipe
Veal ossobuco with lemon gremolata and polenta meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 60 active min · 1051 kcal Veal shank slices gently braised with wine, stock and vegetables, a concentrated sauce that coats the meat, marrow to scoop out with a teaspoon, and the bright fragrance of garlic, parsley and lemon added at the end. Recipe
Spiced minced beef tacos with pico de gallo and guacamole (Tex-Mex style) meat main dish · 2/5 · easy · 30 active min · 1015 kcal Warm wheat tortillas filled with seared minced beef seasoned with cumin, oregano and chilli, pico de gallo, guacamole and lime-pickled red onion: six generous tacos. Recipe
Orecchiette with broccoli, cannellini, garlic and golden breadcrumbs pareve main dish · 2/5 · easy · 25 active min · 815 kcal A Puglian family dish in a lean version without anchovies or cheese: broccoli florets and cannellini break down in garlic and peperoncino oil with pasta water, making a rustic cream that fills the orecchiette. Golden, salted breadcrumbs—the mollica of Bari—add crunch. Recipe
Teriyaki salmon with short-grain rice and sesame broccoli pareve fish main dish · 3/5 · medium · 20 active min · 877 kcal Salmon portions seared skin-side down, then glazed in the pan with soy sauce, mirin, sugar and ginger that reduce in two minutes to a glossy syrup, served on short-grain rice that catches the glaze, with steamed broccoli and toasted sesame oil. Recipe
Grilled beef kebabs with vermicelli rice meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 45 active min · 1042 kcal The kebabs of Israeli grill restaurants, cousins of Lebanese kafta: well-marbled minced beef kneaded with onion, parsley, baharat and cumin, seared on a griddle and served over Levantine rice with golden toasted vermicelli. Recipe
Marka jelbana bel karnoun — lamb with peas and artichokes in a light turmeric and lemon broth meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 35 active min · 986 kcal The marka safra of Tunisian Jewish cooking: meltingly tender shoulder in a golden turmeric and tabil broth, fleshy artichoke bottoms, potatoes that soak up the juices and peas added at the end, all lifted by lemon and fresh coriander. Recipe
Pan-fried chicken and Chinese cabbage jiaozi with black vinegar dipping sauce meat main dish · 4/5 · hard · 55 active min · 915 kcal Northern Chinese pan-fried jiaozi, or jianjiao, often called guotie: golden, crisp bases joined by a lacy skirt, tender steamed tops and a juicy chicken thigh, Chinese cabbage, ginger and white pepper filling beaten with aromatic water. Served with black vinegar, soya sauce and raw garlic dipping sauce, plus homemade chilli oil if you like. Recipe
Steamed sea bream with ginger and spring onions, jasmine rice and bok choy pareve fish main dish · 3/5 · medium · 28 active min · 863 kcal Qing zheng yu from Cantonese tables: a whole sea bream steamed on the bone, topped with ginger and spring onions, sizzled with hot oil and surrounded by a warm, lightly sweetened soya sauce. Recipe
Mejadra — rice and lentils with fried onions and a crisp salad pareve main dish · 3/5 · medium · 40 active min · 1050 kcal Rice and lentils with warm spices and plenty of golden-brown onions, served with a lemon-dressed tomato and cucumber salad for crunch and freshness. Recipe
Fish balls in red sauce with meltingly tender potatoes pareve fish main dish · 4/5 · hard · 35 active min · 991 kcal Tender mullet fish balls with parsley, coriander and cumin, browned in oil then finished in a red sauce with garlic, caraway and harissa, served with potatoes and bread for mopping up. Recipe
Linguine al pesto alla genovese with potatoes and green beans dairy main dish · 2/5 · easy · 20 active min · 984 kcal The Genoese way: an uncooked basil pesto with pine nuts, kosher Grana and pecorino, loosened off the heat with linguine water, with potatoes and green beans cooked in the same pot as the pasta. Fresh basil fragrance, without cream or cooking the sauce. Recipe
Chicken piccata with lemon and capers, olive oil and parsley linguine meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 25 active min · 995 kcal Thin chicken escalopes, lightly dusted with flour, seared in olive oil and coated in a bright lemon, white wine and caper sauce. Ready in half an hour, with parsley linguine dressed with a little of the sauce. Recipe
Coconut chicken curry with basmati rice meat main dish · 3/5 · medium · 35 active min · 1158 kcal Chicken thighs marinated with turmeric and lemon, simmered in a sauce of deeply golden onion, tomato and coconut milk, scented with whole spices sizzled in oil; served with soaked basmati rice with separate grains. Recipe
Pasta e fagioli — pasta and white beans pareve main dish · 3/5 · medium · 40 active min · 756 kcal A thick, hearty soup of tender cannellini cooked with garlic, bay and rosemary. A third of the beans are mashed to thicken the broth in which a modest amount of ditalini cooks, then rosemary, garlic and chilli oil is poured over to bring it to life. Recipe
Oven-baked fish schnitzel with chips and tartare sauce pareve fish main dish · 4/5 · hard · 30 active min · 1174 kcal The fish schnitzel of Israeli tables, made extra crisp: a golden, lemon-scented panko crust, oven chips, pareve caper tartare sauce and a drizzle of vinegar over the chips. Recipe