Main Dishes

Braises, roasts and slow pots at the heart of the table.

Lomo saltado on a cream stoneware plate with a speckled rim, on a striped red, orange and blue Andean cloth: seared beef strips, one pink inside, red onion petals, tomato wedges and yellow ají amarillo strips in a thin brown sauce, with thick golden fries and a dome of white rice, a fork and spoon beside it and a glass of purple chicha morada behind

Peruvian

Lomo Saltado: Peruvian Beef Stir-Fry with Fries and Rice

4 servings · 1 hr

Smooth golden-orange red lentil soup in a white porcelain bowl with a thin red rim on a matching saucer, on a dark walnut table: a spiral of red pepper butter with pepper flakes and a pinch of dried mint on top, a lemon wedge and a spoon on the saucer, with sliced white bread, a tulip glass of Turkish tea and small dishes of pepper flakes behind

Turkish

Mercimek Çorbası: Turkish Red Lentil Soup with Chili Butter

6 bowls · 50 min

Rawon in a deep pale pink ceramic bowl on a rattan placemat: cubes of dark braised beef in a thin near-black broth dotted with reddish oil, topped with short bean sprouts, scallion rings and fried shallots, with a plate of rice, a halved salted egg with an orange yolk, a dish of sambal, prawn crackers and a lime wedge around it

Indonesian

Rawon: East Javanese Black Beef Soup with Keluak Nuts

6 servings · 2 hr 30 min

Clear tom yum kung in a wide grey-blue stoneware bowl on a dark teak table: five head-on prawns in a hazy pale gold broth dotted with orange chili oil, with torn oyster mushrooms, diagonal pieces of lemongrass, makrut lime leaves, red and green bird's eye chilies and cilantro, beside a plate of jasmine rice, half a lime and three lemongrass stalks

Thai

Tom Yum Kung: Thai Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup, Clear or Creamy

4 servings · 45 min

Coq au vin in a round dove-gray enameled cast-iron pot on a worn oak table: bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks stained deep mahogany by the wine, half sunk in a glossy dark sauce with button mushrooms, glazed pearl onions, golden lardons and chopped parsley, with a bowl of boiled potatoes, a glass of red wine, a linen napkin and a spoon beside it

French

Coq au Vin: Classic French Chicken Braised in Red Wine

6 servings · 2 hr 30 min

A deep ochre-glazed earthenware bowl of Greek fasolada on a pale blue wooden table: plump white beans in a thick orange-red broth with carrot rounds, celery, a sheen of olive oil and chili flakes, a spoon in the bowl, with country bread, feta with oregano, Kalamata olives and a quartered red onion beside it

Greek

Fasolada: Greek White Bean Soup with Olive Oil and Tomato

6 bowls · 2 hr 15 min

Ackee and saltfish on a white enamel plate with a dark green rim: soft yellow ackee lobes with flakes of salt fish, onion, scallion, red and green pepper, tomato and thyme, three fried dumplings and two pieces of boiled green banana, a whole Scotch bonnet behind

Jamaican

Ackee and Saltfish: How to Make Jamaica's National Dish

4 servings · 1 hr

A bowl of Hanoi chicken pho in an ivory porcelain bowl with a blue rim: clear pale golden broth over flat rice noodles, sliced poached chicken with pale yellow skin, scallion rings, cilantro and fine green herb threads, with lime wedges and red chili on a saucer and star anise and ginger behind

Vietnamese

Phở Gà: Hanoi Chicken Pho with a Clear Ginger Broth

6 bowls · 2 hr 35 min

A whole roast goose with crisp, deep mahogany skin on a large oval Polish stoneware platter painted with cobalt-blue dots, surrounded by roasted halved apples and sprigs of marjoram, with a bowl of braised red cabbage behind on a rustic wooden table

Polish

Polish Roast Goose with Apples for St. Martin's Day

8 servings · 16 hr 20 min

A loose nest of thin, golden, hand-cut tajarin noodles glossy with melted butter on a pale celadon-grey stoneware plate, topped with grated Parmigiano and whole sage leaves, with a wedge of Parmigiano, a fork and a glass of red wine behind on a light oak table

Italian

Tajarin: Piedmont's Egg-Yolk Pasta with Butter and Sage

4 servings · 1 hr 30 min

A Japanese omurice on a white oval plate: a smooth, pale yellow omelet wrapped into a plump oval with a zigzag of ketchup on top, cut open at one end to show orange-red ketchup rice with chicken, onion and peas, beside a spoon, a glass of water and a bowl of shredded cabbage

Japanese

Omurice: Japanese Omelet Rice with Ketchup Chicken Rice

2 servings · 40 min

Beyran in a shallow tinned copper bowl on a copper plate: a red-orange broth with a sheen of fat and red pepper flakes, strands of pulled lamb and crushed garlic on top, beside lemon wedges, long green peppers and a dimpled flatbread

Turkish

Beyran: Gaziantep's Slow Lamb, Rice and Garlic Soup

6 bowls · 5 hr