Tuna quiche is what happens when French technique meets pantry pragmatism: a buttery blind-baked crust, a silky cream custard, and canned tuna — which, as any Portuguese cook will tell you, is an ingredient...

Poulet basquaise is the pride of the Basque Country — that green, food-obsessed corner where France meets Spain: chicken browned until golden, then simmered in piperade, the region’s silky stew of tomatoes, bell peppers...

Chechebsa is the Ethiopian breakfast I wish more people knew about: a quick flatbread called kita, torn into pieces while still warm and tossed with spiced clarified butter (niter kibbeh) and berbere until every...

Tarta de Santiago is Galicia’s 16th-century almond tart, stamped — literally — with the Cross of Saint James in powdered sugar. It is so iconic that the name enjoys protected status: a true Tarta...

Alfajores are Argentina’s beloved sandwich cookies: two impossibly tender, crumbly rounds hugging a thick layer of dulce de leche, with coconut pressed around the edges. One with coffee is civilized; stopping at one is...

Dulce de membrillo is one of the Iberian Peninsula’s oldest sweets: quinces slowly cooked with sugar until they transform into a dense, sliceable amber paste. In Spain it is inseparable from Manchego cheese —...

Almejas a la marinera are Galicia’s clams “sailor style”: opened in a sauce of onion, garlic, paprika, wine and tomato, thickened just enough to cling to every shell. Where Portugal’s Bulhão Pato keeps clams...

Pollo al ajillo is Spain’s beloved garlic chicken: pieces of chicken browned until golden, then simmered with toasted garlic, bay leaf, lemon and a splash of sherry until the sauce turns silky and irresistible....

Pulpo a la gallega — or pulpo á feira, “fair-style octopus” — is Galicia’s most iconic dish: slices of tender octopus over potatoes, dressed with nothing more than good olive oil, coarse salt and...

Polvo à lagareiro is the octopus sibling of the bacalhau dish of the same name — and many Portuguese would quietly tell you it is the superior of the two. Tender boiled octopus, roasted...