In Trieste, coffee begins at the harbour
Trieste’s coffee houses have a Viennese heritage. The harbour next to them explains why an Italian city became so closely tied to Central Europe.
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Why the first cork harvest does not produce a wine cork
A wine cork looks like a simple finished product: a small piece of material that fits neatly into a bottle neck. On the tree, things begin much less neatly. According to the Portuguese cork industry association APCOR, a cork oak’s first bark is too irregular and too hard to make suitable wine corks. The first harvest is therefore a stage along the way, rather than the finish.
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Catalonia · Recipes
Escalivada: soft roasted peppers and aubergines
The oven does most of the work. Roast the vegetables until soft inside, then remove their skins. Arrange what remains in broad strips on a platter with olive oil.
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Catalonia · Recipes
Pa amb tomàquet: rub the tomato into the bread
The tomato does not sit in slices on top of this bread. Rub the flesh of half a ripe tomato into the cut surface. A little oil and salt are enough; eat immediately before the crisp edges soften.
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Catalonia · Recipes
Crema catalana with a thin, crisp sugar crust
Make the pale custard on the hob. Only once it is cold does it get its layer of caramelised sugar. One spoonful brings the contrast: a crisp top, then soft custard with cinnamon and lemon.
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Auvergne · Recipes
Truffade: potatoes under a blanket of cheese
The potatoes must be cooked first. Only then do you add the fresh tome: gentle heat and careful folding turn separate slices into a panful of soft, stretchy cheese.
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Auvergne · Recipes
Lentil salad with Bleu d’Auvergne and tarragon
Keep the lentils whole and the cheese recognisable. In this salad, small cubes of Bleu d’Auvergne, finely chopped shallot and tarragon each bring something different to a simple bowl of lentils.
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Auvergne · Recipes
Pompe aux pommes: apple between two layers of pastry
This apple pastry has a layer of dough on top too. Cut a few slits in it: steam can escape while the apple softens and the puff pastry browns.
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