Author: Tia Maria

Photo Gallery / Soups

Kale Fall Vegetable Kielbasa Soup

Soup season is here and what better way to warm up than with this hearty, vitamin packed soup. I used fall root vegetables which are season now, and white northern beans which give the soup a flavorful base.

You may substitute the kielbasa with Portuguese Chourica sausage if you prefer for a spicy kick!

To make this soup vegetarian, leave out the kielbasa. Pick up some fresh rolls and dinner is served! Enjoy and stay warm!

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh Kale ( finely chopped)

1/2 pound Kielbasa (chopped into desired pieces)

6-8 cups or more of water (depending on how thick you want the soup)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 large carrot (chopped into 1 inch cubes)

1 small rutabaga (nabo) chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)

1 cup butternut squash (finely chopped into 1/2 inch cubes)

1 large potato (cut into small cubes)

1 can of white northern beans

2 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1/4 cup olive oil

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

Instructions:

Place oil, vegetables and kielbasa in a large soup pan. Saute for 5 minutes until the onion and kielbase becomes slightly browned.

Add the water, stir and add the remaining ingredients except the kale and beans. Bring to a boil and cover.

Cook for 20 minutes on low medium heat. Continue cooking the vegetables to your desired consistency.

Leave the vegetables whole, or puree if you like a thicker soup.

Add the kale and beans, cover and cook on low for 10 minutes longer.

Add more seasonings as desired.

Photo Gallery / Recipes / Soups

Portuguese Kale Soup | Sopa de Couve com Chourico

 

This recipe for Kale Soup will take less than 30 minutes to prepare. This soup is very popular but it is often mistakenly called Caldo Verde Soup which is the most popular soup in Portugal. However, Kake Soup uses chunky potatoes and chopped kale rather than a potato puree. So the next time you see a restaurant menu offering these soups you’ll know the difference before you order.

There are many variations of this recipe. Some cooks use pasta instead of potatoes or add white beans or chick peas instead of the red kidney beans. Go ahead and experiment with your favorite ingredients! Enjoy!

Serves 6-8
Ingredients:

3 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes)

4 cups chicken broth or (4 cups water and 1 chicken bouillon cube)

2 cups water or more

3–4 cups kale or collard greens (chopped)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 bay leaf

1 (32 oz.) can red kidney beans

1 teaspoon salt

½ tsp pepper

Olive oil for garnish

1 16 oz. can roma (or any ripe) tomatoes (chopped)

1/2 small chouriço or linguica sausage (cut into pieces)


Instructions:

In a large soup pot, cook onions and garlic in the olive oil until translucent for a few minutes.

Add the chouriço, potatoes, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.  Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the water and broth and bring to a boil. Add the cabbage, beans, tomatoes, and bring to a second boil.

Cover, reduce heat to medium low and continue cooking, stirring once in a while until the potatoes are tender for about 20-30 minutes.

Taste, add water if needed to make a thinner broth and cook longer if you desire. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil on top if desired before serving.

Note: Substitute with any green leaf cabbage or red kidney beans with any type of beans for different variations.

 

Recipes

Correia Chestnut Farm Brings Fall Tradtion to Your Table

Chestnut – Castanha season is here!

Warm your family’s and friends heart with fresh chestnuts this fall. See the recipe for cooking chestnuts at the bottom of this article.

Harvey Correia is a third-generation farmer of Portuguese decent from the Sacramento River Delta.  His grandfather first immigrated from Madeira Island, in the Azores in 1907 and returned twice to his homeland. On his second visit back to Madeira he married Harvey s grandmother.  Harvey ponders at how in 1920, his grandfather and then pregnant grandmother sailed the long journey across the Atlantic, and traveled that long train ride across the country to reach California. Harvey’s father, is the second of 10 children and recently celebrated his 90th birthday.

His grandfather worked at the docks in the San Francisco Bay Area and then began farming near Isleton, California where he eventually purchased farmland and settled.  Harvey began growing chestnuts at the since 1998 after transitioning the farm from growing Bartlett pears. Growing pears required the use of many pesticides which left Harvey with concerns about the risks of using large amounts of pesticides on his farm. However, chestnuts in the Central Valley of California are relatively pest free.

Warm and just out of the oven! They came out delicious!

Correia Chestnut Farm has experimented with growing many different varieties of chestnuts and began offering a limited quantity of Italian marroni-type chestnuts in 2005 which received rave reviews from customers.

The rest of the farm’s orchard was grafted to these varieties in 2007 and they are now the only varieties grown in significant quantity.  While some varieties of chestnuts will produce larger chestnuts, most customers have agreed that none match the taste and quality of the Italian marroni. Visit them on their website for more information and visit them on their Facebook page for updates.

Order your chestnuts here just in time for Dia de Sao Martinho (St. Martins Day) and the upcoming Holidays!

Medium Size – 1.125 to 1.25 inches in diameter, averaging 30 nuts per pound.  $5.50 per pound

Large Size – 1.25 or more inches in diameter, averaging 20 nuts per pound.  $7.00 per pound

 Minimum Order – 5 pounds

Don’t forget to order the chestnut knife and roasting pans as well !

Look at these beautiful chestnut trees on the Correia farm!

Chestnust should normally be able to be stored for at least a month in your refrigerator at home following the instructions supplied with your order.

“Chestnuts are unlike other “nuts” in that they have a high moisture content and are low in fat.  Therefore, it is important to store chestnuts in refrigeration until a few days before you intend to enjoy them.

We have found that a majority of grocery stores do not properly refrigerate chestnuts or do not refrigerate them at all!  As a result, chestnuts purchased from a store are often spoiled or dried out.  The industry is attempting to educate retailers but this has been a slow process.  To ensure the chestnuts you purchase are of the highest quality, we suggest that you make your chestnut purchase directly from us, the grower, so that we can rush them directly to you from our refrigerated storage.” www.chestnuts.us

Corriea Chestnut Farm video


How to roast chestnuts recipe:

1. Using sharp knife, make an incision about 1/8-inch deep through the top of chestnut.

2. After slitting place the chestnuts on roasting pan and roast them 400  degrees for about 20 – 30  minutes. To check for doneness, squeeze one holding a dish towel and it should be soft.
Note: Optional – Portuguese custom is to sprinkle the chestnuts with salt before roasting for a salty kick.
3. Place a damp towel over the chestnuts to retain the heat and moisture. While they are still hot and cool enough to handle squeeze them gently with a towel to peel the shell and then remove the inner skin.


chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Easy Portuguese Baked Chicken


 Easy dinner in one hour! Portuguese Baked Chicken and Portuguese Punched Potatoes!

Cooking can be easy. I promise! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 small frying chickens (3 pounds each cut into halves)

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1/4 cup white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons Piri Piri or your favorite hot sauce (optional)

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and pat dry the chickens. Rub the chicken with the wine and hot sauce. Place the seasonings in a small bowl to mix and then rub over the chicken.

Place the chickens skin side up on a flat baking tray and drizzle the olive oil over the skin.

Cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on your oven. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, drizzle the chicken with the pan drippings.

Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Pasteis de Gila

sao33.blogspot.com

Pasteis de Gila- Puff Pastry is made using a sweet jam filling made from the fiber of the spaghetti squash. You can make the jelly at home, or you can buy it in jars already made for you. Watch the video below for the demonstration of how to cook the squash! Enjoy!

Order online at Amazon

Ingredients:
Puff pastry sheets (get them at your local bakery or use Pepperidge Farm)
Gila
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon water
Powdered Sugar
Assemble Pastry:
Cut the defrosted but very cold pastry sheets into 3 x 6 inch rectangles. Place 2 teaspoons of the Gila into the center and fold the dough over forming a square. Pinch the sides of the pastry together. Beat the egg with the water and brush the tops of the pastry. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, and place the pastries 2 inches apart on the sheet. Cook at 375  degrees for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown and cooked through.
Let cool and Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired and serve. Enjoy!
Ingredients for Gila:
1 spaghetti squash about 2 pounds
2 cups water
1 pound sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 piece of lemon peel

Directions:

Break the squash on the ground and break it up into pieces. Wash the squash, remove the seeds using you fingers. Place in a large pan and boil until the the skin falls apart from the fibers.

Drain the squash and place into an ice bath to cool. Separate any skin or seeds and discard them. Drain the remaining fibrous flesh and separate into threads. Rinse in cold water, drain and let it continue draining in colander for about 10 minutes.

image: tasteofbeirut.com

Cook the sugar and water in a medium pan until the sugar begins to thicken. Add the squash, cinnamon and lemon and cook for about 10 minutes until the squash mixture becomes very thick. Remove from pan and cool completely before storing in the refrigerator.

Watch this video for a demonstration on how to cook the gila:

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Chourico Omelet


Chourico and egg omelet is a classic Portuguese go to dish often served for breakfast, lunch, snack or even dinner. When my family and I arrived in America, lunch coolers and ice packs weren’t invented yet, so my mother would make my father omelets for his lunch break at work.  I can still smell the aroma of the chourico or presunto cooking at 6 O’clock on those mornings! It’s funny the things that remain in our memories.

I served my omelet with the Batatas a Rodelas. Here’s the easy recipe.

Video:

Ingredients:

3 eggs

1 teaspoon water

1/2 small chourico (or about 1 cup) (sliced very thin)

2 tablespoons onion (finely minced optional)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 oz of your favorite shredded cheese (optional)

parsley for garnish

salt

pepper

Instructions:

Saute the onion in a medium skillet in the olive oil until golden brown. Add the Chourico sausage and cook for a few minutes until it becomes slightly crispy.

Beat the eggs with water until foamy and add to the chourio. Cook the eggs on low medium heat while slightly moving the edges toward the center.

Let the omelet cook for about 2 minutes. Place a flat plat over the omelet and flip it over uncooked side down into the pan.

Spread the tomato over the omelet followed by the cheese. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes on low heat.

Add parsley, salt and pepper as desired and garnish with parsley.

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Batatas Bravas – Spicy Potatoes

It’s potato harvest season in New England! I made a trip to the local farm this past weekend and picked up a 50 lb sack of russet potatoes which is my usual custom every fall. The potatoes store well during the winter months in a cool basement or garage.  I only paid $11 for the sack. If I bought them at my supper market by the pound it would cost me over $50! I suggest you pick one up to. You’ll thank me in a few months when the potato prices go up for the Holidays.

My first dish using the russet potatoes is Batatas Bravas – Spicy Potatoes! This dish is often served warm with a spicy tomato sauce or aioli but just made them plain to go with the Chourico omelet. These potatoes aren’t fried and use very little olive oil, so they’re light on calories. Enjoy!

Batatas Bravas

2 pounds of potatoes (chopped into 1-2 inch cubes)

1 small onion (finely minced)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 – 2 teaspoons of hot sauce

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of parsley (finely chopped)

Instructions:

Cook the potatoes in the teaspoon of salt and boiling water for about 10-15 minutes until tender but not over cooked. Drain cover the pan and put them back on the stove on the warm burner.

Toss the potatoes in the pan gently for some of the moisture to evaporate for about 5 minutes.

While the potatoes sit for the 5 minutes, saute the onion in the olive oil in a medium non stick pan until golden brown.

Season the potatoes with the pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and piri piri, toss and gently place them in the pan with the onions.

Cook the potatoes on low medium heat turning them gently in the pan until they obtain a slight crisp on the edges.

Taste and add more piri piri or seasonings if desired. Top with parsley. Serve warm

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Lisa’s Swirly Chourico and Pepperoni Bread

M

This Swirly Chourico/Pepperoni Bread was made by my daughter. This is one of those recipes that you’ll make very often! It’s great for an easy snack, as an appetizer or to serve for game day parties!

I have a recipe here on this blog for a perfect pizza dough although, some days I get my pizza dough at my supermarket since they make fresh pizza there and sell it by the pound. You can also use the frozen pizza dough or bread dough. Let dough thaw out completely. If you find your dough too elasticity add a little flour and it will roll better for you. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 pounds pizza or bread dough

1/2 to 1 pound pepperoni/chourico/linguica sausage (sliced thin) (use only chouriço or pepperoni if desired.

8 oz Mozzarella cheese (shredded depending how cheesy you like)

1 small onion (thin sliced) (optional) 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon dry oregano

1  tablespoon fresh or dried basil leaves 

1 egg (for egg wash)

1 teaspoon water

Instructions:

Cook onions in oil until translucent and let cool

Roll pizza dough and place on floured surface.  Spread the onions evenly over the dough and brush the dough with the remaining oil left in pan.

Layer chourico or pepperoni evenly over the entire area of dough.


Top with the oregano, basil, and cheese.

Beginning at  the long end, gently roll the dough into a long cylinder shape. Pinch any open edges with your fingers.  Lightly flour a long sheet pan and the gently place the bread onto the middle of the pan.

Beat the egg with the water and brush over the bread. Make a few small slits on top of bread with a knife. Cook at 400 degrees F. for about 20 -30 minutes or until golden brown. Let sit for a few minutes to cool before slicing. Enjoy!

Events

Big E Fall 2014

 

Baked Loaded Potato at the Big E, West Springfield, Ma. 2014

Can you find the little Bee, joining us for lunch in the photo?


Here’s some photos from my trip with my daughter to the Big E, the Eastern States Exposition, this week! The food was amazing! We visited the State buildings of Maine and ate our shared lunch of loaded Baked Potato, Lobster roll and blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. We decided to share each item so we would have room to taste all of our favorites.

We also visited the Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts buildings too. Our final stop was at the Rhode Island building to enjoy my favorite Big E snack of Clam Fritters! The Big E has famous giant Cream Puffs which we passed by but we were to full to try one. My favorite part every year is seeing the chick hatchery in the Farmarama Building where the farm animals are housed. The Giant Pumpkin weighed a massive 1250 pounds which tied the all time record! We had a great time, but I wish I could try those corn dogs, the giant turkey legs, the funnel cake,…the list goes on! Next year I plan on going a little hungrier to try more of the amazing carnival foods!

Photo Gallery / Recipes / rice / Side Dish

Arroz de Tomate – Portuguese Tomato Flavored Rice

Arroz de Tomate – Tomato Flavored Rice

This rice pairs well with fish and poultry, but you can serve it as a side dish for any meal. My father was named Dinis after Rei D. Dinis (1279 – 1325) he also loved rice as did the once reining king!

He first showed me how to make rice it when I was a young girl. To obtain a fluffy rice you should gently coat it with the olive oil or butter and let it stir fry gently for about a minute or two. This process allows the grains to stay intact and not get mushy while cooking.

To read more about the popularity of rice in Portugal visit this link from Catavino.com.

Excerpt from Catavino.com:

Portugal’s rice production along the Tejo River estuary has been documented since the 18th century, rice was cultivated in the southern regions of Portugal well beforehand – inherited from the Moors. It was during the reign of King D. Dinis (1279-1325) that rice was first referenced, curiously as a luxury product found only on the dining tables of the wealthy. Centuries later, the production of rice was outlawed, due to a high risk of malaria from the poor growing conditions. By the 19th century, rice became highly prized and produced, extending beyond the river basin to the North. Consequently, the Portuguese government changed their tune from rice as a “tolerable grain” to an agricultural powerhouse, thereby creating better conditions to ensure its success. By the beginning of the 20th century, a solid base for rice production had been established provoking the dissemination of rice fields across the country. credits: http://catavino.net/portuguese-rice-arroz-carolino/

Ingredients:

2 cups uncooked rice (preferably long grain Carolina Rice or Uncle Bens)

1 small onion (finely chopped)

4 cups boiling water

1 chicken boullion cube

2 large very ripe tomatoes (peeled, seeded, chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon of olive oil

Instructions:

In heavy medium pan, saute the onion and bay leaf in the oil for a few minutes on medium heat until translucent. Add the rice, stir to coat with the oil for about 1 minute. Add the boiling water, salt, boullion and tomato.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir, cover and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes stirring often. After fifteen minutes stir and taste for saltiness. Cover, remove from heat and let the rice absorb moisture as it sits until ready to serve.

Note: I like a firm rice, cook  rice longer if you prefer it more will done.

To form the rice tower lightly grease a small ramekin with margarine. Pack the rice firmly in the ramekin and flip onto a plate.