Category: Main Dish

Main Dish / Photo Gallery

Oven Broiled Spicy Chicken Piri Piri

 

I am so tired of Winter! I bet many of you are too. I was craving some Chicken Piri Piri so I made this recipe using the broiler last night. Now you can get the char grilled chicken flavor all year long with this method!

The chicken comes out tender, juicy and flavorful.

Find the recipe for; Portuguese rice or  Sweet Potato Chile Fries as a side dish. What’s great about making the fries is that you can cook them along with the chicken saving cooking time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 small fryer chickens

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 or 2 tablespoons of piri piri sauce or Tabasco hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon of piri piri powder (optional)

1/4 cup of Vinho Verde or white wine

Instructions:

Marinate the chickens with all the ingredients and leave them overnight in the refrigerator or for at least 2 hours before cooking.

Arrange the chickens on a large baking tray and broil in your oven until the skin becomes golden brown for about 10 minutes.

Do you notice the bottle of Vinho Verde, and authentic Portuguese spices? I’m lucky that I have many stores in my town to buy them!

*Note: Leave the oven door open slightly so you can keep your eyes on the chicken and it does not burn or smoke.

Turn off broiler and set the oven at 400 degrees.

Place the chicken in the tray in the middle oven rack and cook and cook for 1 hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and crispy.

If you make the sweet potato fries place them in the oven along with the chicken.

Here it is! Look at that crispy golden color!

When the chicken is cooked drain off the pan drippings and strain it into a small pan. Skim off the fat on top of the drippings, add more piri piri sauce to your taste and cook on low heat for a few minutes.

Serve the sauce over the chicken or on the side for dipping!

 Here’s the photo of the sweet potato fries. They are so good and spicy! Enjoy

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Saladas de Atum – Tuna Fish Salads

I’ve been making salads to make it feel like Summer. Look at the beautiful colors in this salad! It says Summer doesn’t it?

Prepare the tuna salad and eat it over a bed of lettuce for a light lunch, or add the tuna salad to the cooked pasta for a main meal.  Enjoy!

Ingredients for Tuna & Tomato Salad:

1 or 2 cans of tuna fish in water

1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup of onion or scallions (finely minced)

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar

Salt to taste

Pepper

Parsley flakes

 

Pasta Salad Ingredients:

8 ounces or 1/2 package of uncooked pasta (any you prefer)

1/2 cup of red, yellow or green pepper (chopped)

1/4 cup of onion (finely chopped)

1 cup of uncooked peas

2 tablespoons of mayonnaise

crushed black pepper

1 tablespoon of Italian salad dressing mix (optional)

 

Instructions:

Cut the tomatoes in half. Drain the tuna. Place all ingredients in a small bowl and stir gently to incorporate the flavors.

Serve on a bed of lettuce.

Pasta Salad Instructions:

Prepare pasta per package directions but add the peas, peppers and onions 5 minutes before the pasta is done cooking.

Drain the pasta in a colander and rinse with cold water to remove the starch.

Mix the pasta with the remaining ingredients of mayonnaise, pepper and dressing and stir gently. Add the prepared tuna salad mixing gently to incorporate the flavors.

Add more salt or crushed black pepper if desired.

Main Dish / Photo Gallery

Bacalhau com Grao – Codfish & Chick Peas with Herb Vinaigrette

Bacalhau com Grao is perfect for your meatless days. This recipe has slow digesting carbs that are good for your diet, fiber and packed with protein! For those of you that observe Lent and opt out of eating meat on Friday it’s an easy dish to prepare in less than 30 minutes.  If you can’t find salted cod in your grocery store, you can substitute it with any flaky white fish but add 1 teaspoon of salt to the poaching liquid.

Codfish & Chick Pea Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

Bacalhau com Grao

Ingredients:

1 pound of boneless re-hydrated salt cod (cut into (2) 8 ounce portions)

1 slice of onion

2 cups of water

2 cups of cooked chick peas

Vinaigrette:

¼ cup of olive oil (add more if desired)

½ cup of white wine vinegar

½ small onion (finely minced)

2 cloves of garlic (finely minced)

¼ teaspoon of salt

¼ teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of Parsley (chopped)

Instructions:

Make the vinaigrette in a medium bowl by mixing the ingredients together and set aside to incorporate the flavors.

Meanwhile, poach the codfish in a medium pan filled with about 2 cups of water and the slice of onion. Cook in a slow boil for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat.

Remove the codfish from the pan, drain, and cover to keep warm. Add the chick peas to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes on low heat.

Drain the chick peas and place both the fish and chick peas on a serving dish.

Pour the vinaigrette on top and serve. Add more olive oil and seasoning if desired. Enjoy!

 

 Photo credit: http://www.cincoquartosdelaranja.com/2010/06/bacalhau-cozido-com-chicharos.html



Main Dish / Photo Gallery / soup / Soups

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

This recipe is very easy to make despite having a lot of different ingredients.

I adapted it from the Pioneer Woman. She used tortillas in the soup instead of rice. If your family loves Mexican, they’ll go crazy for this soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked boneless leftover chicken (shredded)

1 small onion (minced)

1 small red pepper (minced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 or 2 cups of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Hot Salsa

1 large can of black beans

1 cup of rice

10  cups of water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tablespoons of corn flour (medium grind)

1 cup of corn (optional)

 

Topping suggestions:

Tortilla Chips

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Salsa

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped onion

Avocado

 

Instructions:

Saute the onion, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil, in a large heavy soup pan.

Add the salt, pepper, spices, tomato paste, tomatoes, salsa, water and bouillon and let cook on medium for about 5 – 10 minutes for the spices to blend.

Add the beans, rice, corn flour and chicken and cook for about 20 minutes on medium low heat stirring once in a while so the corn flour does not stick.

Do you notice the Gonsalves brand of corn flour?

Taste the soup and add more seasonings to your taste. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes on low heat. The soup will thicken as it cooks so you may need to add more water if you like a thinner soup.

While the soup cooks, prep the toppings. You can add as many as you like to your taste.

The soup was a big hit last night! Enjoy the recipe!

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Crunchy Oven Fried Chicken

The chicken in this recipe comes out moist, flavorful and super crunchy. You’ll never make fried chicken again once you try this! Enjoy it!

Click here for the Macaroni & Cheese with Chourica Breadcrumb Crumble  recipe. Try it with Portuguese Potato Salad.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 small frying chickens or about 20 legs and thighs

1 teaspoon of salt

crushed black pepper

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 package of Shake n Bake chicken mix (The package comes with 2 packets – use only 1)

1 and 1/2 cups of flavored bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Olive oil Cooking Spray

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove the back bone from the chickens and save for later use in soups and stocks. Cut the remaining chicken into 10 equal size pieces.

This should give you about 20 pieces.

Place the chicken into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Add the milk and vinegar and let the chicken soak with the milk for at least 15 minutes or store in the refrigerator for later cooking.

Mix all other ingredients in a plastic bag. Place 2 pieces at a time in the bag and shake well to coat all the chicken.

Place the chicken on a large baking pan that has been heavenly coated with the olive oil spray.

Cook for 45 -60 minutes until the chicken is crispy.

*Do not turn over the chicken as it cooks! It will become crispy on its own!

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Macaroni & Cheese with Chourica & Breadcrumb Crumble

A crunchy Chourica and breadcrumb topping on traditional Macaroni and Cheese, gives this classic a Portuguese kick!

This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown’s Macaroni & Cheese which is the most downloaded recipe on the Food Network website!

Click here for the Crunchy Oven Fried Chicken recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 pound elbow or curly pasta

3 tbsp butter or margarine

3 tbsp  flour

3 cups  milk

12 oz of shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 small onion finely chopped

1 bay leaf

1 egg

1 tsp salt

Black pepper

Ingredients Topping:

1 cup of chourica sausage

1 cup of breadcrumbs

2 tbsp of butter or margarine

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare the topping: 
Mince the chourica in a food processor into very small pieces.
Saute the chourica in the butter in a small saucepan until golden and crispy.
Add the breadcrumbs to the chourica and cook on very low heat for about 1 minute until the mixture is golden and well incorporated and set aside.
1. Cook pasta in salted water but leave aldente.
2. While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.
Add the flour and mix until smooth. Mix in the flour, onion, milk and bay leaf.
3. Cook on low heat for about 10 minutes stirring continuously so it does not stick and then remove bay leaf.
4. Temper the egg and add it to the sauce. Add the cheese, the tsp of salt and a little crushed black pepper.
5. Mix in the pasta and pour into a casserole dish.
6. Spread the chourica crumble over the macaroni. Top with more cheese if desired.
7. Cook for 30 minutes until golden and crispy.
Enjoy!

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Side Dish / Soups

3 Bean Turkey Chili

This recipe makes a large pot of chili that can serve 10-12 people so you’ll have enough for the next day, or freeze it for next week!

For a vegetarian option, simply leave out the meat because it’s just as good.

Serve the chili with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips and my home made Corn Muffin recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey or beef

1 large onion (finely chopped)

1 large red bell pepper (finely chopped)

1 large green pepper (finely chopped)

3 cloves garlic

2 tbsp of olive oil

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed black pepper

crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce to taste

3 tablespoons chili powder

1/2  tsp paprika

1 small can crushed tomatoes

1 (32 ounce) can red kidney beans

1 (32 ounce) can black beans

1 (32 ounce) can pinto or any favorite beans

Or use any favorite beans

 

Garnish Options:

Shredded Mexican or your favorite cheese

Tortilla Chips

Sour cream

Chopped Avocado

Chopped onions

Cilantro

Salsa

 

Instructions:

In a large dutch oven or heavy pan, brown the meat in the olive oil. Remove the meat and add the onions, garlic and both peppers to the pan.

Cook the vegetables in the pan drippings until translucent. Add the meat back into the pan and stir well.

Add all of the remaining ingredients, stir well, and let the chili come to a slow boil on medium heat.

Continue cooking for about 30 minutes on low heat stirring very often so it does not stick.

If you like a thicker chili mash about 1 cup of the beans with the back of your stirring spoon. If you like it thin, leave as is or add a little more tomato or a cup of stock.

Store in refrigerator after it cools and freeze in food safe plastic containers.

 

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Presunto Stuffed Pork Loin

If you’re tired of the same old roast pork dish, try this recipe. It may look difficult but its pretty easy to make and tastes like a gourmet restaurant dish!

After the Holidays, I always have leftover cold cuts and cheeses so I’m always looking for ways to incorporate them into my regular recipes.

This recipe uses Presunto and cheese in the filling for salty smoky kick to the pork.

The pork is is also cooked in a caramelized onion and port wine reduction which adds a sweetness to balance the salt.

Serve the pork with my Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Potatoes.

This side dish recipe is great because the brussels sprouts and potatoes cook at the same time as the pork roast making it easy, and it saves cooking time.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (3 or 4) pound pork loin

3 slices of Presunto (prosciutto)

2 cups fresh spinach

3 sprigs of fresh parsley

2 cloves of garlic

3 slices of your favorite cheese

4 tbsp of olive oil

1/2 cup of bread crumbs

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

Caramelized Onions ingredients:

1 large onion sliced

1/2 cup red wine

1/2 cup vinho do porto (port wine)

2 tbsp butter

Instructions:

Mince the spinach, parsley and garlic and place in a small bowl.

Chop the presunto into small dices and add to the spinach mix.

Add the bread crumbs and 2 tbsp of the olive oil and toss well.

Gently butterfly the pork loin and spread out flat on a cutting board.

Spread the spinach stuffing mix evenly over the pork. Gently roll the pork and tie with trussing thread or use long skewers to hold the pork together.

Season the top of the pork with the salt, garlic powder and paprika. There is no need to season the inside of the pork since the presunto adds saltiness.

Place the pork in a saute pan and brown evenly in the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the pork in a roasting pan

In the same saute pan, cook the onions for 1 minute to brown them.

Add the red and port wine, and the butter and cook until the wine is reduced by 1/2 and has thickened.

Poor the onion and wine reduction over the pork.

Cook at 350 degrees for 45 min – 1 hour until the pork reaches 165 degrees.

*At this point prep the Brussels Sprouts and Potatoes recipe to cook along with the pork if you desire.

Set aside to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

 

 

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Bacalhau Assado – Baked Salt Cod

bacalhau assado

Bacalhau Assado – Baked Salt Cod has the classic Portuguese flavors of olive oil, onion and garlic. It is served with roasted potatoes.

It’s easy to prepare since it uses minimal ingredients and takes less than 1 hour to prep and cook.

It is often served on Christmas Eve but also popular all year long. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4  (6-8 oz) portions of Bacalhau with bone (desalted)

12 – 20 small round potatoes slightly peeled or unpeeled (depending on # of guests)

2 large onions (sliced)

8 cloves of garlic (whole)

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons of chopped parsley

Black olives for garnish

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry the potatoes, poke with a fork in a few spots, sprinkle with a little salt and set aside.

Coat the bottom of a large baking pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Place the bacalhau in the pan surrounded by the potatoes and cover with the sliced onions.

Place 2 garlic cloves on top of each bacalhau.

Coat the ingredients with the remaining olive oil.

Cook in oven for 35 minutes. Pierce potatoes for doneness, if they are not fully cooked remove the bacalhau from the pan and continue to cook the potatoes longer.

When ready to serve sprinkle with the parsley.

 

 

 

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Portuguese Style Roast Turkey Thanksgiving Menu

 

A Portuguese Thanksgiving menu – Enjoy!

Portuguese-sweet-bread

butternut-squash-carrot-puree

roast-potatoes

Portuguese-style stuffing

classic-Portuguese-rice

There are many variations to preparing at Thanksgiving Turkey. Some people brine the turkey for 48 hours while others simply rub the turkey with soft butter before baking.

I take this easy route. I marinate the turkey the day before Thanksgiving with basic Portuguese spices which enhance the turkey flavor but dot not overpower it.

Then I brush it with Olive oil, which will give the turkey a beautiful golden color when it’s cooked.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Ingredients:

2 -3 tablespoons of salt

1 lemon

1 large onion

1 large celery stalk

3 large sprigs of parsley

1 large carrot

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 to 2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup vinho verde or any white wine

 

Steps to prepping your turkey

Step 1

Remove packaging. Remove the neck and giblets from both cavities of the turkey.

Step 2

Wash the turkey, the neck and giblets in very cold water.

Step 3

Rub the inside and outside of the turkey evenly with the salt.

Step 4

Slice the lemon in half and rub the inside and outside of the turkey with the lemon half squeezing the juice as you rub.

Place the used lemon halves inside the cavity.

Step 5

Place the butter underneath the chicken skin over the breast

Step 6

Sprinkle the paprika, pepper and garlic powder evenly over the chicken leaving a small amount to marinate the cavity.

Step 7

Place the neck and gizzards inside the turkey. Add the wine and remaining spices into the cavity to marinate.

Step 8

Place the celery, onion and carrot inside the cavity.

Step 9

Drizzle and rub the Olive oil over the Turkey.

Step 10

Place in the refrigerator overnight or up to 48 hours before cooking.

Step 11

Take the turkey out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before cooking.

 

*Remove the neck and gizzards from the cavity and save in the refrigerator until you are ready to make stock for my Portuguese Stuffing.

Cook the turkey with the remaining vegetables inside the cavity to add flavor.

My roaster is over 50 years old and it makes a perfect turkey every time!

Cook in Roasting pan, or cover with heavy aluminum foil. An average turkey of about 15 pounds will take about 3 hours to cook at 350.

My tips:

*Even if your timer pops up, it may not mean its fully cooked, test the turkey with a thermometer which reach 165 degrees.

*Marinate the turkey with the pan juices every hour.

*If you like your turkey skin dark colored remove the foil during the last 30 minutes.

*My simple test to see if the turkey is cooked, is this; Try to pull the thigh away from the body, if the thigh bone doesn’t break off easy, then continue to cook the turkey longer.

*Let the turkey sit at least 20 minutes before carving.

*Warm the turkey with a little bit of hot chicken or turkey broth.

** Do not discard the cooking juices. Simply strain it, let it sit for a few minutes, remove any excess grease from the top and cook it in a few tablespoons of flour for at least 5 minutes on low heat.

** Save the remaining gravy to make Turkey Pot Pie!