Category: Recipes

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Garlicky Boneless Spare Ribs and Roast Potatoes

This one pan dinner is easy to prepare and easy cleanup for your busy weeknights. The sweet and savory carrots complete the dish. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 – 3 pounds of boneless spare ribs

2 pounds of potatoes (peeled and chopped)

3 or 4 large carrots (sliced into quarters)

1 large onion (chopped)

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

1 tablespoon salt

3 cloves of garlic

2 teaspoons of paprika

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

Preparation:

Rub the ribs with the wine, half of the salt, garlic and pepper, and let sit for about 10 minutes or you can marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Place the potatoes, carrots, onions and ribs in a roasting pan and pour the olive oil over them.

Sprinkle evenly with the remaining seasonings and toss well to incorporate. Arrange the potatoes and carrots on the bottom of the pan leaving the ribs on top. Cut up the margarine into small chunks and put over the ribs. Shake the pan slightly to spread ingredients evenly. Note: If your ribs are smaller, they may cook quicker, so test them for doneness.

Cook at 350 degrees for about 1 and 1/2 hour.  Shake the pan every 20 minutes and drizzle with pan juices, so the potatoes do not stick to pan. If you to need to toss the potatoes use a flat spatula. If you like the potatoes crispy, cook longer, but remove the ribs and set them aside.

Photo Gallery / Recipes / soup / Soups

Cabbage Vegetable Soup | Sopa de Vegetais com Couve

When I owned a small restaurant for many years, I made home made soup for the customers every day. When I add up all the soups I’ve made in my life, it numbers in the thousands and by now I can make soup with my eyes closed! This soup is full of flavor and good for you! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 pound pork or beef with bone

2 medium potatoes

1 small head of cabbage or savoy cabbage (chopped into  pieces)

2 large carrots

1 large onion

1 small rutabaga

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon crushed black pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

1 beef or chicken bouillon cube

8 cups water or more

Preparation:

In a large soup pan, place half of the olive oil, and all vegetables except the cabbage and pork. Let come to a boil and add the meat. Cover and let cook on medium for 45 minutes.

Remove meat and 1 carrot. Chop the carrot and reserve for later. Puree the remaining vegetables with an immersion blender to your desired consistency. If you prefer the vegetables chunky you don’t have to puree them.

Add the meat bone and the cabbage to the soup, cover and cook for another 20 minutes.  Remove the meat from the bone and add it along with the reserved carrot back into the soup. Stir, taste and add the remaining olive oil and more salt if desired.

Serve with crusty bread for a complete meal! Enjoy!

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Presunto and Melon Salad | Presunto com Melão

This mouthwatering salad makes a perfect appetizer for your guests. So easy to prepare and the sweet melon flavors balance the saltiness of the presunto. If you don’t have Portuguese presunto on hand pick up some Prosciutto de Parma, at your local deli! It also makes a great lunch for 2 served with a bottle of Vinho Verde or dry white wine!

The serving platter is vintage Portuguese pottery which I love! Enjoy!

Presunto Melon Salad

Ingredients:

3 cups each of Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon

1/2 – 1 cup of thinly sliced Presunto or (Prosciutto)

1/2 cup of your favorite shaved sharp cheese (I use Azorean Sao Jorge Cheese) 

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Crushed black pepper

Toss the melon with the lemon juice and pepper in a bowl. Arrange on serving platter and top with the presunto and cheese.

 

Desserts / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Pineapple Sumol and Coconut Poundcake

If you like pina coladas you’ll love this cake. The pineapple and coconut flavors really come through. I used Pineapple sumol, but you can substitute with pineapple juice.

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter (soft)

1 and 1/2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup pineapple Sumol or pineapple juice

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 cup shredded coconut plus more for topping cake

Glaze Optional

Mix 2 cups of powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat the sugar and butter until creamy and adding 1 egg at a time.

Sift the flour, baking powder and salt. In separate bowl mix together and pineapple sumol and lemon juice.

Mix the flour mixture and the milk into the eggs alternating with the sumol and beat until creamy.

Add the coconut and mix well. Pour into a well greased bundt pan. Cook for 50 – 55 minutes until tooth pick comes out clean.

Cool 10 minutes. Drizzle the glaze over the cake and top with shredded coconut.

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Bife a Portuguesa | Steak and Egg Portuguese Style

You’ll find this classic steak dish on just about every Portuguese restaurant’s menu. What makes this dish so flavorful is the combination of red wine, garlic and olive oil which creates a rich sauce that is poured over the steak and egg.

This recipe is from my Taste Portugal cook book! I had the book marks printed for my first book signing! The Galo de Barcelos brings good luck!

Ingredients: Serves 2

2 (8oz) sirloin steaks (½ or 1 inch thick)

 4 cloves garlic (sliced)

 Salt

 Pepper

 2 eggs

 1 tablespoon olive oil

 4 or 6 small potatoes (peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices or regular cuts)

 Oil for frying potatoes

Wine reduction:

 2 tablespoons  olive oil

 2 tablespoon of butter

½ cup red wine

Preparation:

Season the steaks with salt and pepper and let marinade overnight or for at least 1 hour. Fry potatoes in hot oil, drain, and season with salt and keep warm in the oven.

Cook steaks with the garlic in hot skillet with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and add wine reduction ingredients. Cook the reduction until reduced by half.

Place the steaks back in the pan on low heat with the reduction. Meanwhile, cook 2 eggs sunny side up in a separate small nonstick skillet.

Heat a large serving plate in the oven. Place steak in the center of the plate surrounded by the home fries.

Place one egg on top of each steak. Pour sauce from the pan over the steak and eggs. Season with more salt and pepper. Garnish with parsley if desired.

This dish is usually served with a serving of Portuguese rice as well, but optional. Enjoy!

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Fava Bean and Chouriço Stew | Favas Guisadas com Chouriço

I’ve had many requests for this Fava recipe. Most of them have been from people who eat this dish at Portuguese festivals and want to make it at home. The dish is easy to make and if you prefer a vegetarian version of this recipe, simply leave out the meats and use vegetable broth.

Fava beans have been around since 6000 BC. They have a long tradition of cultivation in Old World agriculture, being among the most ancient plants in cultivation and also among the easiest to grow. Along with lentils, peas, and chickpeas, they are believed to have become part of the eastern Mediterranean diet around 6000 BC or earlier. They are still often grown as a cover crop to prevent erosion, because they can overwinter and because as a legume, they fix nitrogen in the soil. 

In ancient Greece and Rome, beans were used in voting; a white bean was used to cast a yes vote, and a black bean for no.credits: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_faba

Ingredients:

2 pounds chouriço sausage (sliced)

2 (19 oz) cans cooked fava beans

1/2 pound of presunto (chopped into small chunks) optional

1/4 cup olive oil

3 large onions (chopped)

3 garlic cloves (finely minced)

1 bay leaf

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper paste

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt or more to taste

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup tomato sauce

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup white wine

2 teaspoons parsley (finely minced for garnish)

Preparation:

In a heavy sauce pan, saute the onion, chourico and presunto  in olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and add the fava beans. Cook on low heat for another 30 minutes stirring the pan often. Cook longer if you like the beans softer.

Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

 

Photos credit:

http://www.acarvalheira.com/

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/portuguese-favas/

http://chocolateamais.com/favas-guisadas-com-chourico-e-ovos-escalfados/

Appetizers / fish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Lisbon Cobb Salad – Salada de Atum

 Lisbon Cobb Salad

During lent, it often becomes a challenge to create new and interesting dishes. This is my take on Cobb Salad by making a Lisbon salad.

I use Portuguese tuna fish packed in olive oil, but feel free to substitute with regular tuna and any of your favorite vegetables to create your own version.

Serve it with Portuguese Vinho Verde and fresh crusty bread! Enjoy and bom apetite!

Gourmet Portuguese canned goods

Ingredients:

1 can of Portuguese tuna or sardines packed in olive oil (or any brand canned fish or seafood you prefer)

Green Leaf Lettuce

Tomatoes

Onion

Carrots

Hard boiled eggs

Pickles

Olives (optional)

Dressing:

Olive Oil

White or red wine vinegar

Salt

Pepper

Canned goods image credit: http://www.vascodagama.ca/gourmet-market/conserves-bompetisco-santacatarina

fish / Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Portuguese Christmas / Recipes

Baked Octopus with Potatoes – Polvo Assado com Batatas

 

 

Baked Octopus is a must have at Christmas Eve at my home. Don’t be intimidated by the thought of cooking octopus because it’s relatively easy to prepare.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

2 -3 pounds of octopus

1 large onion

1 large onion (chopped)

2 pounds of small round potatoes (washed and dry)

1 large red bell pepper (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (chopped)

½ cup of olive oil

¼ cup of olive oil

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

Parsley for garnish

Olive oil and vinegar for garnish

1 bunch of Broccoli Rabe

Preparation:

If our octopus is frozen, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator in a big bowl. It has a lot of water, so have a bowl big enough to hold the water. 

1. Bring enough water in large pan to a boil with 1 large onion. When ready to cook, rinse the octopus with very cold water and remove the beak. You can just cut the head off and discard it. I use the head by chopping into little pieces and use it in omelets, rice, seafood dishes or as a salad.

2. Grab the octopus by the head and dip the tentacles slightly into the boiling water, remove and dip again in the water 2 more times.

3. Put the octopus into the boiling water and let cook on medium heat for 30 minutes or longer until the octopus is tender. (test by cutting a little piece off the tentacle)

      Note: You don’t want to over cook since it will be too mushy.

4. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a deep baking dish and season with salt and pepper to taste. Top with ½ of the raw chopped onion and ½ cup olive oil and cook at 400 F for about 30 minutes shaking the pan once in a while.

5. Saute remaining chopped onion, red pepper, garlic, and bay leaf in ¼ cup olive oil for about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook for a minute. Set aside.

6. When octopus is cooked, drain and place in the pan with the potatoes and cover with pan juices. Add the cooked onions. Cook at 350 degrees F until the potatoes are fully cooked and the  flavors are well incorporated.

To serve, cut the tentacles into serving portions of about 1 or 2 to each person. Serve with the potatoes, onions and peppers. Garnish with parsley, olive oil and vinegar if desired.

Broccoli Rabe: Rinse, cut off thick stems and cook in boiling salted water for at least 8-10 minutes until tender. Drain and serve with more chopped onions garlic and olive oil. Serve over the octopus or on the side.

fish / Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Bacalhau a Maria – Salt Cod Maria

There are 365 ways to eat Bacalhau, one for each day of the year!

This dish is customarily served with Portuguese Tomato Rice,  french fries and a side salad.  Enjoy!


Bacalhau a Maria

Ingredients:

2 pounds uncooked bacalhau (cut into 1/2 inch thick fillets)

2 eggs (for dredging)

1 tbsp water

flour (for dredging)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

 Oil for frying (preferably corn or vegetable – about 1  and 1/2 cup)

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper (optional)

Garnish: Lemon wedges and olives

 

Onions:

2 large onions

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine

Salt and pepper

Onion Instructions:

Saute the onions in the oil until golden colored. Add the salt, pepper to taste and the wine. Let cook for a minute to evaporate the wine.

Leave in the pan to keep warm and serve over the bacalhau.

 

Bacalhau Instructions:

Beat the eggs with the water in a medium bowl and set aside. Place the flour in a bowl large enough to coat the bacalhau.

You don’t need to use salt in this recipe since the cod is salty but you can add a pinch of salt and pepper if you like it saltier.

Pat the cod with paper towels to remove any excess moisture and coat with the garlic powder if desired. Dredge in the egg, shaking off excess, then dredge in the four. Shake off excess flour and put aside on a plate until ready to fry.

Place enough oil in a heavy frying pan to reach 1/4 inches deep. Add the olive oil and stir to incorporate both oils. Turn the heat on med-high.

*Test the oil by placing one tip of the fillet into the oil. It should sizzle.  The oil should not be smoky, turn down the heat if necessary and adjust accordingly as needed while frying.

Place about 4-6 pieces of the bacalhau into the hot oil and cook for about 4 minutes on each side until golden brown.

Place on paper towels to absorb any grease. Leave in a warm oven until ready to serve. Garnish, with lemon wedges, olives and the onions.

Serve with the tomato rice, french french fries and salad if desired.