Recipes – Page 31 – Tia Maria's Blog

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

December 20, 2013

Biscoitos de Natal – Christmas Biscuit Cookies

Christmas Biscuit Cookies are easy to make since they require no cookie cutters to shape them and they don’t break apart.

Anis liquor, gives them a unique taste but you can also add lemon zest if you prefer.

These cookies are perfect to make with your kids because they can get their little hands into the dough and make all kinds of shapes!

If you want to give these little treats as gifts you can find food save gift bags at craft stores. My bags have 12 cookies. Simply tie a ribbon around the bag and you’ve created a beautiful home made cookie gift!

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

3 eggs (room temp)

6 tbsp of salted butter (softened)

2 tsp of baking powder

1 tbsp of Anis Liquor or 1 teaspoon lemon zest

Icing:

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

2 tsp of milk

1 drop of vanilla flavoring

Christmas sprinkles, colored sugars to decorate

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Soften the butter and mix with the sugar in a medium bowl until light and fluffy

Add the eggs and Anis and beat for about 1 minute. Add the flour and baking powder to the sugar and mix with a dough hook for about 3 minutes until the batter forms into a ball.

You may need to a little flour if you find the dough too soft depending on your butter or the size of your eggs. The batter will be soft but firm enough to handle.

You can also spoon the batter and make balls and roll instead of cutting it into logs.

Place the smooth dough onto a lightly floured cutting board and shape into a flat disc with 1/2 inch in height.

Cut the dough evenly into 1/2″ by 5″ strips. Roll each strip into a round snake like form and shape into desired shapes such as candy canes, wreaths, letters, etc.

Slightly grease a cookie sheet and place the biscuits evenly on the pan.

Cook for about 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden brown.

Lift one and look under neath to find a golden crust bottom.

Let them cool slightly before decorating.

Make icing by mixing the confectioners sugar, milk and vanilla until very smooth and creamy.

Brush icing on cookies and dip into the decorations or sprinkle onto the sugar before it hardens.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Portuguese Christmas / Recipes

December 19, 2013

Leite de Creme – Portuguese Egg Custard

Leite Creme is a Portuguese Egg Custard similar to French Cream Brulee but cooked on the stove top instead of baked.

It’s rich, creamy texture is perfect as a light dessert.

The first time I ate this custard was when I was a only twelve years old and on my family’s first trip back to Portugal after coming to America.

We arrived in Lisbon and then took the long cab ride to Coimbra to stay at my Aunts house for a week.

She prepared this delicious creamy dessert for us when we arrived and I’ve been hooked ever since!

Leite de Creme – Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of Corn starch

5 tablespoons of sugar

3 egg yolks

2 cups whole milk

1/2 stick of cinnamon

1 slice lemon peel

Instructions:

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and the milk with a whisk until well incorporated.

Add the cornflour and sugar and mix well.

Add the lemon peel and cinnamon stick and heat in a saucepan on low – medium heat stirring continuously.

Do not let the custard boil. If it begins to boil remove from heat to cool down while stirring.

The custard should be thick enough to coat the spoon like pudding.

Pour into a serving platter or individual ramekins and let cool to room temperature.

Store in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.

When the custard has cooled, sprinkle sugar on top and brown slightly in oven broiler or with a cooking torch.

Serve! Enjoy!

Beat the egg yolks in a large pan and mix with a little milk. Gradually add the rest of the milk whilst whisking.
Add the lemon zest (ideally, grate the lemon with a Micro-plane or very fine grater over the pan). Add the cornflour and sugar and mix well.
Heat over low to medium heat, stirring gently at all time. It should take 10 to 15 minutes for the mixture to thicken and reach a custard consistency.
Pour the mix into individual or a large terracotta ramequin(s). Sprinkle the top with sugar and caramelise under the grill or with the blow-torch. Chill before serving.

Beat the egg yolks in a large pan and mix with a little milk. Gradually add the rest of the milk whilst whisking.
Add the lemon zest (ideally, grate the lemon with a Micro-plane or very fine grater over the pan). Add the cornflour and sugar and mix well.
Heat over low to medium heat, stirring gently at all time. It should take 10 to 15 minutes for the mixture to thicken and reach a custard consistency.
Pour the mix into individual or a large terracotta ramequin(s). Sprinkle the top with sugar and caramelise under the grill or with the blow-torch. Chill before serving.

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

December 18, 2013

Bacalhau Assado – Baked Salt Cod

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.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Portuguese Christmas / Recipes

December 16, 2013

Portuguese Lemon Rice Pudding – Arroz Doce com Limao

This recipe for Arroz Doce is a variation from the original that uses milk. This recipe is made using condensed milk and lemon pudding. This dessert comes out very rich, creamy and lemony.

Thanks to Leonor Santos for the recipe and photos! I love the Acores tablecloth! Enjoy!

Arroz Doce (Rice Pudding) by Leonor Santos

Ingredients:

1 pound Carolina rice

4 cups whole milk

4 cups water

2 cans condensed milk

1 stick Margarine

Zest of 1 lemon

2 boxes of instant lemon pudding

Cinnamon

Directions:

In a heavy pot place rice, milk, water, margarine, condensed milk and lemon zest. Stir from time to time.

When the liquid starts to boil, lower flame and keep stirring from time to time.

When the rice is cooked and all the liquid is absorbed turn off burner, remove from flame. Add the instant lemon pudding and stir fast until everything is incorporated.

Place in serving plates and decorate with cinnamon.

Photos credit: Leonor Santos

Photo Gallery / Recipes

December 5, 2013

Portuguese Diet – Mediterranean Diet nominated World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage

photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/VisitAlgarve

Portugal: Mediterranean Diet nominated World’s Intangible Cultural Heritage – UNESCO | Portuguese American Journal

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!

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

November 25, 2013

Pumpkin Cake Bars With Cream Cheese Frosting

Get your pumpkin on!

Pumpkin Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting is a delightful dessert for those of you that want something different instead of pumpkin pie this Thanksgiving.

This cake is moist and full of flavor! Perfect addition to your Thanksgiving pot luck dinner, or as an add on to your dessert table!

It uses no oil and only 2 tablespoons of margarine for those of you on a low fat diet.

Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

1 + 1/2 cups of sugar

1 (15 oz can) of pumpkin

3 large eggs

5 oz of fat free vanilla yogurt

2 tbsp of butter or margarine (melted)

1 tsp salt

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 +1/2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Frosting:

3 oz cream cheese (soft)

1 + 1/2 cups of confectioners sugar

1 tbsp butter (soft)

1 tbsp milk

Instructions:

In a large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until light and lemony colored.

Add the yogurt, butter and pumpkin and beat for a few minutes.

In a separate bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add to the pumpkin mixture and mix for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Combine the nuts if desired.

Pour into an into a greased (15 x 10 x 1) baking pan or a deeper cake pan if you want a cake like dessert.

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting.

Frosting instructions:

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until creamy. Set aside until the cake is completely cooled and frost.

Pumpkins photo credit: http://www.koco.com

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

November 20, 2013

Crunchy Snickerdoodle Cookies

Last week I wanted to make a dessert but discovered that I was out of flour. I searched the pantry and found 1 box of yellow cake mix so this is what I came up with.

The cookies came out crunchy on the outside and chewing on the inside!

They were such a hit with my family that they insisted I have to put them on my Holiday baking list!

I posted a print out recipe for you…you’ll love it!

Crunchy Snickerdoodles Cookies

: Tia Maria's Blog

Print

Easy recipe!

Ingredients

1 package of yellow cake mix
1 large egg
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup fruit and nut granola
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp brown sugar
½ cup veg oil
Coating mix
2 tbsp granulated sugar 2 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

Place all ingredients except coating mix of sugar and cinnamon, into a large bowl and mix well. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of the dough and form into balls.
Make sugar coating by combining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each ball into the mixture and place on cookie sheet.
*The dough will be dry when you make the balls just pack it firmly.
Flatten the cookies into a cookie shape about 2-3 inches wide.
Cook for about 8-10 minutes until the cookies are slightly browned on the bottom.
Let cool and enjoy!

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

November 19, 2013

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo – Codfish & Pototao Casserole

Salted Cod or Bacalhau as it is known in Portugal is a major ingredient in the Portuguese diet since the discovery of Newfoundland in 1497.

Fisherman began fishing its cod-rich Grand Banks and Bacalhau was nicknamed Fiel amigo (faithful friend).

The fish became popular in Portugal and other Catholic countries, when it was substituted on days of fasting from eating meat on Fridays, Lent, and other festivals.

Today, the legend is that the Portuguese have 365 or more recipes for bacalhau, one for each day of the year.

The recipe originates from the city of Porto, Portugal, and is named after its creator, Zé do Pipo, who owned a famous restaurant in that city during the 1960s. He won a national cooking contest with this dish. Since then, many restaurants have adopted it in their menus which has it made it extremely popular!

Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo

Ingredients:

1 lb Bacalhau (de salted – cut into 4 portion loins)

8 large potatoes

1/2 cup of olive oil

1 large sliced onion

1 diced garlic clove

1 bay leaf

2 tbsp butter

1 cup milk

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 small roasted red pepper

black olives

1 tsp salt

pepper

parsley

1/4 cup flour for frying codfish

Instructions:

Peel and cook potatoes in boiling salted water for about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, drain potatoes, add the milk, butter, egg yolk and pepper and mash. Set the potatoes aside.

Coat the codfish in flour and fry in the olive oil on medium – low heat until golden brown. Place on paper towels to soak off excess oil.

Saute the onions, garlic and bay leaf in the same olive oil that you cooked the fish in, until lightly browned. Remove the bay leaf.

Place the codfish portions in a large oven safe casserole dish or in individual serving size dishes.

Coat the codfish with the onions and surround with the mashed potatoes.

Coat the codfish with a few tablespoons of the mayonnaise, the top each with a slice of red pepper.

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the mayonnaise is golden brown.

Garnish with olives and parsley.

Watch this video for the preparation instructions.

photo credits:http://chefdelucca.com/site/?p=487

Holiday Recipes / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Soups

November 15, 2013

Lobster Corn Chowder

Don’t through away those lobster shells before making this delicious chowder with them!

I used my favorite wine; Vinho Verde to enhance the flavor of this soup instead of regular white wine. If this recipe seems difficult, believe me it’s easy.

This chowder is perfect for your Holiday celebrations! Your friends and family will go crazy and love you for it!

Save some Vinho Verde to serve along with it!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Lobster shells from 3 lobsters

Meat from 1 lobster or 1-2 cups

1 cup of Vinho Verde wine (or any dry white wine)

2 tbsp of Brandy (I used 1920 Portuguese Brandy)

2 cups fish or chicken stock

1 small onion cut in half

1 small onion finely diced

1 celery stalk

1/2 celery stalk finely diced

3 ears of corn

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1/4 cup of flour

2 cups of light cream

1/2 gallon of whole or light milk

Instructions:

Remove any tomalley (green part) from inside the lobster.

Cut the kernels off the corn and reserve for later. Save the cob for the stock.

In a medium stock pot, place the lobster shells,corn cob, stock, Vinho Verde, Brandy, 1 celery, 1 small onion, and salt.

Cover, let the stock come to a boil, and continue cooking for 20 minutes on low heat.

Remove the cooked onion and celery from the pan and discard. Add the milk and cook for another 10 minutes on low heat. Strain the broth through a fine stainer into a separate bowl to remove any lobster shells. Save the milk broth and discard the shells and corn cob.

In a separate heavy soup pan, saute the diced onion and celery in the butter until translucent.

Add the flour to the butter and cook for about 1 minute on low heat.

Add the reserved broth, cream, paprika, corn, and pepper to the soup.