Side Dish – Page 4 – Tia Maria's Blog

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / sandwich / Side Dish

June 17, 2015

Chourico a Cavalo – Chourico on Horseback

This is my husbands favorite sandwich. He is definitely a chouricoholic and never says no to anything with chourco! This recipe is simply easy to cook and the best part is it’s so delicious. A perfect easy dish for breakfast, lunch or dinner! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 small chourico sausage (sliced lengthwise)

1/2 small onion (finely sliced)

1 egg

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon white wine

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Portuguese roll or any favorite bread

Preparation:

In a small skillet on medium heat place 1 tablespoon of olive oil and heat until hot, but not smoky. Add the chourico and cook until golden brown and slightly crispy on both sides.

Remove from pan when done and add the onions. Cook onions on medium until golden brown stirring often. If the pan is to hot lower heat. I like my onions slightly undercooked but you cook them more or less to your preference.

Add the wine and cook for about 2 minutes stirring often. Remove onions from heat and set aside while you cook the egg.

Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a nonstick skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoky, add the egg and fry until the edges are crispy. Lower heat if necessary.

Turn off heat and remove pan from burner.

Place the chourico on bread with the onions on top.

Add the fried egg on top of the onions and serve with the bread over it or on the side.

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

May 12, 2015

Chick Pea Giardiniera Salad

Chick peas are very popular in Portuguese cuisine and often served as a main dish, or as a side dish with fish or bacalhau (salt cod).

In this appetizer recipe, I use pickled vegetables which add a crunchy texture and a tangy bite. It also makes a great summer salad or side dish.

If you prefer a less spicy version, you can substitute with fresh finely chopped carrots, celery and cauliflower but add a little more seasonings to taste.

The photo shows the pairing of Portuguese cheeses, and olives. Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cans cooked chick peas

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

½ of a small onion (finely chopped)

2 to 3 tablespoon fresh parsley (finely chopped)

½ cup pickled vegetables (finely chopped)

¼ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup white vinegar

Preparation:

Rinse the chick peas, drain and put into a medium bowl. Mix in all ingredients. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.

Let the mixture sit for at least 15 minutes to absorb flavors.

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

April 9, 2015

Asparagus Tart – Pastel de Aspargo

This recipe isn’t a traditional Portuguese dish, but my daughter Lisa made it for our Easter appetizer and it was such a big hit, that I had to share it with you. Asparagus in season now so go ahead and try it.

We substituted the marscarpone cheese that is called for in the original recipe with low fat cottage cheese with chives. It was one the easiest appetizers we’ve ever made and so delicious that we’ll be making it more often now! Enjoy it for a light lunch with a salad.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon flour

1 sheet frozen puff pastry 9×9 (approximately)

1 cup low fat cottage cheese with chives

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 large egg, beaten

1 lemon, zest finely grated (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon chopped dried rosemary

1 pound asparagus

1 tablespoon olive oil

Black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out the puff pastry to a 9- by 12-inch rectangle.

Combine the cottage cheese 1 1/4 teaspoons of the salt, the flour, egg and lemon zest, and rosemary. Spread over the pastry leaving a border.

Make small cuts 1 inch apart with a knife.

Toss the asparagus with the olive oil. Lay half of the asparagus over the cheese.

Season with the salt and pepper.

Bake until golden brown and puffed for about 25 minutes. Let tart cool for 10 minutes.

Recipe was adapted from: courtesy Morgan Hass for Food Network Kitchens

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

April 6, 2015

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.

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

March 31, 2015

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

March 11, 2015

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

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

February 21, 2015

Easy Sliders on Sweet Rolls

I made these slider using King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls. The bread tastes like my recipe; classic Portuguese Sweet Bread, so be warned that the rolls are delicious and you’ll eat the whole bag in one day! The bread has it’s beginnings in the 1950’s in Hilo, Hawaii where Robert Taira, the Hawaiian-born son of Japanese immigrants opened his first bakeshop.

Portuguese Sweet Bread is famous in Hawaii , visit this website Kona Historical Society where you’ll find the history of the Portuguese and the sweet bread in Hawaii. Maybe these King’s Hawaiian rolls were inspired by the Portuguese recipe.

The sliders were easy to make because instead of making small patties one by one, I simply formed the meat into meatballs and then flattened them with a spatula. They all come out perfectly shaped tiny sliders.

Sliders:

16 Hawaiian buns or Sliders buns

4 hamburgers

Toppings:

Cheese

Lettuce

Onion

Sliced Tomato

Ketchup

Sesame seeds

melted butter

Cook burgers and cut into fourths. Top with cheese and turn off heat. Set aside and keep warm until ready to assemble sliders.

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

February 19, 2015

Crustless Ham with Broccoli Quiche

This crust-less quiche is easy to prepare in only 45 minutes. I make this quiche very often as a side dish when I serve fish or chicken. It also makes a perfect lunch, snack, or serve it as dinner with a salad.

Make it a vegetarian quiche by substituting the ham with your favorite cooked vegetables.

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped ham (optional substitute with any cooked vegetables)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound package frozen broccoli spears or fresh (cooked and chopped)

1 small ripe tomato (chopped) (optional)

1/2 small onion (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

1 and 1/2 cups half and half (1/2 cream – 1/2 milk)

5 eggs

Pinch of Salt (add pinch more if you omit the ham)

Dash of fresh ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Preparation:

Saute the onion in the oil for a few minutes until the onion is translucent.

Beat eggs until foamy in a medium bowl. Add the milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder to the eggs and mix to incorporate. Add the broccoli, ham, onion, and 1/2 of the cheese. Mix all ingredients.

Heavily grease a deep souffle dish with margarine. Pour the broccoli mixture into the dish and spread evenly. Top with the remaining cheese. Cook at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes until golden brown.

You many need to cook longer if your souffle dish is deep. Cut into the center of the quiche it should be firm and not runny. Enjoy!

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

January 23, 2015

Tuna with Black Eyed Bean Salad – Salada de Feijão Frade com Atum

A fan from Portugal; Sofia Vieira-touristic Guide, who does cooking classes in Évora, Portugal with many North American tourists, sent me this recipe.

It’s a great quick salad for your meatless days, a quick lunch and even as a side dish. It’s protein packed and the beans are slow digesting carbs that are good for you!

“The Alentejo is a great place to eat. It was really poor that’s why people had to be creative and yes, there are lots of recipes from the convents and palaces, and also the adaptations of these recipes from the servants that worked for them. Bom Apetite.” She says!

Ingredients:

1 can of cooked black-eyed beans

1 can of Portuguese tuna or any good tuna packed in olive oil

1 small onion (finely minced)

2 cloves garlic ( finely minced)

Sea salt

Black pepper

1 tablespoon Olive oil or more to taste

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar or more to taste

Cilantro (finely chopped)

2 hard boiled eggs (optional)

Instructions:

Place the beans into a small bowl, add the onion and garlic and mix well. Add the flaked tuna, olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Toss gently. Add Cilantro and toss. Add chopped hard boiled eggs if desired and stir into the salad.

Sofia Vieira-touristic Guide

Top image credit: https://whyiamnotskinny.wordpress.com

fish / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

January 6, 2015

Salada de Bacalhau com Feijão Frade – Salt Cod and Black Eyed Pea Salad

This is a perfect dish to prepare for a quick lunch or dinner. Cod is considered on of the world’s healthiest foods with; omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins and it has low calorie protein.

You can serve this dish cold in the summer, or as a hot dish in the colder months. Sometimes I also add 2 boiled potatoes cut into chunks to the recipe to make the dish heartier. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

8 oz Bacalhau (Salt Cod)

1 can black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)

1/2 small onion (finely minced)

2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

2 eggs (hard boiled)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley (garnish)

2 boiled potatoes (optional)

Instructions: