Tia Maria's Blog Blog

Appetizers / asian foods / Photo Gallery

Crunchy Baked, Fried and Air Fried Egg Rolls


You’ll love these egg rolls because they’re lite and easy to prepare. You can enjoy them any day of the week and no take out needed! Whenever I make these egg rolls I also make my easy Won Ton soup! Here’s the recipe.

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Ingredients:

1 package of egg rolls wrappers

1 pound of ground pork (I used turkey for lower calories)

1 small yellow onion (thinly sliced and chopped)

1 shredded carrot

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 large head of napa or bok choy cabbage (Chiffonade into strips)

8 oz of fresh bean sprouts

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 egg (beaten)

2 tablespoons of oil (for sauteing)

Cooking Spray

1 tablespoon olive oil

Sweet and Sour sauce for dipping

Preparation:

Heat the vegetable oil in large wok or saute pan.  When the oil is hot add the pork. Season with salt and pepper and fry for a few minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes longer until the pork is cooked.

Add the cabbage, carrots and sprouts and cook for 1 minute stirring once in a while. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste the filling and add more salt and pepper, or soy sauce if desired. Stir well remove from the heat and cool completely. Drain off any excess liquid.

egg rolls

Baking:

Preheat oven at 350 degrees F. Place 2 – 3 tablespoons of the filing in center of the wrapper and fold in the ends toward the center. Spread a little of the egg wash around the edges. Fold in sides and roll like a jelly roll. Repeat.

Coat a baking pan with cooking spray and place the rolls evenly in pan. Brush tops of the egg rolls with olive oil and cooking spray. Cook for about 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.

You may need to turn the egg rolls over to get all side crispy but this is optional. Note: You can also fry them in hot oil until golden.

Serve with soy sauce and sweet and sour sauce.

Frying:

Fry in oil for about 5-8 minutes until very golden crispy. Place on paper towels to absorb any grease.

Air Frying:

Spray prepared egg rolls with cooking spray on both sides. Cook at 400 degrees for about 8-10 minutes turning them over half way into cooking process.

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Hot Lobster Roll

Hot Lobster Rolls

I only have 3 words to say; Yum! Yum! Yum!

 

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Makes 2-3 lobster rolls

Meat from 1 cooked lobster

1/2 stick of butter

Juice from 1/2 lemon

pinch of paprika

Hot buttered and toasted buns

Preparation:

Melt butter in a small saucepan, add the lemon juice, lobster meat and paprika.

Heat to warm. Serve on buttered and toasted hot dog buns! Eat slowly and savor each bite!

 

 

Recipes

Taste Portugal Cookbook Featured in Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal Blog

Taste Portugal cookbook was 1 of 5 cookbooks featured in an article;

5 Droolworthy Books About Portuguese Food And Recipes, a popular Portuguese travel blog by Julie Dawn Fox!

taste cover cropped

 

Juliedawnfox

juliedawnfox2Julie is a British expat in Portugal who has a Portugal travel and lifestyle blog; Julie Dawn Fox in Portugal.  She has passion for travel, writing and photography. She shares her information about the food, art, culture and off-the-beaten-track highlights of this fascinating and diverse country while inspiring visitors to explore the less touristy parts of Portugal from Northern Portugal to the Azores.

Stop by her website for great information on traveling, lifestyle, and the foods of Portugal! As Julie says on her website; “Trust me you’re going to love Portugal”!

Thanks for the great review Julie!

chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Limonchello Chicken

limonchello chicken

You will love this lemony flavored chicken! The recipe is simple to make and takes very little time to prepare.

I served the chicken with my recipe for Green Bean Rice which pares perfectly with lemony sauce.

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Serves 4-8

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts (cut in half and pounded to 1/4-1/2 inch thick)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 cup chicken broth (or 1/2 chicken bouillon cube and 1 cup water)

1/4 cup Limonchello liquor

Zest of 1 lemon

Lemon slices

1/2 teaspoon dry oregano

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 stick margarine or butter

Preparation:

Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and garlic powder. Coat with flour and set aside.

Heat 1/2 of the olive oil and 1/2 of the butter in a saute pan until hot. Cook 1/2 of the chicken in the oil for about 5-8 minutes turning chicken over on each side until golden brown. Set cooked chicken aside. Add the remaining oil and butter and cook the rest of the chicken and set aside.

Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and limonchello and cook for about 3 minutes on high for the liquor to evaporate.

Place the chicken back into the pan. Add the lemon zest and simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the oregano, cover and let sit on low heat until ready to serve. Top with fresh lemon slices and serve.

Main Dish / Photo Gallery

Bacalhau com Batatas a Rodelas a Tia Maria

My family loves bacalhau so I’m always trying new recipes. This week I gave the classic “Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa” a makeover by making it as a scalloped potato layered bake. It was very simple to prepare since I didn’t have to cook the potatoes a head of time like the traditional recipe.

The thin sliced potatoes mixed with the sweet onions and olive oil tones down the saltiness of bacalhau creating a wonderful blend.

This recipe is pretty versatile so you can go ahead and add lots of bacalhau or as little as you wish. We all decided that I would make this recipe from now on. Enjoy everyone!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3-4 pounds of 1/8 inch thin sliced potatoes (washed with skin on)

1 and 1/2 pounds to 2 pounds of hydrated de-salted bacalhau (salt cod)

3 large onions (sliced 1/8 inch)

4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

1 cup of olive oil

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon or more salt to taste

1 large roasted red pepper (cut into strips) (fresh or jarred)

Optional garnish: chopped parsley, sliced hard boiled eggs

Preparation:

Cook the cod in boiling water for about 5 -10 minutes depending on thickness.

Saute the onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of the olive oil until caramel colored.

Coat a large deep dish oven pan with olive oil and spread a small layer of the cooked onions.

Begin layering; potatoes, cod followed by onions and olive oil, then salt and pepper.

Complete the layers with the onions on top and arrange the red pepper on top.

Top with foil. When ready to cook, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cook for 30-40 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and cook for 30-40 minutes longer.

Test for doneness by piercing one potato in the middle of the pan.

Garnish with black olives and serve with extra olive oil for serving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes / shrimp

Coconut Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

These lettuce wraps are easy to make since all you have to do is prepare the shrimp and then assemble then assemble.

The Asian dipping sauce brings out the flavor of the shrimp and adds a little kick. The wraps will be a perfect little appetizer, a lite lunch, snack or dinner as well. Enjoy!

 

 

Baked Coconut Shrimp: Click here for the recipe page

Ingredients:

Boston bib lettuce

Shredded carrots

Bean sprouts

Peanuts (optional)

1 coconut shrimp recipe: Click here for the recipe page

1 Asian dipping sauce recipe: Click here for the recipe page

 

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Ceviche de Bacalhau com Broa – Salt Cod Ceviche on Portuguese Corn Bread

I learned this recipe from my mother many years ago so I guess she was way ahead of her time since ceviche is a new trendy dining experience. Those of you that really love the taste of Bacalhau will love it. It makes a unique appetizer for your next party. Be sure to serve it with some Vinho Verde or very dry white wine.

Traditional ceviche consists of raw seafood tossed with kind of an acidic marinade such as vinegar or lemon juice which “cooks” the fish as it marinades. I served the ceviche on Portuguese Corn Bread because the texture of the bread pairs very well with the cod but you can serve it on any crusty firm bread.

Notice the platter that it’s served on is the famous ceramics of Coimbra, Portugal. The pottery recreates famous tapestries  of the XVII century which depicted the famous hunting grounds and it’s animal inhabitants, often visited by the Monarchs.

My flea market find for $5.00 was unbelievable!

Serves 4-8 as appetizers

Ingredients:

1 (8 ounce) portion of uncooked hydrated salt cod

1 very small onion (finely minced)

2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

3 sprigs fresh parsley (finely chopped)

2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 – 2 teaspoons of white wine vinegar

Black pepper

Preparation:

Shred the cod fish with a knife and fork into very small pieces and place into a small bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Let the cod marinade for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

When ready to serve, taste and add more olive oil, or vinegar, or seasonings if desired.

Use the same day because the cod can become very mushy as it marinades for too long a time.

Broa – Corn Bread Click on image for the recipe

Desserts / Photo Gallery

Cinnamon Rolls

These cinnamon rolls are easy to make and perfect for your morning coffee. When I bake breads or pastries that require risen dough, I try to use fresh yeast because the dough rises better. I get the fresh yeast at my local bakery who sells it for only .75 cents for a 2 oz cube which is a bargain! You can also find the yeast in the refrigerated section at the grocery store.

Ingredients:

4 and 1/2 cups regular flour (plus extra if needed)

1/2 cup regular sugar

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1 stick (8 tablespoons of butter or margarine) (melted)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 1/2 packages of dry yeast or 1 cube (.6 oz) Fleishman’s cake yeast

  • 2-ounces of Cake Yeast is adequate for rising 9 – 12 cups of flour.
  • 1/3 of a 2 oz. cake is equal to 1 packet (2+1/4 teaspoons) of dry yeast

A .6-oz cube of cake yeast is roughly equivalent to 1½ to 2 teaspoons instant yeast or 2 to 2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast.

Filling:

1 tablespoon melted butter

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup of pecans (chopped optional)

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 and 1/2 tablespoons water or more

Preparation:

Warm the milk in a small pan and add melted butter. Test with you finger to be sure the mixture is warm but not hot. Add the yeast, and 1 teaspoon of flour, and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir to dissolve and let sit for a few minutes for yeast to activate.

Beat egg in large mixing bowl then add the milk and yeast mixture. Mix slightly. Switch mixer to a dough hook and add flour 1 cup at a time.

Mix the dough for at least 5 minutes and continue beating until the dough is smooth, elastic and air bubbles form. Remove dough and knead for a few minutes on floured surface. Add more flour if you find the dough too wet. Shape into a ball and place in a greased and floured bowl. Let rise for an hour or until doubled.

Grease very well a 13×9 inch deep dish baking pan. Mix the filling in a small bowl by mixing the sugar cinnamon and nuts. Roll dough into 18×12 inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 1 tablespoon of melted butter.

Spread the filling evenly on the dough. Roll like a jelly roll and pinch the ends tightly.

Grease a knife and cut the dough into 15 even slices.

Place evenly into the pan. Cover and let rise in a low warm oven for about 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F..Bake rolls for about 25 minutes or until slightly browned. Note: Don’t let them overcook or they will get dry.

Let cool slightly. Make the glaze by mixing the ingredients and stirring until velvety smooth. Drizzle with glaze and serve.

Note: If you like a lot of glaze on the rolls, just double the recipe.

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Portuguese Orange Marinated Roast Pork Loin – Lombo de Porco com Laranja

I made this pork for my husband’s birthday and it was a hit with the whole family! It came out perfectly with a beautiful golden color. The orange and onion combination brings a sweet taste and pairs well with the spices.

This company roast serves many people so it’s perfect for your next party or event! Serve it with any side or stay with the Portuguese theme with sides such as Portuguese roast potatoes or Portuguese rice! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (8) pound boneless pork loin (The photo is 1 loin cut into pieces)

2 large oranges (1 sliced, 1 for juice and zest)

1 large onion (sliced)

Marinade:

1 cup of white wine

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of melted butter or margarine

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

4 cloves garlic (finely minced)

1 tablespoon paprika

1/4 teaspoon thyme 0r rosemary (optional)

Preparation:

2 hours or day before:

Make marinade: Zest one orange and squeeze out juice. Place in a small bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Mix well. Save the other orange for later.

Place the onions evenly in a deep baking pan. Place the pork over the onions and pour over the marinade. Top with the orange slices.

Let marinade at least 2 hours or overnight in refrigerator.

When ready to cook, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the pork from the refrigerator at least 20 minutes before cooking.

Cook for about 1 hour, then coat pork with the pan drippings. Cook for about 15-20 minutes longer. Check temperature with meat thermometer which read about 160 -165 degrees F.

Let sit for 10 minutes before slicing. Reserve the drippings and place the sliced pork back into the pan with the drippings. Serve the onions and sauce over the pork.

Note: Every oven cooks at different temperatures. Adjust your cooking time accordingly.