Tia Maria's Blog – Page 26 – Sharing Portuguese recipes around the world

January 16, 2015

Kale with Meatball and Orzo Soup

You’ll love how easy this soup is to make. Use my recipe for turkey meatballs or use your favorite. It’s a hearty and healthy soup that your family will enjoy all winter long. Serve the soup with crusty garlic bread.

Ingredients:

12 or more small meatballs made with (1/2 turkey meatball recipe)

3 carrots (sliced thin)

3/4 cup Orzo pasta

1 small bunch Kale (finely chopped)

4 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1 small onion (chopped)

1 stalk celery (chopped)

2 cloves garlic (chopped)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes with Italian seasonings

Shredded Parmesan or Pecorino cheese

Preparation:

Saute the onion, celery, garlic and carrots in olive oil for a few minutes until onion is translucent.

Add the broth, water, seasonings and tomato and bring to a simmering boil.

Add the kale and orzo and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat.

Add the meatballs and simmer for another 5-10 minutes. Taste the broth and add more salt and pepper if desired.

To serve, place in bowls and top with shredded cheese.

Photo Gallery / Recipes / Traditional customs

January 7, 2015

Bacalhau in Food Predictions for 2015 – Bon Appetit Magazine

Bacalhau listed as one of 13 top World Predictions for 2015 in Bon Appetit Magazine!

The national dish of Portugal, is “bacalhau,” dried, salted cod. The Portuguese have been obsessed with it since the early 16th century, when their fishing boats reached Newfoundland.

The sailors salted and sun-dried their catch to make it last the long journey home, and today there are said to be 365 different ways of preparing it, one for each day of the year.

Search for Bacalhau on the search bar to find many recipes here on this site!

13 Food World Predictions for 2015 From Andrew Knowlton – Bon Appétit.

Photo credit: Bon Appetit Magazine

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:

Cook the cod in boiling water for about 8 minutes until flaky. Drain, let cool, shred into pieces and place in a medium bowl.

Make the vinaigrette by mixing together the onion, garlic, oil, and vinegar.

Add the peas to codfish and mix. Add the vinaigrette and mix gently.

Top with the eggs and parsley. Taste and add salt and pepper if desired.

Note:

If you want to serve this dish hot, heat the peas and add it to the warm cod along with the other ingredients.

Image credit: http://comidasreais.blogspot.com

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

December 30, 2014

Coscorões – Angel Wings Fried Pastry

photo credits: narwencuisine.blogspot.com

Coscorões are fried dough often referred to as Angel wings, and similar to filhos. However, no yeast or other leavening agents are used to make the dough. They are usually made during the Christmas season.

This recipe is from the SaborIntenso.com website which has many Portuguese recipes in video. It’s a good resource for those of you that like to watch the process of cooking recipes. Watch the video below.

Ingredients:

5 cups flour (600 gr flour)
4 eggs
zest of 1 orange
juice of 1 orange
4 tablespoons melted butter (60 gr)
4 tablespoons sugar ( 60 gr)
2 oz. of whiskey (50 ml aguardente)
cinnamon
sugar
pinch of salt
oil for frying

Instructions:

Beat the sugar, eggs and butter. Add the pinch of salt, orange rind, orange juice, aguardente, and the flour and continue beating until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl and set aside for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, pour the batter onto a very floured counter. Knead the dough with enough flour until the batter is no longer sticky.

Roll out the dough into 3×5 inch rectangles 1/4 inch thick. Make cuts lengthwise in center of the rectangles.

Fry in hot oil until golden brown. Place on paper towels to absorb any grease.

Blend sugar with cinnamin in a bowl and coat each Coscorões.

Photo Gallery / Traditional customs

December 29, 2014

Galo de Barcelos – Portuguese Rooster

The Galo de Barcelos has become the national symbol of Portugal. It symbolizes honesty, integrity, trust and honor, and it is also believed to bring good luck!

The Legend of “O Galo de Barcelos”

The legend has it that a serious crime had been committed in the small town of Barcelos, Portugal. Some believed that on the day of the crime, a Spaniard was passing through Barcelos on a pilgrimage and various circumstances pointed to his guilt. The accused Spaniard proclaimed his innocence, but could not present any proof in his defense. As a result, he was arrested and condemned to be hanged. The poor man continued to plead his innocence to no avail.

As a last request, he asked to be brought before the judge one last time. The judge was in the middle of dinning with his friends and again, in front of everyone, the Spaniard declared his innocence. “There is nothing I can do” replied the judge. The Spaniard, turning to the Saints of his faith looked over at an already roasted chicken that was on a platter about to be served to the judge and his friends, and cried, “As surely as I stand innocent, so will that rooster crow”. Everyone laughed, but then suddenly to everyone’s amazement, just as the man was being escorted to his execution, the roasted chicken turned into a tall standing rooster, and began to crow. The judge immediately permitted the Spaniard to be released and set free.

History and culture:

Since the end of the 19^th Century, the legend of “The Rooster of Barcelos”, also known as “O Galo de Barcelos” in Portuguese, has lasted throughout time and has established itself in the history and culture of Portugal. The legend of “O Galo” is most commonly remembered and represented by a clay art piece that is in the shape of a rooster and colourfully painted (as shown above). The labour of making clay objects is a trade that has been passed down from generation to generation throughout the northern area of Portugal. The connection between the trade of clay making and the legend of “The Rooster” has matured into an extraordinarily strong relationship. In fact, now, the two things often go hand in hand.

It was around the year 1935 that the neighborhood of Galegos Santa Maria, Barcelos experienced the birth and creation of “O Galo de Barcelos”. It is widely known by many of the local inhabitants of the city of Barcelos that, with his hard working hands, his inherited skill, and through the inspiration brought to him by the original legend, Domingos Coto (the maternal grandfather of Eduardo Pereira) created the clay molded art piece.

Since then, this art piece has become a nationally recognized symbolic representation of the legend of “O Galo de Barcelos”. “O Galo” can now be found all over the country in local markets and souvenir shops. The continual existence of “The Rooster of Barcelos”, the art piece made of clay, paint and hard work, can be attributed to the important symbolic significance that the legend still carries in the hearts of the people of Galegos Santa Maria, Barcelos, Portugal. credits: http://www.galogrill.com/Legend

Cook Books / Photo Gallery / Recipes

December 14, 2014

Taste Portugal | 101 easy Portuguese recipes

Introducing!

Taste Portugal | 101 easy Portuguese recipes

What began for my daughter Lisa and I as a challenging labor of love by simply sharing recipes on this Blog, has now transformed into a commitment of preserving the rich Portuguese food culture, promoting the nation’s cuisine, and inspiring people to learn how to cook these recipes so they can pass them on to the next generation.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our fans for your encouragement and support!

Obrigado!

Maria and Lisa

Order print version here!

Download my e cookbook to your computers, laptops, kindle, iPad and iPhone, Android phones and other electronic devices! Order here!

The 101 recipes contained in our cookbook have many recipes from Tia Maria’s Blog along with other classics dishes in Portuguese cuisine. The recipes are easy for the everyday home cook to prepare, they’re made with simple ingredients, and they require basic equipment that most home cooks have in their kitchen.

Recipes include; Soups, Appetizers, Side Dishes, Breads, Main Dishes and Desserts!

Come along, let us show you how to cook 101 easy Portuguese recipes so you can taste Portugal!

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

December 8, 2014

Lisa’s Portuguese Pot Roast

My daughter Lisa made Portuguese Pot Roast dinner on Sunday. It came out fabulous! This perfect pot roast is pure comfort food for the cold months. The sauce is so flavorful that you’ll want soak it all up, be sure you have a lot of fresh crusty bread on hand for dipping. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 (4) Pound Pot Roast

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 tablespoon flour

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 large carrots (cut into chunks)

4 stalks of celery(chopped)

2 onions (chopped)

5 garlic cloves (chopped)

1 can chopped tomatoes

1 and 1/2 cups beef broth

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 cup red wine

2 tablespoons Madeira wine or any Portuguese brandy

1 sprig rosemary

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspoon thyme

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the beef with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and sear both sides in 2 tablespoons of olive oil in an oven proof dutch oven. Remove meat and set aside.

To the same pan, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, onions, celery, garlic and carrots and let cook for about 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, wine and brandy and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the broth, bouillion, remaining herbs and bring to a boil.

Add the meat back into the pan, cover and cook in oven for 2 hours.

Uncover, and cook for another 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours longer until meat is tender and falls apart.

Remove bay leaf and rosemary stem before serving.

Place the potatoes in the oven during the last 1 hour of pot roast cooking.

Rosemary Potatoes:

2 pounds of potatoes (washed, scrubbed, and cut into cubes)

1 small onion

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon rosemary (chopped)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Place all ingredients into a bowl and toss to coat well. Place the potatoes in a nonstick baking casserole dish or pan coated with cooking spray.

Cook for 1 hour tossing potatoes every 15 minutes.

Desserts / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

December 5, 2014

Mini Pecan Tarts

These mini pecan tarts are even better than Pecan Pie and easier to make. My daughter Lisa made these little tarts last weekend for Sunday dinner dessert and they were an absolute hit! Requests have already started for her to make them for our Christmas dessert table. In case you’re wondering pecan is translated to “noz-pecã” in Portuguese.

Enjoy!

Makes about 48 mini tarts

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter or margarine

6 ounces of soft cream cheese

2 cups flour

Filling:

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups of brown sugar

2 tablespoons melted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans (chopped)

pinch of salt

Mini tart pan (they hold 24 tarts)

Instructions:

Mix the margarine and cream cheese until creamy. Add the flour and mix very well. Scoop out dough into 48 portions using a teaspoon.

Roll into a ball and form small discs to fit the muffin tart pans. Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides.

Make filling:

In a medium bowl, mix eggs slightly, add sugar, margarine, salt, vanilla and pecans.

Mix the ingredients well and fill the tart shells about 3/4 full. Adjust the filling to fit all 48 tarts by scooping out those are too full.

Bake the tarts at 350 degrees for 25 minutes until they turn slightly browned.

Appetizers / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes

November 18, 2014

Spicy Hot Piri Piri Shrimp Dip

Piri Piri is a hot sauce with Portuguese origins since it was the explorers who introduced the peppers to Africa. The name of the pepper derives form Swahili for “pepper pepper”, also know as peri peri, African birdseye Chili, or African Devil. Curry was created in India by the influence of the Portuguese who brought the peppers to the Goa region.

There are many recipes for the hot sauce but common ingredients are chilli peppers, olive oil, garlic, salt and lemon. It is a relative to the Tabasco chile. In this recipe, you can spice it up using either piri piri or tabasco sauce.

Ingredients:

1 and 1/2 cups of small cooked shrimp (finely chopped)

one 8 oz package cream cheese (soft)

1 small stalk of celery (chopped)

1 scallion or 1/4 cup chopped onion (finely chopped)

2/3 cup of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 to 2 teaspoons piri piri sauce or any sauce

pinch of salt

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Preparation:

Place all ingredients except the cheese and the shrimp in a blender and pulse a few times until the vegetables are finely minced.

Add the shrimp, mix well, taste and add more hot sauce if desired. Place in a small oven proof dish, spread cheese over the dip and cook at 375 for about 10-15 until the cheese is melted.

Serve with vegetables or any favorite crackers.

Events / Photo Gallery / Traditional customs / Video Collection

November 4, 2014

Bizarre Foods | Lisbon

Andrew Zimmern traveled to Lisbon, Portugal for Travel Channels Bizarre Foods episode called; Lisbon | Snails | Sardines | Barnacles which aired on Monday. He went diving for Percebes ( Barnacles ), visited a spectacular market with blogger Andrea Smith and visited Lisbon’s dining scene.