Tagged: Presunto

Appetizers / Main Dish / Recipes

Portuguese Chouriço & Presunto Pizza

This is a delicious savory pizza. I use Fig jam as a base. The combination of the sweet jam and salty presunto is mouthwatering.

INGREDIENTS:

1 pizza dough

1/2 cup fig jam

1 cup chopped or sliced chouriço

4 slices presunto

1 cup mozzarella or your favorite cheese

1/4 cup pecorino cheese

PIZZA DOUGH

  • 4 cups flour (more as needed)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 package dry yeast (1/4 ounce or 2 1/4 tsp)
  • 1 teaspoon of sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • 1 1/2 cups of warm water

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Spinach Broccoli and Presunto (Prosciutto) Quiche

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This Spinach Broccoli and Presunto (prociutto) Quiche is savory and mouthwatering. Easy to prepare for a simple lunch, snack or dinner!

You can leave out the presunto if you want a vegetarian quiche. Enjoy!


dsc06045Ingredients:

1 refrigerated pie crust

1 pound fresh broccoli spears (chopped)

1 and 1/2 pounds fresh spinach (approximate)

1 small onion (minced)

1 clove garlic (minced)

3 slices of presunto or ham (cut into small dice)

5 whole eggs

1 and 1/2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces of shredded cheese (any favorite)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Prepare pie crust by pressing into a large tart pan, or pie dish.

Saute the onion, garlic and presunto in the butter until onion is translucent. Add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes. Add the spinach and cook until slightly wilted. Season with the salt and pepper.

Drain any liquid and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs in a medium bowl. Add the milk and cheese and mix well.

Pour the broccoli mix evenly over the pie shell then the egg mixture. Be sure the broccoli is submerged in the eggs.

Cook for about 35-45 minutes until golden. Test by poking with a fork which come out clean.

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Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Portuguese Panzanella with Chourico and Presunto

Never throw away your day old bread. Make this Panzanella salad. Simply cut the bread into 1 inch cubes, coat with a little olive oil and your favorite seasonings and cook in your oven for a few minutes until crispy. This salad is easy to make and you can substitute the meats with any you prefer. Enjoy!


Ingredients:

Chourico sausage (thinly sliced)

Presunto (Prociutto * thinly sliced and chopped)

Tomatoes (cut into chunks)

Cucumbers (cut into chunks)

Apple (cut into chunks) This is optional

Cheese (cut into small cubes)

Red Onions (sliced thinly)

Olive oil

Red wine vinegar or Balsamic vinegar depending on your preference

Salt

Pepper

Basil (chopped)

Crusty Bread cut into cubes or store bought croutons

Preparation:

Place the tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, chourico, presunto, and onions in a deep salad bowl.

Make dressing by mixing equal parts oil and vinegar and then add salt and pepper to your taste in a small jar and shake well.

Pour dressing over the salad. Top with basil and the croutons.

Note: Make the salad ahead of time and store in the refrigerator before adding the dressing if you want to serve it later in the day.

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.

 

Appetizers / Photo Gallery / Side Dish

Bruschetta a Portuguesa

I’m reinventing the Papo Seco!

You’ll never waste any leftover Papo Secos again, once you make this easy recipe for Bruschetta; an antipasto from Italy whose origin dates back to the 15th century.

Bruschetta; is grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil. Many variations include toppings of tomatoes, grilled vegetables, beans and cured meats and cheese.

My Italian friend hates the English translation so he always makes us pronounce it correctly in Italian; (bru-sket-ta).

You can be creative with this recipe by adding your favorite variations of olives, cheeses and cured meats!

Don’t be afraid to make a double batch because there seems to never be enough of these little mouthwatering treats!

Ingredients:


3 – 4 Papo Secos – Portuguese Rolls or Baguette (day old or more)

2 medium ripe tomatoes (chopped very finely)

Or use 1/2 cup of my sun dried tomato recipe

1 slice of Presunto (finely diced)

1/4 cup finely chopped red onions

1/4 cup chopped black olives

1/4 cup roasted red pepper (finely chopped)

2 cloves garlic (finely diced)

4  tablespoons of Portuguese Olive oil

1 teaspoon of finely chopped parsley

crushed black pepper

Instructions:

Slice the bread into very thin 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices and place each one flat down onto a large baking sheet.

Place one chopped garlic clove and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a very small microwave safe bowl and cook for about 30 seconds to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.

Brush the bread with the garlic infused oil, but leave half for the topping.

Place the tray with the slices of bread under the broiler to toast for about 2 minutes or until a light golden brown turning over to brown the other side.

*Caution: The bread will toast quickly. Always leave the oven door open when you toast bread in your oven broiler!

Drain the tomatoes to remove any moisture and place them in a plastic or ceramic bowl. Add the remaining ingredients including the remaining garlic clove and olive oil and mix.

Place 1 tablespoon of the topping onto each slice of toasted bread.

 

 

 

 

 

Appetizers / Holiday Recipes / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Portuguese Style Antipasti – Aperitivo

When I serve Antipasti before diner, I make an easy and colorful presentation of cheeses and cured meats for my guests.

What’s great about this easy appetizer is that is requires no cooking, and it’s easy cleanup since you just through away the parchment paper when you finish this wonderful sampler.

My family loves both varieties of Portuguese and Italian meats so I use both and call it a “PortItalian” platter.

You can improvise and use your family favorites.

How to set up your Antipasti tray:

1. Use a big wooden cutting board (this gives it a rustic look) and place a large piece of parchment paper over the board.

2. Next, place the meats in small piles around the edge. Pile the cheeses in the middle of the meats. Arrange the sliced bread on the tray.

3. Add color with olives, cherry tomatoes, roasted peppers, pickled vegetables, or any of your favorites.

I also serve fruit along this platter to balance the saltiness with the sweet fruits.


Ingredient Ideas: 

Presunto – Prosciutto cured pork (Sliced very thin)

Salpicao – A spicy cured meat, made from Pork, wine garlic and salt  (Sliced very thin)

Chourico  – A spicy, pork cured sausage (Sliced very thin)

Queijo Fresco – A soft fresh cheese made from fresh milk – (Recipe for Queijo Fresco)

Queijo da ilha – São Jorge cheese – A hard, sharp, spicy taste is a famous cheese that comes from the island of St. Jorge in the Azores.

Queijo Casteloes –  Casteloes Cheese –  A semi-hard cheese and has a lovely mild and buttery flavor

Mortadela – Optional

Pepperoni – Optional 

Salami – Optional 

Azetitonas – Portuguese olives

Cherry Tomatoes

Dried figs

Shelled Nuts

Fresh ground pepper – For fresh cheese

Salt – For fresh cheese

Crushed red pepper paste – For the fresh cheese

Pao Caseiro Recipe – Or any Homestyle crusty bread sliced into thin slices.

Find more Pao –  bread recipes in search bar at the right top of this page.

 

There is an art to slicing Presunto very thinly. Watch this video it will make your mouth water!


There are many varieties of Portuguese cheeses which you can use. If you want to learn all about these cheeses, here’s a great resource at;  Catavino – The Ultimate Guide to Portuguese Cheeses!

You can also visit one of my favorite Pintrest Page – Portuguese Cheeses.

 

Here are some English translations of Portuguese cheese descriptions for your search.

DOP- Like DOC in wine, designated to cheeses produced in their traditional area Velho- Old, designation given to cheeses that have been aged at least 90 days or more
Curado, Semi-Curado- Cured, Semi-Cured Amanteigado- “Smooth Like Butter”, good for spreading on bread!
Mole/ de Pasta Mole, Semi-Mole- Soft, Semi-Soft Duro/ de Pasta Dura, Semi-Duro- Hard, Semi-Hard
Seco- Dry Leite – Milk
Leite de Vaca- Cow’s Milk Leite de Ovelha( “o-vayl-ya)- Sheep’s Milk
Leite de Cabra/Cabreiro- Goat’s Milk Cru- Raw
Gordura- Fat (in foods) Picante– Spicy
Casca- Casing, wrapping, shell Ligeiro/a- Light (in consistency and/or flavor)
Sabor Suave- Smooth Flavor Sabor Forte- Strong Flavor
Queijo em Barra- Block Cheese Queijo em Fatias- Sliced Cheese

( http://catavino.net/part-1-the-ultimate-user%E2%80%99s-guide-to-portuguese-cheese/)

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / Side Dish

Presunto & Arugula Flat Bread

I love the American “melting pot” of different cuisines from all over the world!

This recipe incorporates a little bit of Portugal and Tuscany with my variation on “Flat Bread”.

If you prefer you can leave out the Presunto for a vegetarian style flat bread. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 lbs Pizza Dough

3 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 large chopped tomato

1/2 cup sliced Portuguese olives

1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 tbsp Corn Meal

1/2 cup Blue Cheese or (any you prefer)

4 thin slices of Presunto chopped into 2 inches pieces

 2 cups of fresh Arugula or (fresh baby spinach)

Fresh black pepper

 

Instructions:

Roll out pizza dough into desired length on a large cookie sheet or 2 small flat pans that have been heavily sprinkled with cornmeal. (If you love a crispy thin crust roll out the dough very thin.)

Place garlic with the olive oil in microwave and heat for 45 seconds. Brush the garlic infused olive oil over the pizza dough.

Spread the shredded cheese, tomatoes, olives, onion and Presunto on top.

Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and a crispy crust has formed. * Your oven may require more cooking time. Lift bottom of pizza and look for a lightly golden crust. The Flat bread will be crispy when done.

Let flat bread cool for a few minutes. Spread the Arugula over the pizza then add the Blue cheese. Drizzle the arugula with olive oil if desired and top with fresh cracked pepper!

Slice into squares with a pizza cutter or a large serrated knife.

This is delicious with a cool refreshing classic Portuguese style wine cooler!

Recipe: Poor ice into a tall glass – Add equal parts – Vinho Tinto (Red wine) and Ginger Ale (or Orange Soda).

Garnish with Orange Slice!

Cheers!