recipe: Tomato & Bread Soup

This recipe came from some book I had around and then I changed it and it became quite similar to something my mother has made since I can remember - 'Acorda de Tomate' - my favourite soup of all times! Needless to say you HAVE TO MAKE IT! Its also really easy and in winter, one of the best things you will eat.

Serves 4:
6-7 large ripe tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, 1 tbsp olive oil, 3 garlic cloves crushed, 4 eggs, water, chopped parsley or coriander, stale sour-dough slices- 2 per person should be enough-, salt & pepper & extra olive oil to drizzle

1. Heat water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Slice a cross on the bottom of each tomato and place in the boiling water for a couple of minutes. Plunge them in a bowl of cold water and remove skin; 2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan and chop the tomatoes; 3. Add the bay leaf and the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes; 4. Add the chopped tomatoes and let them cook slowly until they melt a bit; 5. Cover the tomatoes with water and let simmer for about 10- 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and the fresh herbs; 6. In another sauce pan heat some water. Add some white vinegar and when it boils, swirl a wooden spoon and add the eggs to poach; Leave them for a couple of minutes and then remove from heat - they should be a bit runny inside; 7. Place the bread on the bottom of a bowl, cover with the tomato soup, top with the poached egg, season with some salt, pepper, herbs and extra olive oil.

I think I'm salivating a little.

recipe: Gaspacho

This is one of my favourite dishes in the world as I grew up eating it, weather it was on it's own, with grilled fish or just nice fresh sourdough bread dipped in it...the recipe differs from the spanish 'gazpacho' and it even differs from other recipes in the centre of Portugal, so feel lucky boys and girls, coz this Gaspacho is a 'one of a kind' pearl:

Serves: about 6 people (as main or more as a side)
5 medium tomatoes, 1 onion, 1 lebanese cucumber, 2 garlic cloves, 1 green capsicum, salt, oregano, 2 L water, 4 Tbs Olive oil, 3 Tbs Balsamic Vinegar, ice cubes

1. Chop the garlic finely and add it to a large salad bowl;
2. Chop the onion very finely and the tomato in small cubes. Add to the bowl;
3. Chop the cucumber and the capsicum finely and add to the rest f the ingredients. Stir to combine;
4. Add 2L cold water to the bowl (or enough to cover all the vegetables). Mix the gaspacho and add olive oil, vinegar, salt and a sprinkle of dried oregano. Taste and correct flavours (it really depends on your taste buds now, add olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano or water until it tastes good);
5. Finally add ice cubes to the bowl and stir. This will make it extra fresh. (perfect if you are throwing a party cause you want to keep it cool- warm gaspacho is a 'no-no')

Serve with grilled sardines (best choice), nice barbecued meat, or enjoy it by itself as a cold summer soup with a nice slice of your favourite bread.
Hummmm, perfect!

recipe: PORTUGUESE CHICKEN PIE

This was the first time I made this and I was soo proud of it. It tasted almost exactly to the ones you get in Portugal, only....better! cause I made it and they were a huge success. Now, I will give you the recipe for the filling, which you can use however you like, in a big pie, several small ones or for rissois (the previous recipe: I made some and they were great too).

You will need:
1 chicken cut into pieces, 1/2 onion chopped, 2 tbp olive oil, 1 bay leaf, 1 cup of diced tomatoes, 1 chicken stock cube, 100 ml white wine and 750 ml water, 1/2 onion chopped, 30 g butter, plain flour, chopped parsley, nutmeg, salt/pepper, 3 egg yolks and a squezze of lemon juice. (rissois dough or puff pastry sheets)

1. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan with the onion and bay leaf. Let the onion become golden.
2. Add the chopped tomatoes, cook for a couple of minutes and add the chicken pieces.
3. Let the chicken cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and when the skin starts to turn golden add the wine, stock cube and water.
4. Cover and let it simmer in medium/low heat for half an hour.
5. Remove the chicken pieces to cool and reserve the stock.
6. When cold, remove skin and bones and shred the chicken.
7. Heat the butter in another sauce pan in low heat and add the chopped onion.
8. Add the flour (about a cup)and stir constantly. Start to add the previously reserved stock and stir. You need to get a creamy consistency so if you need more flour, add it now.
9. When you've added the stock and achieved a creamy consistency, add the chicken and stir for a couple of minutes.
10. Add the chopped parsley, a good pinch of nutmeg, salt and pepper and adjust the flavours.
11. Add the egg yolks and mix them gently to the chicken, remove from the heat and let it cool for a while.
12. Now you have the filling ready, use your imagination.

recipe: RISSOIS DE BACALHAU

Staying on the same mood and going back 2 recipes, you may remember I left half the bacalhau mixture from the pie? So, with this half I made "Rissois", something my mother is an expert making and I had to try her dough recipe. I was successful and needless to say you can fill them with whatever filling you want.

For about 8 of these:
1 cup of water, pinch of salt, splash of olive oil, 1 cup of plain flor plus more to dust and knead, egg whites, breadcrumbs, vegetable oil to fry, filling (the filling cannot be very liquid)


1. Prepare a surface in which you can knead the dough and dust it with flour.
2. Heat the water in a small sauce pan, add the salt and olive oil. When it starts to boil throw the flour in and mix with a wooden spoon as you reduce the heat to low. (You'll have to be quick here)
3. When mixed, take from the heat and place it on the dusted surface. Now, start kneading with your hands and adding flour until it doesnt stick to your hands or the surface.
4. Using a rollling pin flatten the dough on your surface and when it is about 4 mm thick place a spoonful of your filling on it.
5. Fold the dough over the filling and using a glass place it over the dough and cut "half-moons" with it.
6. Set aside. Repeat with the rest of the dough until it is over.
7. Place the egg whites on a bowl and the bread crumbs in a shallow plate.
8. Take the dumpling with one hand, place it in the eggwhites to coat and transfer it to the breadcrumb plate. With your other hand coat the dumpling with breadcrumbs and set aside on a plate. Repeat until all are done.
9. Heat the oil in a fryer and fry the dumplings in high heat until they are golden.

recipe: PASTEIS DE BACALHAU (CODFISH CAKES)

Following the last recipe and because I had a weekend of trying to cook familiar tastes, here goes one of the most ubiquitous treats in Portugal, you can find then in almost every small cafe, we call them "Pasteis de Bacalhau".

For about 25 units, you'll need:

1 150/200g piece of Bacalhau (salted codfish) soaked over night, 5/6 medium potatoes, 1/2 onion chopped, 3 tbs chopped parsley, pinch of nutmeg, black pepper, 1 egg and vegetable oil to fry .
1. Boil the cod until cooked, remove from the pan, dry and shredd.
2. Boil the potates and make a coarse mash with a potato masher.
3. In a boil, place the mash and the 1/2 onion thinly chopped, With a fork, mix everything together.
4. Place the shredded cod in the bowl and mix again (mixing with a fork constantly will make sure the flavours mix together and it will smoothen the potatoes further)
5. Add the chopped parsley, nutmeg and ground black pepper, mix and try it on. If it needs any salt, add it now. (i didn't need any because I used salt-dried cod)
6. Finally add the agg and mix everything very well.
7. Using 2 spoons, take a piece of the mixture and by pressing the spoons together back and forth, make the cakes.
8. When they are ready, deep fry them in hot vegetable oil and they'll be ready to eat. (I fried some and froze the rest)

Enjoy.

recipe: BACALHAU PIE

"BACALHAU" or dried & salted cod is probably the most ubiquitous food in Portugal. 500 years ago when there were no freezers, somebody decided to salt cod to preserve it and somehow, we still do it and love it! Now, I'm not sure why we keep doing it, because you can just use fresh cod, but we seem to be proud of this tradition and have more than (we say) 1001 says of cooking it. This recipe reminds me of home and it changes everytime I do it. And tonight I made it just for myself...ultimate comfort food.

IMPORTANT::: if you are using salted/ dry cod, you will need to soak it overnight and change the water several times so it doesn't taste like pure salt!!

Now, I thought I was making it for 2 meals for me (I'm a petite so, It isnt's much), but in the end I ate it all...bad bad girl...so, give it a go and double or triple the recipe if you are making it for more than 2 people.
1 piece of salted cod (150/200 g) soaked overnight, 2 tbs olive oil, 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove crushed, 1/2 onion thinly sliced, 1 red capsicum, 2 handfuls of spinach (not necessary, I had spare), 1/4 cup white whine, 3 tbs flat-leaf parsley chopped, 1 egg lightly beaten, freshly ground black pepper, pinch of nutget, 2 large potatoes, salt, a knob of butter and a splash of milk

1. Boil the bacalhau, when it is cooked, remove from the pan, let it cool and flake it removing the skin and bones. Set aside
2. Boils the potatoes and make mash: add butter, some milk (or water), salt and pepper to taste (do not use too much salt at this stage since the cod could still be quite salty, wait till the cod mixture is done and then adjust the flavours)
3. Heat the oil in a sauce pan, add the garlic and bay leaf. Cook for a couple of minutes and add the onion (cook in low heat). Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until it softens.
4. Add the capsicum previously diced in tiny squares and let it cook for about 5 minutes.
5. Add the cod and the wine and cook for another 5 minutes.
6. Finally add the spinach and mix everything. Remove from heat and add the chopped parsley. (don't forget to remove the bay leaf)
7. Turn your oven on to 180C and pour half the cod mixture on to a small baking pan (I used a 15x15x 6 cm one)
8. Put the mashed potatoes over the top and brush with the egg wash. Coarsely ground some pepper over the top and its ready to go to the oven.
9. Bake for 30 minutes or until its golden on top. Serve with a salad.

p.s.1. I didn't need any salt for the cod mixture since the bacalhau was salted, but you will have to adjust the flavours as you go along.

p.s.2. I have made this dish for a dinner party and replaced the spinach for 1 diced tomato and used yellow, red and green capsicum so it was really colorful and pretty and everybody said it was good!

p.s.3. The remaining half of the bacalhau will be used tomorrow for another pie or for small pastries, depending on my mood.

Hope you like it.