Honey roast pork

Fit for a king!
I found this recipe here, but I adjusted it a little bit.

Time of preparation: 2 hours
serves 6-8

1kg pork belly (or any other cut that roasts and crackles|)

I used ginger chopped like match sticks (as much as you like)
cloves (a bunch, about a handful)
1 tbsp cracked coriander seeds
340g runny honey
1 stock cube
4 medium brown onions
1 bunch of sage
4 bay leaves
Olive oil
Rock Salt
200ml cold water

Preparation

Stab the pork with a sharp long knife and place cloves and the match stick like ginger in the meat. Rub a little olive oil into the pork and season with salt. Place the pork on to a wire tray and then place into the roasting dish. Roast in the oven for approximately 2hrs on the bottom shelf at 160C.

Meanwhile, make the honey glaze by adding the rest of the water, honey, coriander seeds, and 1 stock cube to a saucepan and simmer until reduced by a third. The mixture will thicken and become syrupy

Cut the root off of the onions and cut in half (take the outer skins off if preferred). Add a little sunflower oil to a frying pan, heat then place the onions in the pan flat side down. Add the bay leaves, sage and leave for a few minutes until they start to brown and caramelize. Then place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes until onions are golden brown.

To serve, using a pastry brush glaze the pork with the honey reduction. Then slice lengthwise into (about 1in wide) and arrange onto a large plate. Place the roasted onions around the meat and garnish with the roasted sage leaves.

In the recipe, the chef makes his own gravy, but since I prefer to use rock salt the juices that run from the meat are too salty and I prefer to use regular gravy that I buy at the supermarket.

It was absolutely delicious for a New Year's dish!

Borscht

It's been some time I've been trying to find a good Borscht recipe, especially because my husband has been to Russia and had the real thing. I was afraid to disappoint him. So I decided to try this recipe, that I found here and, what do you know?, he loved it. He said it's just like what he had there (which is not the chef's soups, that all is mixed up and blended). Apparently Borsch has to have chewable pieces.

Here's the recipe.
Time of preparation: 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

4 fresh or vacuum packed beetroot approx 600g
White cabbage 4oz 100g
4 Small potatoes
1 Medium carrot
2 Medium tomatoes
1 Medium size onion
Beef (any cut) 14oz 400g
Fresh dill 8 sprigs
Garlic 2 cloves
Parsley (garnish only) 8 sprigs
Vinegar 1 teaspoon
Butter or margarine 2 tablespoons
Sour cream (optional) 2 tablespoons 2 tablespoons
Salt and pepper to taste - -

COOK'S NOTES: The backbone of this meal is beetroot so try and get some fresh, it does make a difference. Fresh beetroot is sweeter than any other type. Failing this, the vacuum packed beetroot is a very good alternative.

The use of beef is traditional in Russian Borsch but poorer Russians would make this dish with just the vegetables. Alternative vegetables to the carrot, potato, cabbage and tomatoes include parsnips and turnips, in fact any root vegetable can be used. The beef is a good addition, but by no means necessary.

The cut of beef is not important, in fact the cheaper cuts give the dish more flavour. If the cut is too fatty, simply remove it before serving the Borsch.

1 large pan
1 frying pan (small)
1 pan (small)

PREPARATION
If using meat off the bone, cut into cubes (see picture below).
If using meat on the bone, cut so that it can fit in the pan.
Roughly chop the onions. Finely chop the dill.
Top and tail the beetroot and peel it (if using fresh beetroot). Slice beetroot into strips and then cut them in half (see picture below).
Chop up the tomatoes.

One hour after starting the meat broth:
Roughly chop the carrots. Finely cut the garlic.
Finely cut the parsley. Cut the potatoes into strips.
Peel the layers of the cabbage apart then slice into strips

METHOD

Put the beef, dill and the chopped onion into a large pan and cover with 3 litres of cold water. Cook for 1½ hours in low heat. I put the potatoes on too, because I prefer them very soft if on soup.
Half an hour after starting the beef broth cooking, melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan. Add the beetroot, tomatoes and vinegar to the pan. Simmer at low heat for 1 hour stirring occasionally. If there is not enough liquid, add some of the broth.

A quarter of an hour before the beef broth is finished cooking melt 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine in a frying pan. Add chopped carrots and garlic. Cover the frying pan and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the beef broth is cooked (after 1½ hours) remove any fat floating on the top (use a spoon). Add the chopped cabbage, potatoes, sautéd carrots and garlic. Stir well. Cook for 15 minutes.

Add the cooked beetroot. Stir well and cook for another 5 minutes.

Lancashire hotpot

I found this recipe here and it's sooo good! Just cooked it last night.


ingredients
serves 4

1 kg (2 lb) potatoes, peeled and sliced into rings
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Beef dripping or lard for frying
1 kg. middle neck lamb chops
2 lamb's kidneys, cleaned and chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp dried thyme
600 ml (1 pint) hot beef stock

method

1. Put half the potato rings in a layer on the bottom of a deep ovenproof casserole. Season well with salt and pepper.
2. Melt a knob of dripping or lard in a frying pan. Add the chops and kidneys and brown quickly on all sides. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon.
3. Lay the chops and kidneys on top of the potatoes, add the onion and sprinkle with the thyme. Pour in the hot stock. Put the remaining potatoes in a layer on top.
4. Season again, cover with a lid and place in a moderate oven (180‚°C/350‚°F or Gas Mark 4). Cook for 2 hours, then remove the lid and return to the oven to brown the top layer of potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Serve immediately, straight from the casserole, with a seasonal green vegetable or buttered carrots.

Pasta with canned sardines

Easy
Time of preparation: 20-30 min

1 pack of pasta (I prefer spaguetti)
1 can of sardines (I think the ones in olive oil go best)
1 cup of double cream
1 cup of milk
1 tbspoon of corn flour
1 shrimp stock cube (I didn't have one and used vegetable and it was good!)
1 onion, finnely chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 pepper chopped
1 tbspoon of butter
2 cloves of garlic, finnely chopped
coriander and parsley (a pinch of each)
salt and pepper

On a pan, add the onion and garlic, heating up with the butter. Let if golden. Add the sardines WITH the sauce, add the other ingredients (apart from the double cream). When everything is cooked (around 10-15 min later, add the double cream. If its still thin, mix the corn flour with the milk and add it to the mix. Mix it all up until it thickens.

Cook the pasta  al dente.
Distribute the pasta on plates or a big bowl and add the sauce. Mix it all up. Sprinkle some parmesan on top.

OBs: I didn't have double cream when I cooked it, so I just used the milk and corn flour. It was delicious anyway.

Collard green pancakes with mozzarela and mince

10 leaves of collard green
1 litre of water
3 ripe tomatoes, peeled
1 medium onion, chopped and mashed
1 pinch of oregano
salt/pepper
1 pinch of cumin
1 pinch of grond nutmeg
2 tbspoons of olive oil
200g of olives, sliced and no seeds
500g of mozzarela
500g of mince
1 tbspoon of butter
1 tbpoon of tomato extract
1/2 cup of milk
1/2 tbspoon of flour

Boil the collard green leaves (do not break them) in the water for 15 min. Drain them and fry them, both sides, in a frying pan with a bit of heated olive oil and the butter. Open them over a chopping board.

Season the meat with the cumin, nutmeg, salt, pepper and tomato extract. Cook it (medium heat).

Open one leaf and remove the tip of the stalk. Put one slice of mozzarela and 1 tbspoon of the cooked mince. Sprinkle with oregano. Roll it like a pancake, hiding the corners inside. Do the same to all the other leaves. Put the "pancakes" in a oven proof glass or ceramic tray.

Sauce:
Chop the tomatoes and add them to a pan with salt, olive oil, the onion, olives, the milk and the flour. Let it boil and thicken. Throw it on top of the collard green pancakes. Put it on a pre-heated oven (medium heat, 180C) for around 10 min. You can sprinkle parmesan on top if you want.

Serve with white rice.

Chicken breast in spinach sauce

Chicken breast (the recipe asks for 10 steaks of chicken breast, but it's just 2 of us, so I just made 4)
1/2 lime or lemon
salt/pepper
butter

Spinach sauce

1/2 a pack of spinach (supermarket packs) or 1 bunch of spinach, cooked and drained
1 tbspoon of finnely chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, finnely chopped
2 tbspoons of butter
1 tbspoon of flour
700ml of milk (I used less, since I made half the recipe for just 2 people...so I used around 300ml)
salt and pepper
parmesan to sprinkle on top of it all
double cream (about 2 tbspoons) - optional...I made mine yesterday without and it was really good (I didn't have any at home and my spinach wasn't going to last another day)

Blend the spinach and the milk. In a pan, fry the garlic and onion in the butter. Add the spinach and milk mix. In a small glass, mix the flour in a bit of milk. Add to the pan stirring well. Let it thicken and check the salt and pepper. If you are adding the double cream, turn off the hob and add it.

Season the chicken breast with the lime/lemon, salt and pepper. Fry them in butter. Serve the chicken and put the sauce on top. Sprinkle it with (a lot of) parmesan.

Bolo prestigio (chocolate and coconut cake)

Yesterday was my birthday and, believing I deserve a treat, I made one of my favourite cakes. If you live in UK, the name of this cake translates as "Bounty" (the chocolate) cake, because it's a chocolate cake filled with coconut...mmmmmm

The cake:

2 cups of flour
3 tbspoons of cocoa powder (the one you children drink with milk)
3 eggs - separate the whites and whisk them into egg whites (very fluffy and firm)
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of milk
2 tbspoons of butter
1 tbspoon of baking powder


Mix the yolks, the sugar and the butter. Add the milk and the chocolate, adding the flour last with the baking powder. Mix it gently and them add the egg whites, envolving them in the cake mix without mixing too hard.

Bake it in an medium heat oven (around 180C) in a greased tray.

Filling

1/2 can of condensed milk
1/2 cup of grated coconut (the one we buy in supermarkets)
2 cups of milk
sugar (to taste)

Mix it all in a pan and let it boil and thicken. Some people loose their patience here, because it does take some 30 min for it to thicken properly and cheat with cornflour. Don't, it does taste better if you give it time. It is thick enough when you incline the pan and the filling comes off of it.

Topping

1/2 a can of condensed milk
200g of butter
2 tbspoons of cocoa

Mix it all in a pan, boil and let it thicken a bit.

Syrup

1 cup of guarana - a brazilian soda. If you can't get your hands in some, you can make the syrup I used for this post but use rum and let the alcohol boil (you just want the flavour)

If using the alcohol syrup: Make a small amount of sugar syrup by boiling about 1/4 cup (60 ml) water with 2 tablespoons sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Let it cool completely, then add a good pour of your favorite liquor (use rum for this one). Wet the sponge cake base with the syrup.


Decoration

200g of chocolate sprinkle
optional: chocolate shavings and cherries

To arrange it all

Cut the cake in half. Wet one half with the half the syrup. Spread the filling on top and put the other half of the cake on top of it. Spread the syrup on top of the cake and spread the topping all over. Decorate it with the sprinkles of whatever you prefer.

Chicken pie

Dough:
4 eggs
1 cup of oil
1 cup of milk
3 cups of flour
1 tbspoon of baking powder
salt


Filling

1/2kg of cooked and threaded chicken
6 tomatoes
1 onion
1 can of peas
1 can of sweet corn
optional: a handful of olives (chopped)
Mix the dough ingredients in the blender. Transfer it to a bowl and add the filling Mix it delicately and transfer it to a greased tray.

Bake it in a pre-heated oven (medium heat) for around 30 min. Check with toothpick (if its clear, its done)

Nega maluca - brazilian chocolate cake

Nega maluca is a difficult name to translate. Maluca means crazy, easy enough. Nega is a tender nickname that we use to black people (now being referred to as african-brazilian). But nega is also used as a nickname for white people...especially between friends and couples. But when it comes to this cake, I'm pretty sure it's about a tender way to refering to this black delicious cake, which is one of the cornerstones of brazilian cakes. Every child in Brazil loves and eats this a lot. I made one last week and my husband was a bit suspicious at first, because this cake takes oil instead of butter, but then he couldn't stop eating.

Here's the recipe, which is easy enough

3 eggs
1 and a 1/2 cups of sugar
2 cups of flour
1 cup of chocolate (children's chocolate to dissolve in milk. If you use cocoa powder (cooking) like I did, use half a cup)
1/2 cup of oil
1 tbspoon of baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 cup of hot water

To cover the cake:
4 tbspoons of milk
1/2 a cup of children's cocoa (same thing here. If using cooking chocolate, 1/4 of a cup)
1 tbspoon of butter
1 cup of sugar

In a mixer, mix the eggs, sugar, oil, chocolate and flour. Add the hot water and at last the baking powder.
Bake it for 40 min to and hour in a medium heat oven (around 180) - my cakes always take an hour at least!
Remove it from the tray while still hot (but manageable)

Topping

Put all the ingredients in a pan, put in on a hob, mixing it thoroughly until it boils. Pour it hot on top of the cake.

Roast chicken thighs - portuguese style

I cooked this for lunch today and it's soooo easy and delicious we had to repeat. As with most of the posts in this blog, the pic is not mine, I found it on google images, but mine looked just like it. Besides, most times there is no time to take pictures because we just devour it all...And I'm not that good in decorating anyway. There are much more talented people around.

4-6 garden variety potatoes, peeled and in quarters
2 tomatos, in quarters
1/2 lime, divided in 4 pieces (or 1 lime in quarters)
6 garlics WITH their skins (but you can mash them with your hands a bit)
olive oil
rock salt
4-6 chicken thighs (but I used drumsticks too and it's also good)
black olives

Spread the potatoes in an oven proof tray (better if it's a pretty one, for it can be served just like that when done) and do the same to the tomatos. Put each piece of lime in the corners of the tray and spread the garlic around too. Place the chicken pieces in the tray, in a very spread fashion, so that you have chicken...potatoes...chicken...potatoes.
Give it all a good wash with olive oil (remember, portuguese style - the more, the merrier) some pepper if you want and spread rock salt on top of it all.
Roast it all in 180-190 degrees for 40 minutes. Remove it and spread the olives on top of it (I use a handfull and give it another drizzle of olive oil). Roast for another 10-15 minutes.

Serve with some salad

Chicken with Creamed Corn II

My mum came to visit last month and helped with cooking (she does cook very well). She corrected one of my recipes, the creamed corn. I never really got that recipe from her, I just cooked it as I remembered it, using double cream. Apparently she never used cream and all she did was use corn flour. So here's her take on that.

Breast chicken steaks or fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 can of corn or frozen corn (defrosted)
1 can of milk
1-2 tbspoons of cornflour
salt

Blend the corn and the milk for some 15 seconds (more if you don't want little pieces of corn)
Add it to a hob and add the cornflour. Mix it until it boils and then reduce the heat, letting it cook (don't forget to mix it, always) until it reaches the consistency you want (a cream).
Check the salt. Turn off the hob, put the lid on.
Fry the steaks on a hot frying pan. Since I'm pregnant, I'm overcooking them all.

Put the steaks on a plate, the cream on top of them and some parsley (optional) to decorate it all.

Serve it with white rice and broccoli salad

PS: both are delicious, but I think I slightely prefer the double cream one. But it's a close call

Hamburger

Two saturdays ago I woke up late and missed Saturday Live Kitchen, which was kind of a bumer, because I really enjoy that show (the only cooking show that I actually enjoy). Anyway, there was this other guy latter, that stated that recipes are not supposed to be followed absolutely but are more like a basic desing, etc etc...He was quite proud of his own back garden and he did make a soup that looked absolutely delicious (but I was not paying attention).

I was paying attention, however, to the hamburger recipe that I saw him make. It was a chicken hamburger, but I didn´t have chicken mince so I tried with regular mince. It was fabulous!!!

So, here´s the recipe:

mince
bread crums "to increase the amount of hamburgers"
bacon (better if streaked, chopped)
parmesan (rather than eggs to keep it all together) (about 1\3 to 1\2 a cup)
herb mayo - now, here he did his own but I'm pregnant and raw eggs are a no no. Therefore, I used my helmann's mayo which I seasoned with lime, parsley, chives, pepper and a bit of rosemary.


Mix it up in a big bowl, add some salt and pepper to taste and fry it.

He served it wrapped in lettuce, but I served it in cut to measure (poligonal) bread, covered with mix of lettuce, the hamburger, mayo and some shavings of cheese (I use medium to mature chedar).Everything looked beautifully arranged and I decorated the plate with ketchup.

I'll post the pic soon

Pork with chestnuts

If you speak portuguese, I found this recipe here.

In Portugal, the 11th of November is S. Martinho day (Saint Martin's). The legend tells us that a roman knight was on patrol when he saw an old beggar, hungry and cold for he was almost naked. It was a rainny and cold day and the old man was soaking wet.

The knight, called Martinho (Martin) was kind and liked to help the poor. When he saw that beggar, he pitied him and cut his own thick cape in half, with his sword and giving one to the old man, leaving him. After his kind act, the rain stopped and a beautiful sunny day replaced it.

In Portugal they say that around Sao Martinhos day there is a veranico ("small summer) when autumn is not as harsh and the weather gets warmer. Around this time of the year they also celebrate the Magusto.

The Magusto is a popular party that changes from region to region. Generally people gather around a bonfire where they roast chestnuts and drink new wine. People paint each other with the ashes and sing old traditional songs. Apparently some people consider the Magusto as the remains of an old pagan sacrifice to the dead (just like other popular traditions happening the around the same time all over Europe), since it was tradition to prepare some chestnuts to the family's deads and serve them at midnight (and no one would eat them).

All that is an introduction to one of the best recipes to try this time of year (this and the punpkin risotto!)


Pork (shoulder, legs, whatever)

Chestnuts
Salt and pepper
Red/gree pepper, mashed together
white wine
chopped bacon or loddon
piri-piri
garlic
laurel
onion
olive oil
Start by seasoning the pork (preferably on the previous day) with a cream made of salt, garlic, mashed pepper, pepper and piri-piri.
Cut the meat in cubes (If its not already in steaks, then its ok) and put the wine to make kind of a broth.
Cover  with a tin foil and roast/cook it in a hot (180-200'C) oven).

Meanwhile prepare the chestnuts: Boil water in a pan and add the chestnuts. Let them boil for 5 min, remove and peel them.

On a pan, heat up olive oil and the bacon cubes/loddon. Fry 1 onion chopped finnely, garlic and laurel and add the peeled chestnuts, Add sal and pepper, put the lid on  and let it cook in low heat (if necesary add a bit of water or wine).

When the meat is almost done (30-40 min), depending on the oven and the meat, add the chestnuts to it and let it all golden a bit for 10 min (withouth the tin foil).

Serve it hot with migas de broa (soon I'll post the recipe), cowpea and grelos or an apple mash.

Pumpkin and parmesan risotto

time of preparation: 30 min

570ml/1 pint vegetable or chicken stock
1 small onion, chopped
12 fresh sage leaves, chopped finely
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup of arborio (risotto) rice
250g pumpkin or butternut squash, diced small
50g butter
1/2 cup of grated parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the crispy sage
12-16 fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp sunflower oil
For serving
piece fresh parmesan, or vegetarian parmesan-style grating cheese

Method
1. Heat the stock until almost boiling and then keep over a very low heat. In a separate heavy-based saucepan sweat the onion in the oil until soft but not browned. Add the chopped sage and cook for a couple more minutes.
2. Add the rice and mix well for a few seconds to coat the grains with oil, then pour in one-third of the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until almost all the stock is absorbed. Add the pumpkin or squash and a little more stock, and continue to simmer gently until the stock is absorbed.
3. From then on add more stock a little at a time, until the pumpkin is soft and the rice nicely al dente. You may not need all the stock, but the texture should be loose and creamy.
4. When the risotto is almost ready, heat the sunflower oil in a small pan and quickly fry the sage leaves until crispy - it takes a matter of seconds.
5. Stir the butter into the risotto, and season well with salt and pepper. Add the parmesan and stirr until it melted. Divide into four servings and throw a few crispy sage leaves over each portion. Bring the cheese and a grater to the table for your guests to serve themselves.

Not much cooking happening

Sorry about the lack of posts...not much cooking happening, at least of new and adventurous food. I've been a bit nauseous with morning sickness and I guess there won't be anything very new for a while.

XoXo

My cheating kind of gumbo soup

I watched Jamie Oliver's road trip to America last week and the Louisiana soup seemed quite nice. I decided to give it a try but I didn't have most of the ingredients (specially not the holly trinity ingredients). So I made this soup, inspired by what I saw. It is nothing like the Louisiana soup, but oh....It was soooo good we couldn't stop eating.


1/2kg of chicken drumsticks and thighs
3 tbspoons of oil
1 onion chopped finnely
coriander (a small handfull)
chives (about 4 tbspoons)
parsley (about 4 tbspoons)
1 clove of garlic, chopped
loddon or chopped bacon (2-3 pieces)
ground chilli
juice of 2 limes
2 cubes of chicken stock
3-4 sliced tomatoes
100g of sweet corn
1L to 1.3L of water (depends on the amount of broth you want)
1 handful of kale

Fry the onion, chives, parsley, coriander, bacon, garlic and chicken until the onion is soft (about 2-3 min). Add the water and the chicken chubes. When it boils, add all the other ingredients apart from the kale. Let it cook for 30 min and add the kale, letting it cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve in a soup plate/bowl with rice on the botton and the stew on top.

Carrot cream

30 min

500g of carrots
2 potatoes
2 onions (medium size or 1 big onion)
salt
2 tbspoon of butter
2 tbspoons of double cream
500mL of chicken stock
salt

Peel the carrots, potatoes and onions, chopping the latter finnely. Cut the potatoes in cubes (about 2 cm each side) and slice the carrots. Fry the onion on the butter until soft (2-3 min) and add the other veggies, letting them fry for 5 min. Be careful not to burn them.
Add the chicken stock and when it boils lower the heat, letting it cook for 30 min. You can top up with water to make the soup go further, but check the salt.

Blend it all to obtain a cream and return it to the hob. When it boils, turn off the heat, add the double cream and mix it. Serve it hot with parsley on top.

Plum/Prune sauce (to be served with tender loin or pork)

1 tbspoon of mustard
1/2 cup of red wine
1 can of plums (400g) or 1/2 bag of dried prunes

Blend the plums along with 1/3 cup of the syrup. If using prunes, use 1/3 cup of water. Put it in a saucepan and add the other ingredients. Let it boil, mixing it thorougly until it comes off the bottom of the pan (2-3 min after boiling). Serve with tender loin or other pork roasts.

Palm heart pie (Torta de palmito)

Time of preparation: 1 hour

doe:

This doe's name translates as "rotten doe" because it melts in the mouth. It is not an elastic doe, you have to press little pieces of doe together, following the pie tray, to mold the base.

4 tbspoons of oil
4 tbspoons of pig fat (ancient way) or 4 tbspoons of butter
10 tbspoons of water
salt
3 cups of flour
1 pinch of salt

Work the doe untill it is not stuck to your hands anymore. Most likely you'll need to add more water as you mix it, since you want one doe, not several little pieces. Remember, it never stays together like bread doe.

Let it rest for 30 and divide in 2 pieces (one is going to be the cover of the pie).



Filling:

2 tbspoons of olive oil
1 onion chopped finelly
2 cans of palm tree heart, chopped (or 1 jar - 500g) you find these items at Tesco/Sainsbury's
5 tbspoons of the palm tree heart water (the water in the can/jarr)
1 cup of chopped olives
2 tomatos, chopped
chives, parsley
salt, pepper
1 egg
flour

Heat up the olive oil and fry the onions, add the palm tree heart, the palm tree water, the olives, tomatoes, chives, parsley and a bit of pepper. Lower the heat and cover. Let it cook for 15/20 min to absorb the flavours.

Add the egg and stirr vigorously to mix it properly. The fillig needs to be thick so it doesn't run once inside the pie. If it is still a bit liquid, add 1 tbspoon of flour and mix. Continue until it thickens.

Let it cool down before you fill up the pie. NEVER put hot filling on the rotten doe for it will cook rather than bake.

Once the filling is cold, fill the pie, cover and decorate. For an extra touch, spread some yolk on the cover (to give it some colour while it bakes) and bake in a preheated over at 180C for 35 min

I'm back - Auntie's candy

Sorry for disappearing for a while....moved house to a tiny little village and it took me a while to get internet connection...

Right, recipes...this was submitted by my sister:

Auntie's candy


300g of sliced milk chocolat
250g of double cream
1 little pack of cooking gellow (no flavour), dissolved as instructed by the manufacteur
3 egg whites

4 vanilla cakes with strawberry filling (40g each)


Melt the chocolat over boiling water and add the double cream. Put it aside.

Whisk the 3 egg whites (preferably in the mixer). Add the dissolved gellow while the mixer is still running. Turn it off and add the egg whites to the chocolat cream.

Put grease paper on a cake tin (7cm height, 10cm, 22 cm lenght) and spread one layer of the chocolat cream, putting it in the fridge for 5 min to thicken. Add the vanilla cakes over the chocolat cream and cover with the rest of the cream. Leave it in the fridge for 3 hours. Take it off the tin and serve.

Corn meal soup

Time of preparation: 35 min

2 tbspoons of oil
1 clove of garlic, chopped
left over meat
4 tbspoons of cornmeal
2l of boiling water
salt
pepper
stock cube (depending on the left over meat you are using: if its chicken, use chicken stock)
1 soup plate full of kale or collard green, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 eggs

Dissolve the cornmeal in a bit of cold water. Boil the rest of the water. Put the dissolved corn meal in the boiling water. On another pan, fry the garlic, meat left over and onion. Add to the boiling soup. Add the collard green or kale and let it boil for 10 min. Whisk the eggs slightely and put then in the soup, after turning the off the hob and mix it slowly.

Serve with toasts and cheese.

The collard greens or kale can be replaced by spinach, watercress or endives.

Chicken and chorizo rice

Time of preparation: 1h30min

1 chicken carcass
1 chorizo
bacon
3 tbspoons of olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves
pepper
salt
1 carrot
parsley
long grain rice
3 cloves of garlic

Cook the chiken, the chorizo and the bacon in salt water. When it boils, add the onion, cloves, carrot, pepper and parsley. Let it cook slowly (about 45 min).
Remove the chicken and remove all the meat from it. Slice the carrot and the chorizo. Chop the bacon.

Sieve the broth and remove a bit of the fat. On another pan, add the olive oil and fry the garlic. Add the rice. Add the broth from the chicken (must be double the amount of the rice). Let it boil. When the rice has absorbed most of the water, but is not entirely cooked, remove it from the hob and put it in an oven proof dish. Put half the rice, add the chicken and then the rest of the rice. On top, decorate with the chorizo, bacon and the carrot.
Bake it untill cooked. Serve it with salad

Roasted chicken stuffed with bacon farofa

Farofa is made of rough cassava/manioc flour and spices and it is what we use in Brazil to stuff chicken. So, in order to make farofa, you need to buy the cassava flour or "farinha de mandioca" as we call it in portuguese.

It is worth, though. I just made it today and people were coming back for seconds and third helpings.

Time of preparation: 2h
8 portions

1 whole chicken - the season here is optional. You can season the chicken the way you preffer.
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbspoons of chopped parsley and chives
1 tspoon of thyme
salt/pepper

Put the chicken in a bowl. Mix all the ingredients in a blender, put them on the chicken, cover it and let it absorb the flavours overnight, in the fridge.


Farofa:

1/2 cup of butter OR 1/3 cup of oil
1 onion, chopped finnely
1 clove of garlic, chopped finnely
chopped bacon (about 3) or loddon (a handful)
2 handfulls of kale
2-3 cups of cassava/manioc flour
2 boiled eggs, chopped
4 tbspoons of chopped parsley and chives
salt
pepper

optional: you can also add 3 tbspoons of sweet corn and 2 tbspoons of raisins, if you want to give it a twist every now and then.

Heat up the butter in high heat. Add the onion and garlic, mixing it thoroughly, until the onion is soft. Add the bacon and fry it untill it changes colour (brown/crisp). Add the kale and wait untill they are softer. Add the manioc flour, little by little, mixing it thoroughly. Add the eggs, and the chopped parsley and chives. If you want to add optional itens, now is the time. Check the salt and pepper.

Turn on the oven (gas mark 7). Fill up the chicken with the farofa, closing the gap by stitching it or with toothpicks. Put the chicken on a baking tray and cover it with aluminium foil. Bake it for 45 min, remove the foil and bake it for another 15 min or until golden.

Bife a cavalo (Mounted steak)

Time of preparation: 20 min
4 portions

4 steaks (top rump is the best)
salt and pepper
6 eggs
oil (enough to fry)
potato chips


Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Fry the stakes on a frying pan and let them crisp. Fry one steake each time, so they don't cook in their juices.

Fry the eggs without puncturing the yolks and put them on top of the steaks. Fry the potato chips and serve.

Tomato rice (Arroz de tomate)

This is a portuguese recipe, and mostly I saw it served with fried fish, but I serve it with steaks too.

300g of long grain rice
chives
1 clove of garlic
2 tbspoons of olive oil
250g of chopped tomatoes
1 leaf of laurel (or bayleaf)
salt
pepper

Fry the chives and garlic on the olive oil. Add the tomatoes and bay leaf. Add the water (2 1/2 times the volume of rice), add salt and pepper and let it boil. Add the rice. Let it boil, put the lid on (on an angle, not to cover completely) and let it boil for 20 min.

blancmange with raisings and wine syrup

For the recipe of blancmange, click here

Syrup

100g of raisins
1 cup of sugar
1 cup of dry red wine
1 tbspoon of cornflour, dissolved in a bit of water

Mix the sugar, water and wine. Let it boil for some minutes. Add the raisings and let it cook for another few minutes. Add the cornflour and stirr it throrougly. Let it cook for 2-3 min. Put it on top of the blancmange.

Coconut blancmange

time of preparation: 30 min
6 portions

200ml of coconut milk
4 cups of milk
5 tbspoons of cornflour
10 tbsppons of sugar

In a pan, mix the milk, cornflour and sugar. Turn on the cooker and stirr it thoroughly. When it begins to boil, lower the heat and stirr it for a few minutes. Turn off the heat and add the coconut milk, stirring it. Put it in a wet tray. After cold, remove it from the tray and put a syrup on top (see next posts).

Coconut milk and raspberry mousse

time of preparation: 20 min
8 portions

1 envelope of raspberry gellow or make your own (see below, in which case you need 1 envelope of gelatine with no flavour)
1/2 cup of water
1 can of condensed milk
1 can of double cream
same measure of coconut milk

right, if you bought the one with flavour, just boil the water, dissolve the gellow and then mix them all in the blender. Done

If you want to personalise, you can make your own gelatine and, since it's raspberry season, this is my fav option:

use some 150-200g of raspberries. Put them in a pan with 3 tbspoons of sugar and the water described above. Let it boil, lower the heat and let it cook for 15-20 min. Add more water if they get too dry. Mix it all ocasionally. Right. Sieve and measure the juice. If it is around 1/2 cup, ok, if not, add more water. Put it back in the pan and let it boil again, letting it cook for another 5 min. Turn the heat off and dissolve the gelatine. There! Homemade.
Chuck it all in the blender, mix it for some 2 min and you're done.

Chicken with creamed corn

time of preparation: 30 min

1 chicken breast with no bones (or chicken breast steaks)
1 can of sweet corn
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup of double cream
1 tbspoon of corn flour
salt
chopped parsley and chives (optional)


Season and grill the chicken steaks. Meanwhile, put the corn in the blender (with the water) and let it blend for 1 min. Make sure that it is not too liquid (its good to have some pieces of corn).
On a pan, dissolve the corn flour with the milk and let it thicken. Add the corn, let it get hot and at last, turn the heat off and add the double cream. Check for salt.

Put the chicken on a plate and pour the creamed corn on top. If you want, sprinkle with parsley and chives. MUST be served with white rice.

Cocada

Cocada is a typical brazilian candy made of coconut. There are several diferent recipes avaiable but, in general, they all use yolk, milk and grated coconut.

Time of preparation: 1 hour

3/4 cup of sugar
100ml of water
1 cup of grated coconut
6 yolks
3/4 cup of flour
150ml of milk
3 tbspoons of butter (no salt)


Prepare a syrup with the sugar and water. Add the grated coconut and cook it in low heat for 10 min, mixing it with care so the sugar doesn't precipitate. Let it cool. Put the yolks through a sieve and add them to the syrup. Dissolve the flour on the milk and add it to the syrup, adding the butter too. Grease a tray with butter and bake it in water bath (bain marie) in the oven for 30 min.

Sweet corn broth

Time of preparation: 2h

6 cobs of corn
1 chicken breast (with the bone for extra flavour, but that is not necessary)
1 tbspoon of saffron
1 big onion, chopped
3 cubes of chicken stock
4 tbspoons of oil
250 of grated cheese (best: muzzarela)
1 cup of chopped parsley and chives
salt
water (enough to cook)

On a big pan, add the oil, 2 cubes of chicken stock, the chicken and more salt (if you think its necessary). Fry it a bit and add enough water to cook the chicken. Let it cook for 45 min, with the lid on.

When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pan, let it cool down and dismantle the whole thing, getting very small fibres of the meat. Don't throw away the water in the pan.
Cut the corn from the cobs and, using a blender, mix small portions of it with the water used to cook the chicken. Add more water, if necessary.
The amount of water must be enough so that the blended corn becomes a cream, slightly thick.

On another big pan, add the rest of the oil, fry the onion, add the saffron and the last chicken stock.

Add the pieces of chicken and cook it until all ingredients have incorporated. Add the blended corn. Let it cook for 20-30 min in medium/high heat, always mixing it so it won't get stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check the salt.

If it is too thick, add water (slowly) to thin it (but don't let it become too thin, it has to be a cream). Serve it in small pots, with muzzarela on the bottom, the broth and sprinkle parsley and chives on top.

Canjica

Canjica is a kind of white corn, used for sweet popcorn and the following dish:

Time of preparation: 2 hours

1 1/2 cup of canjica (again, international food stores)
1 can of condensed milk
400ml of milk
250 of peanuts
grated cinnamon

The day before preparation, leave the canjica soaking in cold water.
24h later, drain it and cook in a pressure cooker with 2 littres of water for 2 hours
Bake the peanut until golden, put it over a napkin and crush it slowly, until the peanut releases its skin. Clean it and put it aside.
Add the condensed milk, the milk and the peanuts to the cooked canjica and let it cook for 5 min.

Serve it in small pots, sprinkled with cinnamon.

Polenta (boiled cornmeal) with mince and tomato sauce

Polenta is a traditional north italian dish that was brought to Brazil by the immigrants who settled in the south.

Very easy to prepare!

Time of preparation: 40 min

2 Littres of water
1 tbspoon of salt
2 tbspoons of butter
400g of cornmeal (thin, not too thick, which can be found in international food stores or italian shops)

Boil the water, add the salt and butter. As soon as it starts to boil again, slowly add the corn meal, mixing it thoroughly and without stopping or it won't dissolve. After you added all the corn meal, continue to mix it regularly. Ideally, the polenta has to cook for 30 min in low heat.

Put it in a oven proof dish, sprinkle with grated parmesan and cover with the sauce:

Sauce:

1 can of ready tomato sauce (the one you prefer, or you can make your own)
350g of mince

If you are making your own, you know what to do. The other day I bought a smoky bacon that worked perfectly with this dish. So, fry the mince, add the sauce to the pan, heat it up and put it all on top of the polenta. Sprinkle with grated cheese and serve.

I generally serve with white rice, since the polenta I make is very creamy and I like to mix it with rice, so there's something to chew on. You can make it more consistent too, but in this recipe I believe creamy/runny works best

Corn meal cake II (bolo de fuba)

time of preparation: 1 hour

3 eggs (4 if they are small)
1 cup of corn meal
1 cup of flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup of milk
2/3 cup of oil
1 tbspoon of baking powder
2 tbspoons of grated coconut or 2 tbspoons of grated cheese (I use one of each)


Mix it all on the blender and put it in a greased cake tray, sprinkled with sugar. Bake it in a pre-heated oven (180C) for 40-50 min or until ready.

Serve it with hot coffee

Sweet Pamonha

Pamonha can be sweet or savory. I much prefer the sweet version and that's the recipe I'm posting.

Time of preparation: 1 hour

12 cobs of corn
1 cup of water
2 cups of sugar
1 cup of grated coconut
1 pinch of salt
300g of muzzarela

husks to cover the pamonha, strings


Grate the cobs or cut the sweet corn very close to the middle of the cobs. Blend it with the water. Add the coconut and sugar, mixing it thoroughly. Put the paste on the husks and put a little piece of cheese in the middle. Close the husks (as shown on the picture) and tie them up tightly.



In a big pan, boil the water and add the pamonhas, one at a time: add one, let it boil again and add another one. The water MUST be boiling otherwise the pamonhas will fall apart. Cook it for 40 min and remove the pamonhas with the help of a fish slice. Let it cool down.

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Caldo verde (green broth)

4 portions
30 min

750g of peeled potatoes
2 littres of water, boiling
250 of green collard, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 tbspoons of olive oil
salt

for serving: 2 tbspoons of olive oil

In a pan, add the boiling water with salt. Add the potatoes and let them cook. Remove them, mash and add them to the water again. Let it boil and add the other ingredients, cook for 3-5 min. When it's time to serve, add the 2 tbspoons of olive oil.

Optional: you can add chopped calabrese to the soup.

Vinho quente (hot wine)

10 portions
20 min

1 littre of red wine
1 1/2 cups of sugar
10 cloves
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lime
1 cup of water
1 apple, diced in little cubes
cinnamon sticks (as many as you like)


Boil everything for 10 min. Serve it hot, preferable in ceramic mugs

Quentao II

Instead of cachaça, this one uses red wine:

10 portions
time of preparation: 20 min

3 littres of red wine (not dry)
300ml of water
10 cinnamon sticks
4 pieces of ginger
10 cloves
ground cinnamon (to sprinkle on top)

Make an infusion with all the ingredients (apart from the wine) and let it boil in low heat for 15 min.
Add the wine and serve it very hot, with cinnamon sprinkled on the cup.

Obs1: the smaller the piece of ginger (with greater surface) the stronger the flavour)

Obs2: Be careful not to boil it for too long after you add the wine or the alcohol will evaporate.

Quentao I

Quentão (pronounced Kan-ton) is the typical beverage of the june celebrations.
For this one, cachaça is absolutely necessary (but it's been getting easier to find, with the popularization of caipirinhas)

Time of preparation: 40min
10 portions

1/2kg of sugar
juice of 6 limes
1/2 cup of water
1/2 Littre of cachaca
10 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1 tspoon of ground ginger


Prepare a syrup with the sugar and water. Add all the other ingredients, let it boil and reduce the heat, cooking it for 20 min. Remove it from the heat, sieve and serve it hot (very).

Festa junina

June in Brazil is a month characterized by popular parties all over the country. These parties are historically related to the pagan celebrations of the summer solstice (around 24th of june) that were christened during the middle ages as "Saint John's parties)

Although related to summer celebrations in the northern hemisphere, June is the beggining of winter in the south. People gather around great fires (reminiscent of the pagan parties), generally in churches courtyards. Fireworks are displayed, to "awaken Saint John". A pole is assembled, with 3 flags on top, a metaphore for the 3 saints related to june celebrations.



People dress in costumes (nothing that relates to carnival) that pay homage to the simple people of the farms: men wear checked fleece shirts, old ragged jeans and simple boots, women dress in simple cotton dresses, generally with tacky patterns. During the celebrations a quadrilha is formed, in which couples perform a coreographed dance. Generally the couple that starts the dance are dressed as bride and groom (again, with poor fabric clothes) and the dance ends with a mock wedding.


Around the church courtyard where the pole is erected and the dance happens, lots of little huts are build to offer (free) or sell (for very low prices) typical food and beverage. There are games for the children and kids, charity huts (selling antiques) and the profit goes to the churches charities.

This post explaining the Junine celebrations (Festas juninas) opens a series os posts in which I'm going to detail the food we usually eat in June.


Remember, June is Brazil is winter and therefore the next recipes are better served in autumn.

If you want to know more, check the wikipedia entry.

Apple cake

Time of preparation: 1h 45 min
8 portions

3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 tspoon of baking powder
1 tspoon of baking soda
1 tspoon of ground cinnamon
2 eggs
3/4 cup of oil
1 tspoon of vanilla
3 cups of chopped apple (with the skin)
1 cup of raisins
1 cup of chopped brazil nuts or walnut

Pre-heat the oven (180*C or gas mark 5-6). In a big bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking soda and powder, and the cinnamon. Mix it well. Add the eggs, oil and vanilla. Mix it again, Add the apples, the raisins and nuts. Mix one more time and put it in a greased flute tube pan (about 25cm in diameter). Bake it for an 1 hour or when done.

Chicken nuggets

How to make it from scratch!!

12 units

1/2 bread (roll)
1/8 cup of water
350 of chicken breast, torn appart
1/2 onion
1/8 cup of double cream
2 tbspoons of parsley
salt

bread crums
oil (enough to fry)

add the water to the bread and mix all the other ingredients (except the bottom 2). Mix it well untill you have a homogeneous mix. Divide it in 12 parts. Mold each nugget (the way you prefer) and put them in the bread crums, frying them in hot oil.

Bolinho de chuva (rain Doughnuts)

This is sooooo easy!

100 cakes

1 cup of sugar
2 tbspoons of butter
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 tbspoon of baking powder
1/2 tspoon of salt
1 tspoon of ground cinnamon
1 cup of milk

3/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of cinnamon

Mix the sugar, butter and eggs. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and milk. Fry tbspoon quantities of the mix in low heat heated oil. Increase the heat and let it golden, draining it over paper towel. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle it over the doughnuts.

Chocolate and yogurt cake

1 2/3 cup of flour
1 1/2 cup of sugar
2/3 cup of cocoa
1 1/2 tspoon of baking soda
2 cups of greek yogurt
1/2 cup of butter
2 eggs
1 tspoon of vanilla

topping
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbspoons of cocoa
2 tbsppons of butter
4 tbspoons of milk
1 tbspoon of golden syrup
1/2 cup of cooking sugar
sprinkles

Mix all the ingredients for the cake. Put it in a greased cake tray and bake it (gas mark 5-6).
Mix all the topping ingredients but the cooking sugar. Boil it for 3 minutes, whisking it sometimes. Let it cool down, add the cooking sugar and mix it. Decorate with the sprinkles

Cuscuz paulista (brazilian couscous)

This is not the couscous people know from Africa. Very different preparation and flavour:

1/2kg of cornmeal
1 tbspoon of manioc flour
1 cup of water with salt
1/2 cup of butter in room temperature
1 kg of shrimp
2 tbspoons of lime juice
salt
pepper
1/2 cup of oil
5 tbspoons of chopped onion
2 tbsppons of chopped coriander
1 cup of tomato puree
2 chili pepper, chopped and mashed
1 can of peas
olives

Mix the cornmeal with the manioc flour. Add the salted water little by little and mix it until you reach a farofa consistency. Add the butter, mix and let it rest. Peel and clean the shrimp, add the lime juice, pepper and salt.
Add oil to a frying pan and fry the onion and coriander. Fry the shrimps a bit, with the tomato puree and the chili. Cook it until the shrimps are done. Add the flour mix and enough water to reach a wet farofa consistency. Mix it thorougly, until it comes off the bottom of the pan. Put this mix in a tube flute pan, and pressure it against the pan, to keep its shape. Take it off the pan and decorate with olives, peas and shrimps.

Bobo de camarao (shrimp in cassava cream)

10 portions
1 hour

2kg of prawns
1kg of cassava/manioc/yuca roots (found in international food stores and pictured above)
2 medium sized onions, chopped
4 tbspoons of oil
1/2 kg of tomatoes, halved, peeled and seedless
2 tbspoons of chopped coriander
1 tspoon of pepper
1 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of palm tree oil (azeite de dende - international food stores)

Peel the cassava and cook it in water and salt (about 20 min). If the manioc has fibers that are too hard, you can remove them. Blend it and little by little add water (1 cup to every kg of cassava).

On a pan, fry the onion in the oil until slightely golden. Add the tomatoes and let it cook. Add the cleaned peeled shrimps, salt, pepper and coriander. Lower the heat, put the lid on and let it cook until the shrimps are cooked (about 20-30 min). Add the cassava cream, the coconut milk and the palm tree oil, mixing it well, until it boils.

Serve it with white rice, white wine or beer.

Feijao tropeiro (brazilian cowboy beans)

Another traditional way of cooking beans. Typical from Minas Gerais state, this recipe comes from colonial times (until 1900) when transport of goods was done by horses or on the back of mules. The men who guided these animals were called tropeiros and the beans prepared in this recipe became a basic meal for them.

8 portions
474 cal/portion

1/2 cup of manioc/cassava flour
500g of common beans (brown beans known in Brazil as feijao carioquinha)
250g of slab bacon, sliced in little cubes
2 cloves of garlic, mashed
1 chopped onion
1 pinch of pepper
salt

topping: chives and parsley, chopped

Let the beans soak for 2 hours. Put them in a pressure cooker with enough water to cover over 4 finger above the beans line. Cook it for 20 minutes. Drain it.
On a frying pan, fry the bacon until golden. Remove it from the pan and let it rest.
Fry the garlic and onion on the left over fat. Add the beans, the bacon and pepper. Mix it thoroughly. Little by little, add the flour, mixing it well.
Decorate it with the parsley and chives.

Bread pudding

left over bread (has to be hard)
milk
2-3 eggs (depending on the amount of bread)
1 tbspoon of corn flour
1 tspoon of grated nut meg
sugar (to taste)

Soften the bread with the milk, mixing it thorougly. Add the other ingredients in a microwave dish and cook it in max potency for 15 min.