Maças assadas- Portuguese baked apples

Eça de Queiroz generally considered to be Portugal´s greatest writer in the realist style, ranking alongside Dickens, penned  many food related references in his works. His characters certainly seemed to enjoy their food, not the least baked apples. Baked Apples are a common pudding offered both in Portuguese homes and family run restaurants. The apples used are maça Reinetas ( large russets ). They are very fleshy and extremely good for the job. I suspect English Coxs would work equally well.In The Sin of Father Amaro Eça de Queiroz refers to baked apples: "Marvellous!"said the canon, as Senhora Janeira brought a large platter of baked apples to the table. "I´ll have some of those. I never refuse anything as delectable as baked apples!"

 TO SERVE 4

4 large russet apples ( or English Coxs)

4  tablespoons golden granulated sugar

butter for greasing the apples

Wash the apples but do not core or peel them( the pips actually impart a good flavour ). Place them in a buttered baking tin. Rub the apples with buttered paper. Sprinkle them with the sugar. bake at 180C /350F /Gas 4 for 35-40 minutes or until tender and brown.
A Double Twist
1.Sprinkle the apples with 4 teaspoons of port, after brushing with the butter. sprinkle with sugar and bake as above.
2. Mix cinnamon or ground cloves in with the sugar

Rabanadas-tipsy slices

Rabanadas (pronounced ha-ba-nadas) are part of the Portuguese Christmas tradition.Not dissimilar to French toast, and made in exactly the same way,I don´t see why they should be reserved exclusively for Christmas, they´re a great perk-you-up on any cold wet winter morning for a cosy continental breakfast.Much like the French name, pain perdu (lost bread), the rabanada is usually made from bread that is about to go stale, thus the reason for soaking it in something such as milk to soften it up again. If you don´t have Portuguese bread, use a country style bread, ciabatta or baguette. The secret is it must be a tight crumbed bread that will stand up to the soaking and not fall apart.

They are normally served with cinnamon and  topped with a sugar syrup or honey. In the old days, the dessert was known as rabanada only in northern Portugal, while towards the south it was referred to as the patia-dourada (golden slice).In the Minho,Portugal´s most traditional region,where donkey and cart have still not given way to Toyota pick-up truck they use red or white wine in the soaking stage. In my version the alcohol element is incorporated into the syrup for topping the cooked rabanada.
Any port in the sauce?- Yes

1 large Egg
A few drops of vanilla extract
2 tablespoons caster sugar
125ml(4fl oz) 1/2 cup milk
125ml(4fl oz) 1/2 cup cream
2 x 8cm (3in)pieces of yesterdays bread, without crusts

FOR THE SYRUP
1 small cinnamon stick
1 strip orange rind in one piece
1 strip lemon rind in one piece
2 tablespoons caster sugar
3 tablespoons port

2 tablespoons butter for frying
ground cinnamon for dusting


Whisk the egg, vanilla,sugar, milk and cream in a flat dish. add the bread, spoon the liquid over it, and leave to soak for an hour. Meanwhile make the syrup. Put the cinnamon, citrus rinds, sugar and 185 ml (6fl oz 3/4 cup )of water in a small pan, stir to dissolve the sugar and then bring to the boil. Boil for a few minutes, then add the port. Keep boiling until syrup like. Remove from the heat.
Heat the butter in a large non-stick frying pan. Remove the bread from the milky egg mixture and fry until the underside is golden. Turn over and cook until firm and golden with a slight crust.Serve immediately with some of the syrup dribbled over it and a sprinkling of cinnamon powder.

A simple twist of taste

A new addition to the Casa Rosada breakfast table

I drew inspiration for this recipe from a bit of history, a tad tradition and a national treasure. The tart is based on the old tradition of using quinces to make a thick and delicious sweet paste - something that was exported from Portugal in the late middle ages and the forerunner of breakfast marmalade.The national treasure being the Pasteis de nata or Portuguese custard tart. Many tarts and pies at this time involved the pre-cooking of the fruit in a sweet syrup, reducing down to a thickish paste and then being topped with a cream custard before baking. I was lucky enough to have over produced   quince marmelada at Christmas so only had to resort to the store cupboard, but to make the paste from scratch is a bit more of a faff. Once the quince business has been taken care of this is a very easy tart to make, and fuses together a genuine taste of old England and latter day Portugal.Pasteis de nata vs.quince reduction - lets turn the oven on and get started.

Quince Custard tart
makes 18 tarts
150g (5oz) quince paste 
1/2 cup ( 5 fl oz )
Melt the quince paste with the orange juice in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir well until completely combined, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.

FOR THE PASTRY AND THE CUSTARD
500g Massa folhada (puff pastry)
140g single cream
4 egg yolks
75g caster sugar
A dash of vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 230C /450 gas 8
In a saucepan, beat the egg yolks and sugar till thick. Beat in the cream gradually and carefully heat, stirring till the mixture thickens to a custard. Be careful not to overheat or it will curdle. Remove at once and cool completely. Roll out the pastry to make 2  22cm x 18cm (10x 8in) oblongs and roll each one into a swiss roll shape.Cut into slices 2 cm thick. This is a clever technique, because instead of expanding upwards the puff pastry pushes outward, making a deep cup shape for each tart. Spread the rounds into into muffin pans, pressing down thoroughly with both thumbs. Scoop into each tart 1/2 teaspoon of of quince paste followed by a dessert spoon of the custard. Bake until the pastry is golden and the top is caramelised (10-15 minutes ).
O COZINHEIRO`S TIP:
I have kept the top custard very simple so that the taste of the quince can be appreciated with every mouthful.Mmmmmm - I cant wait for the next batch. These are pure heaven.
They have to be eaten on the day they are made ,so halve the quantities if you need less.
These Belem style breakfast bites don´t last long at Casa Rosada.

Cereal Thriller

Hot porridge puts you on course for a round of golf

It maybe winter outside but inside my heart its Spring. What better way to start the day than with a bowl of hot porridge in front of you. With global warming giving us hotter summers and colder winters porridge is oh so the new oats cusine here in Portugal. One only has to peruse the many blog posts and food Forums to see everybody´s talking Flocas de aveia (oats) No oats so easy as doing porridge in Portugal. Here´s what some are saying.....

Still a brand leader in 2011

        
            Deram-me 2 saquinhos de flocos de aveia, 
            mas não sei o que fazer com eles... 

            They gave me two bags of oatmeal, 

            but do not know what to do with them    

           

             ... mais, nem sequer nunca provei.

            more so, I  have never even tasted.

Alguém tem uma receitinha para os aproveitar? 

 Does anyone have a recipe to make?

Fatima I eat oatmeal for breakfast every day.

Podes fazer com leite e canela deixando cozer um pouco, e depois juntar maça partida. 

 You can do with milk and cinnamon letting it cook a little, then add mace departure.

Eu pessoalmente faço o seguinte à noite deito duas colheres de sopa flocos num copo juntamente com um iogurte liquido e três colheres de amoras ou outro fruto à tua escolha e de manhã como assim mesmo porque os flocos ficam bons.

I personally do the following evening lay two tablespoons of flakes in a glass with a liquid yogurt and three spoons of blackberries or other fruit of your choice and in the morning like it anyway because the flakes are good.

The brand I use

Rosalina

Com o frio que está parece que me agrada mais a versão da papinha quente.... 

With the cold seems that is what I like more the version of porridge hot ....

Qual a quantidade de flocos e de leite?  

How many flakes and milk?  

É mais ou menos o mesmo que a farinha Maizena? 

It is more or less the same as cornstarch?

Obrigada pela ajuda. 

Thanks for the help.

Beijinhos Kisses

I usually do often oatmeal  

ponho leite no tacho e os flocos de aveia (a quantidade de leite é posta a cobrir os flocos de aveia... eu regulo-me melhor pondo o leite primeiro) depois ponho açucar porque sou gulosa eo meu namorado também, levo ao lume sempre a mexer até ferver e ficar grossinho ou cremoso. 

I put milk in saucepan and oatmeal (the amount of milk is placed to cover the oatmeal I adjust me ... I better put the milk first) then put sugar because I'm greedy and my boyfriend too, always take the heat stirring until it boils and Grossinho or creamy. 

Deito numa tigela e ponho canela por cima 

I lay in a bowl and put cinnamon on top  

fica óptimo! looks great!

Há quem ponha casca de limão no leite, mas eu não. 

Some people put lemon peel in milk, but not me.

Gosto muito da ideia de os comer com iogurte e fruta, tenho de experimentar! 

I love the idea of eating them with yogurt and fruit, I must try

Salt,oats, spurtle and my childhood porridge bowl

I was brought up in Scotland, and still make my porridge following a traditional Scottish principal which means cooking it with salt and stirring it with a spurtle. I also still have the original Quimper lug bowl that my mother used to serve my porridge  to me every morning. It is so named because of the two ear shaped handles on either side. My dear mother encouraged me to eat all my porridge by telling me I would then see the picture on the bottom of the bowl.  "Keep your eyes peeled and your lug holes open" because the originals are now becoming collectors items.
A bowl of creamy, soothing porridge is the  new muesli .Once the health police told us to "Go to work on an egg." Forget the egg, the new decade sees everyone  going to work on versions of oats, water and salt.Porridge is the morning meal of the moment.

David Cameron recently claimed in the House of Commons that he "almost choked on his porridge" over some bust-up with another member (surely also an oats man,and I´m sure wikileaks knows who and which brand was to blame). If you're a recent convert, beware the porridge pedants like myself he he. Rather like driving, everyone, it seems, thinks that their way of making porridge is best. Pinhead oats or rolled? Steel cut or roasted? A dash of salt or a pinch of sugar? Purists take the austere route favoured by the Scots and myself – oatmeal, water, salt, preferably stirred in a clockwise direction with that wooden implement called the spurtle. 
Even London´s lovely Ottolenghi is serving up porridge.They serve it with roasted nuts, maple syrup and fresh blackberries for a little bit of tartness.

Some current contenders
Deluxe porridge served with cream and Drambuie-laced raspberries.
Jumbo and rolled oats in a moat of cream with crunchy dark muscovado sugar.
Heston Blumenthal's snail porridge.
Stir in blueberries or blueberry compote.
Golden syrup and cream.
Raspberry purée or jam, perhaps even marmalade.
Banana, chocolate and cinnamon.
Pomegranate and muscovado sugar.
A big dollop of pumpkin puree with nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar.
Maple syrup and walnuts.

Quick Orange Porridge For Two

Ingredients: 80 g (3 oz) porridge oats; 300 ml (1/2 pint) cold unsweetened orange juice

Method: Mix the porridge oats and orange juice in a medium sized microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orange is absorbed. Add more orange juice if necessary. Stir and top with fresh orange slices.

Paired with the fact that a packet of oats is very cheap to buy, it makes sense that they are flying off the shelves in these tight financial times.Cereal thrilling is back with a vengeance.  

Peasouper

This soup "London Particular,"was named after the thick blankets of yellow fog or `peasoupers´ that used to engulf London.
Surprise you as it may, in the short winter months we have fogs (nevoieros) here in the Algarve too. This week has witnessed some tempo nevoento ( foggy weather ) so my making this soup is quite timely.
We have come to the end of the thespian´s home cured ham and we are now knuckled down to the bone, so I decided to improvise on a traditional English recipe for pea and ham soup. A great use for seasonal leftovers too.

How to make "London Particular"

500g bacon bones or 1 small smoked ham hock

1 cup yellow split peas

1 carrot diced

1 stick celery diced

1 small leek chopped

1 large juicy clove garlic crushed

1 small onion chopped

1 litre of water

Put all the ingredients into a large pan and bring slowly to simmering point. Set the lid of the pan a little ajar and simmer for about 11/2 hours until the peas are quite tender. Remove bones or hock. Discard bones( reserve hock ).Puree the soup in a food processor or blender and adjust the seasoning.If too thick add some extra stock or water. If using a hock, discard the skin, then dice the meat and return to the soup.Serve.
Make a large pot and  keep it in the refrigerator it won´t last long!

"Bah! Hamburg!"-er?

We enjoy a hamburger here in Portugal, as do the Portuguese. Wherever you are during these challenging economic times, the tried and tested philosophy of Economy Gastronomy will surely help you to overcome the credit squeeze.After a hectic day- Brie burger is the new 1/4 pounder with cheese -Simple supper or TV dinner, this is a dickens of a burger and a whole lotta fun in the bun!!! Home made junk food quick as sticks and satisfying my expat cravings. Right now all the TV food channels are talking cheese burger. I have been getting fat just watching the Food Network channel. The programme in question Diners, Drive-ins and Dives "Triple D"´s Guy Fieri called in at the Black Duck Cafe, Westport Connecticut,* where classically trained chef Tim Miller was cooking a Brie Hamburger. WOW!!!
Another night another channel and this time it was Nigel Slaters take on the cheeseburger. Water buffalo burger in ciabatta with buffalo mozzarella and tomato/ How yum is that. But back to the brie burger and the Black Duck Cafe. I have tried this twice now. The first time I sealed the brie carefully in the middle of the burger and then cooked it on a dry griddle. The verdict/ delicious but not enough cheese. Take two was to make two thin rounds of beef for each burger, spread brie all over one round then sandwich the two rounds together sealing them together securely so no cheese can escape.The second time I used much more cheese.Always use a dry griddle or skillet with no oil. The quality of the beef is the most important consideration, and simple seasoning, just salt and freshly ground black pepper. I used salmarim flor de sal pimentao.500g of good quality beef will give you 4 x 125g burgers. Burger bun, bap or any type of artesan roll or ciabatta. the choice is yours. Your main consideration is that some breads will absorb the juices from the meat more efficently than others.Add whatever garnish/ relish, you like.Any body got any innovative ideas to surpass Brie burger? Lets share.

* HOT TIP  Another great culinary tip can be gleaned from this same programme.Chef Tim Miller also cooked clams. He rinsed his clams in cornmeal water. This not only cleans the clams but, as with mussels, they feed on the flour and it fattens them up. What a neat tip is that. Now you can serve the cleanest fattest clams this side of Connecticut.Back in the Algarve I will now always be fattening up my ameijoas with papas de milho.

Cha com Biscoitos

Teatime is an important part of the Casa Rosada timetable. Trollied out after 18 holes of teeing-off on the local links, an afternoon of walking and twitching in the nature reserve or a blustery beach constitutional,our winter guests return to the fold looking forward to a hot brew and an artesan cake or cookie. Ottolenghi to the rescue.
In a nutshell,these cookies are made by shaping cookie mixture into long logs, rolling them in chopped pistachios and then cutting slices off them and baking them. You can always have one of these logs at hand in the freezer, ready to thaw, slice and bake. Its pure Ottolenghi genius yet again.

Pistachio shortbreads- makes about 20
I replaced the ground rice with polenta

8 cardamom pods
200g unsalted butter
25g ground rice or polenta
240g plain flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
35g icing sugar
60g shelled pistachios
1 free range egg,lightly beaten
2tblespoons vanilla sugar

Use a pestle and mortar to crush the cardamom pods, then remove the skins and work the seeds to a fine powder. Beat together in an electric mixer, the butter, ground rice or polenta, flour salt, ground cardamom and icing sugar.Run the machine until they turn into a paste, being careful not to incorporate too much air.Turn out the dough and dusting with a little flour, roll it with your hands into a log 3-4 cm in diameter. wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for at least an hour. While the dough is chilling, chop the pistachios finely with a sharp knife, but not as fine as ground almonds.You should end up with some chunkier bits remaining. Scatter the pistachios on a flat tray. Brush the log with the beaten egg and roll it in the ground pistachios, applying a slight pressure. Wrap back in cling film and return to the fridge to set for at least 30 minutes.
Pre-heat the oven to 150c/ gas mark 2. Remove the cling film and cut the log into slices 5mm-1cm thick. Lay them out on a baking tray lined with baking parchment, spacing hem at least 2cm apart. Dust with the vanilla sugar. bake the biscuits for roughly 20 minutes. They must not take on too much colour but should remain golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.They have a shelf life of a week.

Epifania

A classic Bolo Rei

JANUARY 6th - Epiphany is a festival that dates back almost 2000 years, celebrated in every Catholic country and community. With it the Christmas season reaches its peak when the the three wise men visited baby Jesus. There were Gaspar, Balthazar and Melchior, three continents, three presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh. In many villages, "kings'  fires" are still lit as a reminder of the fires that, according to legend, burned that night in Bethlehem to hide the star from King Herod."Twelfth Night" as it is traditionally known in England, was marked by celebrations that brought an end to the twelve day Christmas period, and was the last chance for merry-making before returning to work.The link across the globe is in the form of a traditional cake

In Portugal the holiday season ends on January 6 with the King's Cake, or “Bolo-rei”, Portugal's version of an Epiphany cake. It is common for parents to give parties for their children on Epiphany. The Epiphany cake, or Bolo-rei, is a favourite tradition at these parties. Baked in the shape of a crown or ring, the cake contains many small trinkets ( a little heart,a tiny porcelain baby Jesus, an owl, something wrapped up in paper or even a one euro coin, and a dried broad bean. Whoever finds the bean is crowned King of the party and must promise to make the cake the following year. At adult parties, the person who finds the bean is expected to pay for the King´s cake for the following year.

Bolo Rei originated In Lisbon,at Confeitaria Nacional the oldest establishment of its kind in downtown Lisbon, at Praca de Figueira.It has a bright mirrored interior with shiny marble counters, and remains a wonderful place for a cup of coffee and a cake. It was founded in 1829 by Baltazar Ruiz Castanheiro.When it opened this pastry shop was considered one of the most elegant in Europe. It has belonged to the same family for five generations, and has won international recognition, both for its traditional Portuguese cakes and pastries ,and for its creative innovation over the years. Among these  was the introduction of the "Bolo Rei" ( The Kings Cake) brought to Portugal by the son of the founder in the mid-19th century. The fashion for this cake gradually spread to other bakeries in Lisbon and around the country. Initially, the Kings Cake was for the celebration of the three Kings and, therefore, was made only on the eve of Epiphany, but success has meant that its consumption is spread throughout the Christmas season.Even today, the chef follows the same criteria as to the selection of ingredients used and strict compliance with the secret recipe, followed for over 100 years ensuring its unique status in Lisbon.

How to make the perfect Bolo Rei
Serves 10-12
675g (1.5lb )flour
30g (1oz) fresh yeast
140g (5oz)caster sugar
140g (5oz) butter
140g (5oz) mixed nuts and dried fruit
140g (5oz) mixed glace fruit and candied peel
3 large eggs
6 tablespoons Port wine ( or equivalent substitute)
grated rind of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg beaten for brushing
1 dried broad bean and trinkets or coin ( optional) 

Steep the dried fruits in the wine, to swell up. crumble the yeast into a little warm water(enough to dissolve it) and add it to about110g(4oz) of the flour. mix well and set aside for 20 minutes in a warm place to rise.Beat the eggs with the sugar, the softened butter, salt and grated rind. Mix in the yeast dough and then the flour, gradually.Knead really well, until it becomes elastic and smooth. Mix in the fruit with the wine and knead again.Gather the dough into a ball and sprinkle with flour. Cover and keep in a warm place for 5-6 hours to double in volume.With floured hands, shape one large or two smaller Kings cakes into a ring. Brush the cake or cakes with the beaten egg and stick the glace fruits and candied peel on top, all round. Bake at 210C/425F/Gas 7 for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.After cooling, put the cakes in tins or wrap in foil, to keep them moist

A Condessa Descalça

Childhood Sweethearts Ina and Jeffrey-to have and to hold,from that day forward, for richer for poorer ( I don´t think that was ever an issue!!!) till the leftovers run out...which lets face it will never happen. During the week, Jeffrey Garten, a professor and former dean of the Yale School of Management, eats like many college students. He frequents diners and Chinese restaurants near his house in Southport, Connecticut.But on the weekends, when Garten is home in East Hampton, N.Y., he can savour the delicate flavors of his wife’s perfect cooking. Her meals are perfect  — because SHE IS Ina Garten, the celebrity chef known as the Barefoot Contessa.Mr. Garten appears often on her television shows as the quintessential bumbling husband.“Jeffrey is an easy audience,” she once  said in an interview. “He likes everything I make.”“He’s a deeply appreciative, incredibly supportive husband,” she said.

 “I was never allowed to cook when I was growing up,” Ina  recalled, explaining that her mother liked to have the kitchen to herself. so when she and Jeffrey got married, it was like taking off the shackles.Once those shackles came off, they never went back on.
The Barefoot Contessa in London is a dazzling all-new one hour "holiday" special where she explores the London food scene then inspired by her "delicious discoveries" she conjures up "incredible unmissable holiday meals and parties with a British twist" back home in East Hampton.It all started one night when Jeffrey got home late only to be served up Bangers and Mash, He must have been so disappointed not to say mal- nourished. Ina served him up just one sausage sliced on the diagonal "restaurant style" on a bed of sloppy gloop, not mash by English standards.It got a result though. Jeffrey obviously realised Ina needed some Inspiration regarding her knowledge of traditional English dishes: He offered to take her on a trip to London!!!Others like Jeffrey are disappointed with her culinary Knowledge too. One Portuguese follower Blogged after watching Ina cook "Chicken with Morels"....

"I've just watched the episode on tv, somebody pleeeease let her know that Madeira wine is PORTUGUESE not Spanish! She should know that better! The wine come from Madeira island in Portugal!"

Mrs. Garten says she loves cooking for her husband. But she’s not looking for him to start helping out in the kitchen.Why am I not surprised!!!

In addition, Garten has a brand of food products — The Barefoot Contessa Pantry — available in stores across the United States.

New Years Day - food for friends

Home made Melton Mowbray pork pie, pickled onion and Portuguese Piccalili

In with the new!!!! and suddenly it was the first of January 2011 - one of the one twenty one one. New Years day lunch saw the unveiling of the Thespian´s home cured ham and my second delivery of home made Melton Mowbray Pork pie. Supplemented by the fruits of my last few weeks labours from the Casa Rosada store cupboard we sat down to a hearty lunch, which also included Chourico Branco, Manchego cheese,and home made chicken liver pate Our crimes from the previous night were aided and abetted by Portuguese Mary´s ( Bloody Mary with the addition of Dry Madeira).Well it would have been churlish not to.

The thespian´s first cured ham. We were impressed. Absolutely delicious