Em algum lugar além do mar - uma onda cerebral

Somewhere beyond the sea -a brainwave......
How many front covers does a magazine have? The logical answer, one, is a thing of the past.

In an effort to woo readers, and generate additional advertising revenue magazines are now being published with two, three, four or more front covers, typically appearing one after another as if a printing press had run amok, or perhaps just the result of a unanimous decision not having been reached at the monthly cover meeting.

It’s hard to find something with the power of a magazine cover to attract attention,  so when you bring out a surprising version of that cover, it can create a great impact.

Multiplying the number of front covers, each bearing a different image and, on the inside, a different ad  can create a great panoply.In marketing terms covers carrying a variety of images encourages readers to collect them. Applying this principle to gourmet food packaging is something new.Portuguese sardine packaging perhaps being an exception. The Esperao brand of wines have for some years been commissioning famous Portuguese artists to design wine labels for them and  the original artworks are housed in a gallery open to the public.

Fresh from our shores and just in time for Christmas, the creative genius that is Salmarim has launched the second edition of their portable salts in nine different pack designs.The difference from Esperao is that each pack contains the same product, but the packaging is different.Jorge and Sandra, brand founders of Salmarim , invited Patricia Conde, Vanessa Teodoro, Pedro Emanuel Santos, Amélia Muge, António Leal and Francisco Cipriano to design new packaging. The text on the packaging was created by Patricia Serrado.
The options here are never ending. For families like my own, table presents at Christmas were a tradition.At the Christmas dinner table there was always a present next to your place setting.You only spent up to a maximum of €5 per present and one example for adults would be lottery tickets and scratch cards wrapped up.Well, bearing this concept in mind my suggestion for this years table presents is the same present for each person- portable salt, but when the receiver unwraps their present each one is in an individual pack.So say there are 8 family members your total cost is under €40 and you can buy them all under one roof.What have Salmarim got up their sleeve or what trick are they going to pull out of the bag for the next edition? I am already imagining flip packaging,printed in two sections with the back of the packaging becoming the front when turned upside down,or maybe gatefold packaging which fold in or out to form exotic shapes with stories and recipes printed inside......but whatever dont forget to take the salt and a reminder of one of Portugal´s best products wherever you go.

Available now from Salmarim , A vida Portuguesa, http://www.creative-gourmet.com/
and selected suppliers in Central London,UK at a later date.

Alho Francês à Brás - ele gostou imensamente

Quando em Portugal nem sempre eu faça como os Português fazer e este é um exemplo. When in Portugal I do not always do as the Portuguese do, and this is one example.
One of my favourite bacalhau dishes from the reputed 1,001 recipes is the classic Bacalhau à brás.The origin of the recipe is uncertain, but it is said to have originated in Bairro Alto, an old quarter of Lisbon. The noun "Brás" (or sometimes Braz) is supposedly the surname of its creator.The dish is made from shreds of salted cod, onions and thinly chopped fried potatoes mixed in with lightly scrambled eggs. It is usually garnished with black olives and sprinkled with fresh parsley.When the dish is cooked well it is phenomenal.When cooked badly you don´t want to know.Bacalhau is not however to everyones taste.You either love it or hate it.The thespian has a particular aversion to it,calling it the devil´s food.As he likes leeks and eggs I thought I would make this vegetarian version for him and see if he would like it.Ele gostou imensamente.This makes a great brunch dish, simple supper or quick and perfect meal for a student budget.Então, continuando a minha campanha para louvar o alho-Francês seguida é Alho Francês à Brás.

Alho Francês à Brás
1 alho francês grande (só a parte branca)   1 large leek (white part only) 
1 dente de alho      1 clove garlic
1 folha de louro      1 bay leaf
4 ovos XL                4 extra large eggs
300g de batata palha     300g thin potato sticks
Coentros                       fresh Coriander leaves
Azeite                           olive oil
Sal                                Flor de sal
Pimenta branca             white pepper
Noz moscada                 grated nutmeg
Azeitonas pretas            Black olives for garnish

Num tacho com um fio de azeite e a folha de louro refoga-se o alho francês às rodelas bem finas e o dente de alho bem picado até reduzir de volume.
Mistura-se a batata palha e reserva-se.
À parte bate-se os ovos juntamente com uma pitada de sal, noz moscada e a pimenta.
Verte-se na mistura anterior e envolve-se bem e em lume brando, mexendo sempre para não pegar no fundo do tacho.
Acrescenta-se os coentros picados e envolve-se novamente.
Serve-se com azeitonas pretas e polvilha-se com mais coentros ou salsa se preferirem.

Thinly slice the leeks in rounds. Heat a little olive oil in a pan and saute the bay leaf, leeks and finely chopped garlic clove until everything is reduced.Blend in the Potato sticks well and set the pan aside and reserve. In a bowl beat the eggs with a pinch of salt,nutmeg and pepper.Combine this well with the leek and potato mixture and place the pan back on a low heat,stirring constantly so the eggs do not stick to the bottom of the pan.Chop the coriander and add to the pan.
Serve topped with black olives and sprinkle with coriander or parsley if you prefer.

A breakfast of toasted panettone with banana

At this time of year there is a plethora of panettone in the shops.Its not expensive and a little goes a long way.A breakfast with a difference and packed with goodness can launch you into your day feeling nourished from just four ingredients
This breakfast takes about 10 minutes to make.Don´t be tempted to butter the panettone or sprinkle sugar over the fruit. It just isn´t necessary.If you prefer or just dont have any panettone try it with thick slices of brioche instead.If you are not driving to work you can sprinkle a few drops of rum or as i did some orange liqueur over it, just before the panettone is grilled.Serve with live,natural yoghurt -cream would be far too rich, and ruin the purpose of this healthy breakfast.Alternatively if you dont feell this is the breakfast for you try it as a pudding for lunch or dinner

1 slice of panettone 1cm / 1/2 inch thick
1 banana
juice of half an orange
live natural yoghurt to serve

Preheat grill until it is very hot.
Place the slice or slices of panettone on a baking tray.
Slice the banana into pieces the thickness of a euro and lay them slightly overlapping on top of the panettone.
Squeeze the orange juice over and place the baking tray under the grill until the banana starts to turn golden.Serve hot with yoghurt

Banana bread with Greek Yoghurt

O iogurte grego contêm lactose? Does greek yoghurt contain lactose?
People who are lactose intolerant may quiver at the thought of having greek yogurt. Just like all natural dairy products, greek yogurt contains lactose.But because greek yoghurt has been strained three times to remove the whey, much of the lactose is also removed. Milk contains about 11 grams of lactose per cup,whereas plain greek yoghurt contains less than half of this per serving.
This qualifies greek yogurt as a low lactose dairy product. Finding this out, was a great step forward for me in trying to fathom out the tolerances and intolerances in my lactose free diet.I also learnt that bananas are an important source of calcium so can help replace some of that lost when not drinking milk.
 The live active cultures (probiotics) inside greek yogurt will help digest lactose for you,and studies have shown that probiotics can lessen the symptoms of lactose intolerance. This is because they modify the metabolic activity of microbiota.. So, is greek yogurt lactose free? No, but it’s perfect if you’re lactose intolerant and want to start introducing a little lactose into your diet!

The ripeness of the bananas is all important

Soft, tender, subtly sweet, and packed with banana flavour, you’d never be able to tell that this banana bread is made without butter or oil. Instead, it’s got Greek yogurt to keep it moist.

And honestly? You’d be fine leaving out the brown sugar and only using a 1/4 cup of honey as a sweetener… especially if you were planning on tossing in some chocolate chips. I like my banana bread without any extras, so I passed on the chocolate chips and walnuts(I know, I know) and played around with the sweetness instead. I am sure the other version is delicious — it really depends on how sweet you like it!

Banana bread with Greek Yoghurt

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 large, ripe bananas (~1 cup mashed)
½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
¼ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar* 
 chocolate chips/raisins/nuts/etc.(optional)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and lightly grease a 9 x 5 bread pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
Lightly beat the eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, honey, and brown sugar, if using. Stir until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

* depending on how sweet you want your bread to be, you can easily leave out the brown sugar and just use honey especially if you add chocolate chips.

Pear,almond and ginger cake,sem lactose

It all seems grey skies, gloomy and cold.The chill of Winter is officially here so bring on the cravings for comforting foods that nurture the soul and warm up our bodies!  When I think of Winter... I think of the sweet and warming spices of ginger, cinnamon and cardamon as well as classic foods like tangy tangerines,mandarins, hearty roasted root vegetables, steaming hot puddings, delicious stews, comforting casseroles and bowls of hot steaming soup. What better way to satisfy these cravings than a seasonal pear almond and ginger cake, made using some fine Portuguese Rocha pears and our very own harvest of Algarvian almonds. Ginger was introduced to Europe by the Portuguese and many Portuguese recipes are characterised by the use of a wide variety of spices,Southern Portuguese cuisine in particular having Arab and Moorish influences.
The main ingredient of this recipe obviously is pears. Now I don’t enjoy peeling fruit and vegetables,but the big exception is pears. I could stand peeling pears till the cows come home – which is a long time as I don’t own any cows, nor do any live with me. There’s something about the texture of the pear skin and the pear itself that is lovely. I’m sure a psychologist could make something of that....
A wonderfully moist and rustic cake, the gentle heat of the ginger and the juicy sweetness of the pears, all set in a lightly spiced cake, work so well together. This cake is perfect sliced and eaten along with a cup of coffee, but wonderful served warm as a dessert with either cream or ice cream. Yoghurt makes a particularly happy partner.
 I had scribbled this recipe in the back of one of my cookery books that I have had for decades, found only while having a tidy of my cookery book shelves and delving into a few that I hadn’t read for some time. I have always jotted down recipes when they were demonstrated on television (long before the immediacy of the internet!). Actually, most of my older cookery books are stuffed with bits of paper with both mine and my mother´s  ideas and scrawlings all over them.
The recipe called for milk which I am not allowed,but I saw no reason why,since the cake contained almonds that I could not substitute almond milk.Ha, it worked beautifully.The recipe also called for butter,another forbidden item.I just omitted it and nobody even noticed.
The small pieces of pear inside the cake cook down a little as the cake bakes, giving lovely squidgy pieces. The ginger is there as a subtle back-note.
Pear, almond and ginger cake 
3-5 Rocha pears,depending on their size,cored and sliced lengthways
1/2 cup ground almonds
3 eggs
1/2 cup almond milk
400g caster sugar(1.75 cups)
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
250g plain flour (2 cups)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Pre-heat the oven to180ºC (350F),gas mark 4.
Grease a 25cm ( 10 inch ) round spring-form cake tin,sprinkle in half of the ground almonds,and shake the tin so they stick to the greased base and sides.beat thev eggs and sugar together till thick and pale.mix in the milk,flour,baking powder and grated ginger.Fold the pears into the batter and spoon the mixture into the tin.Sprinkle the top of the batter with the remaining almonds and bake for 11/2 hours or until a skewer comes out clean.

                                                                                       

Always the bridesmaid never the bride - Alho françes

perfeito para aquele almoço de improviso.

"I have heard of you, Monsieur Poirot," and Poirot made an unsuccessful attempt to look modest.”    ― Agatha Christie, Taken at the Flood  
 
Poireaux,puerro, porro. Depending on what country you are in this is the word for the noble leek, except that is here in Portugal where it comes under the guise of French garlic, Alho francês.I was aware that Mr Ottolenghi was championing cauliflower a while back and now I have taken it on my own to laud the leek and honour it for what it is.Consider the leek. It’s majestic, a titan of a vegetable that belongs, along with onion and garlic, to the genus Allium. Mostly just the white and light green parts are eaten, though the darker green parts have plenty of flavour and can either be cooked longer to tenderize them, or used when making homemade soup stock.This is the funny thing about the green leektops.Recipes always say “use the white and pale green parts only,” and discard the rest.I often use the green part of the spring onion in recipes.I refuse to discard something that if treated with respect will give you an abundance of flavour.Over the next few months I am going to post a variety of recipes involving the leek that shows off its versatility.Always the bridesmaid never the bride, this glorious vegetable deserves a certain reverence on the altar of gastronomy.Here in Portugal it is available in the markets throughout the entire year.I feel it is important to mention this as many will not have thought of using the leek in the summer months.It can add that little  je ne sais quoi and subtlety to a simple soffrito, refogado or tomato sauce.

First up in my campaign for leekqual opportunity is a variation on Leeks vinaigrette

Winter salad Niçoise wrapped or unwrapped
3 thin to medium leeks cut into thirds
2 chopped hard boiled eggs (7 minutes exactly)
Black olives
Chinese leaves
parsley 
chives

For the vinaigrette-
(this will leave you with plenty to jar up and store in the refrigerator)
300ml extra virgin olive oil
125ml white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Flor de sal
1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 clove garlic
generous sprinkling of Herbes de provence

Make the vinaigrette by placing all the ingredients in a food processor until well emulsified.
Trim the leeks and wash them thoroughly
Cut off the dark green tops, leaving about an inch or two (or three if you like the more strongly flavoured greens) on the shaft. Cut off the roots, cutting as close to the roots as possible, to help keep the leeks together while they simmers.
Bring a pan of salted water to a rapid boil.Once the water is boiling, carefully place the cleaned and prepped leeks into the water. Return to a simmer and lower the heat to maintain a simmer. Start a timer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the thickest part of the thickest leek can easily be penetrated with the tip of a sharp knife.
If your leeks are about an inch thick, they should just begin to be turning from bright green to olive-y green at the 8 minute mark. Thicker leeks you'll want to cook a little longer. Use tongs to gently remove the leeks from the pot and place into an ice water bath to stop the cooking.
Remove the leeks from the ice water bath and let them drain. Place the leeks in a rimmed, long serving dish (a Pyrex casserole dish would work for this as well). Drizzle some vinaigrette over the leeks. Gently turn the leeks over and drizzle a bit more vinaigrette on the other side.
Cover with plastic wrap and let the leeks marinate in the vinaigrette for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days. (Chill if marinating more than 2 hours. The longer they marinate, the tastier and more tender they become.) The leeks should be served at room  temperature.

In a bowl dress the leaves lightly with some of the vinaigrette.Add the olives boiled eggs and finish with generous amounts of parsley.When you are ready to serve, compose the salad on a platter,arrange the leeks vinaigrette on top and finish with a scattering of chopped chives.
Alternative: carefully put inside a tortilla wrap and roll up in the normal way

Algarve Mediterrãnico-tradição,produtos e cozinhas

 "Endlessly fascinating, illuminating and useful." 

Kevin Gould (The Guardian).

É uma autêntica declaraçao de amorà região do algarve feita por autores que partilham raizes na região.O sul de Portugal é retratado,dando conta ao leitor do que pode esperar encontrar num espaço onde o maré quem mais ordena.Xarém de ameijoas,biqueirões marinados e folar algarvio são alguns dos pratos apresentados.-Revista Comer

Este livro deveria ser leitura obrigatória e essencial para qualquer chef, gerente de chef e proprietário de restaurante na Algarve.Only então a cultura de ementas turisticas, oferecendo frango piri piri e sardinha colar o bacalhau salgado onipresente (bacalhau), todos servidos com a mesma trio de acompanhamentos - arroz, batatas e salada, ser erradicada e uma nova onda de turismo gastro ser introduzida à riqueza aparente da tradição que o Algarve tradicional perdeu.

Anyone with a passion for gastronomy will know the importance of its traditions and culinary heritage.No more so than those living in the Algarve ,where sun,sea, salt,wine, olive oil, bread and fish are among its staples.The three authors of this book,who all share roots in the Algarve, set out to find these traditions through a study of the Algarve´s history,landscape and gastronomy.
The book not only nurtures these traditions and shows us how they continue to thrive,
but also suggests innovative ways of giving them a new lease of life. Particular emphasis is placed on the anthropological and social aspects of the region’s cuisine, its produce, cooking techniques and food preservation procedures.
For several decades, Maria Manuel Valagão has gathered the popular wisdom and millennia-old expertise that shape local cooking. 

“People already have authentic habits inside them that they don’t even realise. They forget that they hold valuable intangible heritage,” says Valagão*

“It’s extremely important that we create mechanisms so that this knowledge is not lost,” she said.

"The book has a little bit of everything", she explains, but focuses mostly on the traditions that set the Algarve apart from everywhere else.
I have been fortunate enough to meet Maria Manuel Valagão on a few occasions.One of her previous books Natureza, Gastronomia & Lazer  was somewhat of an inspiration to me, both in the way I started to look at natures bounty and also in the way I adapted it into my style of cooking
Written alongside photographer Vasco Célio and Chef Bertílio Gomes, ‘Algarve Mediterrânico: Tradição, Produtos e Cozinhas’ took four years to bring to life and was a result of a dream that had been in the pipeline for a long time.This magnificent volume thus provides a comprehensive picture of the Algarve’s cultural heritage and culinary landscape, as enhanced by Vasco Célio’s photographic vision and chef Bertílio Gome’s contemporary recipes.
The romance of the Portuguese language and its distinctive vocabulary is evident throughout  in the superb translation by Jethro Soutar.I was never conscious that I was reading a translation. The Guardian writer Kevin Gould was in charge of copy editing for the English edition, and apparently  accompanied Valagão on some of her trips through the Algarve.This work should be compulsory and essential reading for any chef, chef manager and restaurant owner in the Algarve.Only then will the culture of ementas turisticas offering Piri piri chicken and sardine paste, the ubiquitous salted cod (bacalhau), all served with the same trio of accompaniments – rice, potatoes and salad,be eradicated and a new wave of gastro tourism be introduced to the seeming wealth of tradition that the mainstream Algarve has lost.
*Valagão – holder of a PhD in Environmental Studies – has 40 years of experience in similar initiatives and has already carried out studies in the regions of Minho, Alto Douro and Alentejo.

"My salad days,when I was green in judgement and cold in blood"

 "My salad days,when I was green in judgement and cold in blood"

Who is old enough to remember Cleopatra (comin' atcha!)? In case you don´t they were a band of three sisters with cloying lyrics and colourful overalls! Oh trivia - They topped the music charts in the late 90's with the help of Madonna who signed them to her record label! And the rest was history....and I am old enough to have taken O levels and A levels,long before GCSE´s were even thought of. I studied Anthony and Cleopatra for English literature and the above quote came to mind recently. I would love to think that when Shakespeare wrote it he was craving a winter salad perhaps.One might believe that "salad" refers to the sort of meal one was once, in less lavish (or more diet-conscious) days, forced to subsist on. Others think of their salad days as times of youthful innocence and indulgence, of brightly coloured, freshly grown adventures. But the inventor of the phrase had neither romantic austerity nor flaming youth in mind.
In this particular context, by "salad days" Cleopatra refers to a time not when she had to eat salad, but when she was like salad. From the fifteenth century on, "salad" could mean any raw vegetable; metaphorically, the young Cleopatra was as "green" (inexperienced) and "cold" (passionless) as a piece of lettuce. At least, this is how she explained her youthful affair with Julius Caesar. Love it or eat, it my current exclusion diet has got me thinking about eating salads in the winter.When push comes to shove salad is not the easiest of things to compose at this time of the year.Here in the Algarve with a more temperate climate we are luckier than most in that we are able to have access to some of the vegetables needed most of the year,but as the year draws to a close tomatoes have lost their summertime firmness and flavour and leaves are hard to come by unless of course you go for the supermarket bagged variety.In most cases these have been washed and disinfected in chlorinated water to inhibit bacterial growth.Oh dear, I am still searching for that salad bag labelled washed in spring water,which probably means old water from last spring anyway.All this is reduces the nutritional value of the leaves.Labels claiming ‘packaged in a protective atmosphere’ actually means that it has been ‘gassed’ in modified air in order to extend its shelf life. No good for what I am currently looking for.One thing the doctor did not omit from my diet was bread.In Portugal, rootling around in the bread bin, it will never be too hard to find day old bread, for which there are dozens of uses.Not in the mood for migas, crispy homemade croutons tossed with olive oil, and herbes de Provence immediately came to mind,  and this would add the baker´s touch to a born again salad of roasted peppers, a touch of fennel and some sprigs of thyme.A simple yet scrumptious salad.
Roasted pepper salad with born again bread                       Portion for one serving

4 baby pimentos,Red yellow orange and green, seeded and randomly chopped
2 pieces of fennel sliced into quarters6 baby pear tomatoes
a  scattering of home made Croutons, tossed in olive oil and herbes de provence

Put the peppers , fennel and tomatoes in a small roasting tray and toss with some olive oil and a few sprigs of thyme.Roast in a hot oven for about 15 to twenty minutes until the tomatoes start to wrinkle and the peppers are softened and have taken on a bit of charred colour.Toss the the croutons among the vegetables and return to the oven for 5 minutes more.Serve immediately.The salad is packed with flavour and coated in oil so should not need any dressing.Add a little vinaigrette if you like.

When the party´s over, all is not lost. Bring on recipes for a rethink

You might love cheese,you might adore butter, you might love milk and you might love yoghurt, but as you age, sometimes their love for you becomes more than just unrequited.This means your body has developed an intolerance. One common example of food intolerance is lactose intolerance.These so called intolerances can appear at any stage of your life it seems. They just come in the night and steal your health,they do.

Whether lactose-intolerant or sick of cheese and wine parties,(does anyone still host a cheese and wine party I wonder?) there are many other gift horses out there that can give you back the daily dose of calcium that is missing in dairy free diet.Cheese and wine parties,coffee mornings,bring and buy stalls,God forsake,I am starting to sound like my mother.So when you have to by-pass the dairy aisle where do you go to get your calcium? Well as you´ve seen from my recent post there are now many alternatives to milk where no cows are required.

Oat milk,almond milk and rice milk,in which the bovine has played no part.Well now that I have this part of my shopping basket sorted I can excitedly move on to the next aisle, but pausing for a quick pine and small whimper as I pass the butter display."Lovely artistic display today Mr Martins,but I cant stop to purchase even one of your tempting 250g unsalted blocks". Yes, butter seems to be the big bug bear.I can´t believe I cant have butter.Its what I imagine a reformed smoker must feel like.Its an integral part of almost everything I eat,sandwiches,toast,cakes,soups sauces, curries, puddings...  Oh dear,bit overwhelmed,must go home sit down and think things through whilst having a comforting cup of tea with Oatmilk, and perhaps a bowl of hot porridge and luxurious Oatly cream.Just note the instant kind doesn’t boast the same benefits as old-fashioned rolled oats, which are a quick breakfast option full of fibre and the all important calcium that you need.
I can then start tapping on the keyboard to share this blog post of some lactose free recipes with you.
To consume the required 1,000 mg of calcium per day translated literally( in my terms ) this is what it takes,one thick slice of cheddar cheese in a sandwich, a bowl of yoghurt with fruit and a generously buttered toasted teacake.I have barely got past breakfast and I am not allowed to eat the majority of the above and there is still the rest of the days nourishment to be accounted for.
While food intolerances may be mistaken for a food allergy, they are thought to originate in the gastrointestinal system. Food intolerances are usually caused by the individual’s inability to digest or absorb foods or food components in the intestinal tract.
When one finds oneself in this situation Its amazing what you can create when you put your mind to it.Take for example pasta sauces,Many are rich in dairy and cream, well move over marinara,move on macaroni, its time to change to the new bambino on the block, avocadonara,well that´s what I have called it.

Spaghetti Avocadonara
Rich ,virtuous and on the table in under 30 minutes
Serves 6 to 8 so adjust quantities accordingly for a single portion

12 ounces spaghetti
2 avocados--halved, pitted and peeled 
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 bunch small spring onions, roughly chopped 
Juice of 1 lemon 
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Flor de sal and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped parsley, for garnish

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook until al dente, 6 to 8 minutes. 
While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: 
In the bowl of a food processor, pulse the avocados, garlic,spring onions, lemon juice and olive oil until smooth.
When the pasta is ready reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. Add the reserved water to the avocado mixture and process again until smooth.
 Add the sauce to the pasta and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, portion the pasta onto plates and garnish with parsley.

While still on the subject of pasta dishes Here is a link to my dairy free take on pork and clams with Udon noodles.

Having had time to sit down and think all this through,my new shopping list was beginning to take on a structure and my new route around the supermarket bypassing dairy was starting to make sense.I then encounter two women trollies parked alongside each other and a conversation ensuing as follows...

A    "Where's Tim?"
B    "Oh we´ve got separate trollies this week,he´s gone gluten free".

Its always reasuuring to know you´re not alone in your own personal predicament.
The next stop after the no cow section would be grains and pulses,followed by pasta,canned fish,and in particular canned salmon.To avoid putting a dent in your wallet, canned salmon is a great choice. Here’s the catch: It’s the bones in canned salmon that hold all the calcium, so they need to be mashed up right along with the salmon meat for all the benefits! But don’t get turned off just yet—the canning process softens the bones so they easily break apart and are unnoticeable when mixed in with the rest of the can’s contents. For my boost of calcium and omega 3’s, I feel some salmon cakes coming on.Its the same with canned sardines,you can crunch up and eat the bones. For the rest of my dietary requirements I think a visit to the market will round the list off nicely.I can go nuts about some lovely Algarvian almonds and dried figs,always good to pack some punch and calcium into a mid - afternoon snack.A carrier bag full of seasonal veg like Bok Choi,Grelos (Portuguese turnip tops) and any kind of cabbage,including chinese leaf and not forgetting kale, will be great for stir fries, migas and side dishes.
Honestly, the first few weeks are horrible but then you figure out how to live with it and life goes on. In just three weeks, I've learned a few things, first among them that milk and soy are hidden in strange places. Second is that I prefer to discover some new favourites rather than gag on unsatisfactory imitations  ( I can´t believe its not butter) of things I can no longer safely have. One soon realises that with a bit of initiative there is still plenty one can eat out there, and everything need not be Utterly Butterly.I will keep you posted on how I am progressing.As I said earlier this is an elimination diet and hopefully by trial and error I can narrow down the food items that have been excluded and start to bring back some favourites with maybe the addition of some new introductions along the way.

Olive on the bushes a much travelled fruit

the crimson petal and the olive

Does it ever feel like just a few people have all the power? If it's a government that's run like this, it's an oligarchy. It seems however these last few weeks our one and only olive tree has become an olivegarchy. 
It started life somewhat like a tiny bush in a little pot with a tiny bottle of Tuscan olive oil tied around its trunk. A parting gift from a dear friend.Having already travelled from Italy to England, it then continued its journey with us to the Algarve,so in theory we have an Italian strain of olives growing in our Portuguese garden. This term these olives have come to power in our garden with an overall majority, giving the thespian a chance to stand as the opposition and find a cure .
There are many ways to cure olives, many of them time consuming and complicated.The essential thing is that you extract the glucosides from them – the chemicals that make the olives very bitter when they are just picked.
You can cure them in water, changing it daily, or dry salt them, or salt then smoke them, or you can do it with a rather complex combination of water + brine sequences.For many reasons the thespian settled for salt curing.Being surrounded by an abundant supply of flor de sal this seemed the most logical reason. Secondly this method is great for smaller olives ( like these ones picked from our tree,similar to the Portuguese "Galega" variety)

Dry Salted Olives

First prepare the olives – wash them and slit them.
Take a clean Kilner jar,add a layer of natural flor de sal, then a layer of olives, and so on until the jar is full.
The salt will trickle down between the olives, but as long as it’s all packed in there, that’s ok.
Your salted olives will need a shake and a turn ever other day – the olives will soon exude liquid and the whole jar will become rather slushy. That’s great,you´re on course. Keep going.
Start tasting your salted olives after about 3 weeks, and when they taste right to you (saltier, and a bit shrunken, and slightly sweeter than brined olives), remove the olives from the salt.
Once your olives are duly salted, you can eat them as they are, or store them in oil with herbs. They’re pretty damn yummy.
The advantage of not using more complicated cures is that you  can  decide what to flavour them with and marinate them with herbs,garlic,chilli oil and other things like garlic or lemon in small batches to suit whatever suits your taste at the time.