Portuguese Menu

Christmas Greetings

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:01:00 +0000

Christmas Greetings to all Portuguese Menu readers, visitors and foodie friends.
The image above is "Bolo Rei", the Portuguese typical Christmas fruit cake. It won´t be missing on my Christmas too.
I´m spending my "Christmas Holidays" in my hometown. I´m travelling for over a week and hope to be back home after Christmas weekend.
See you xx

Portuguese Chestnuts are Back

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:30:00 +0000

It´s already Winter in Portugal. Our typical and very appreciated Portuguese Chestnuts are back.
Portuguese chestnuts can be found in abundance in the center and north region of the country.
Roasted with Salt, better when they´re still warm...They are sold in dozens and you can find them in some corners of downtown´s streets.
You will hear the typical "pregão": "Quentinhas e Boas!"

Organizing Pots

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 04:02:00 +0000

Besides cooking and blogging I have quite a few different interests and that´s one of the main reasons why I don´t update my blogs as frequently as I wish :)
Besides my long time passion for Stained Glass Art, I enjoy home design and decor. I like Portuguese traditions and although I live in a modern city apartment, my favorite decor style is mixing old and new.
I often visit a few home design websites and sometimes I check home decor magazines not only to learn about the latest trends but also looking for organizing ideas I can use on my own home.
I noticed that in modern kitchens there´s a sort of old Portuguese tradition revival. In some Portuguese countryside villages, like in Alentejo region, the old tradition to store pots is hanging them on walls and racks.
I did a bit of research online and came across enclume pot racks, in the picture above. Some of these racks look like the old Portuguse ones and I think they can be a very good solution to organize my pots. Any enclume pot rack organizing system saves a lot of space and lends the kitchen a different look.
enclume potracks offers three basic rack solutions: Hanging pot racks, wall mounted pot racks and freestanding, plus different accessories.
I surely need to organize my pots, due to lack of space I have them all stored in a “mountain” inside a kitchen cupboard.
And you? How do you organize your pots?

Blog Break

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 23:07:00 +0000

What I´ve Been Cooking...

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:52:00 +0000

Hello guys,
It´s been a while since my last update, my offline life has been my major focus and I´ve been blogging much less these days... once in a while count me in :)
Although I cook almost every day, I haven´t tried a new recipe in such a long time.
I´ve been cooking the same recipes I already posted here in Portuguese Menu before. I´ve been doing more "Menu Planning" too. I guess we entered in what can be called a meal routine: simple things, soups, eggs, roasted meet, fish, seafood, beans, rice, pasta, some Italian dishes, salads and deserts.
Here´s some of the recipes I´ve been doing:

Lasanha

Feijoada

Seafood

Semifrio de Bolacha

See you xxx

Happy Easter

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:50:00 +0000

I´d like to wish all Portuguese Menu readers, visitors and followers a Peaceful and Sweet Easter.
We will be traveling out of town for a few days. Hope to be back next week.

My Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:17:00 +0000

Hello,
In the past couple months, I haven´t dedicated much time to Portuguese Menu. Although I cook everyday, I haven´t made a new recipe in a while. I´ve been cooking the same tried out recipes I´ve posted before. I guess I tend to cook the same things often to simplify my life and because they are our favorites too.
The only new things I´ve cooked and haven´t posted yet were peas soup with bacon cubes, almond pie with caramel topping and a cookies desert I just made to celebrate my Birthday. Yeap, my birthday is today! :)
Cheers!

For Coffee Lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 19:26:00 +0000

As you know, I´m a huge coffee lover. I have written about my love for the Art of Coffee and Tea before here in Portuguese Menu.
Although coffee´s exact origins remain unclear, it is said that it was brought to Portugal by the Moors. Portuguese historic connections with Brazil, a top coffee producer, are also well known.
In Portugal, we have many different types of coffee, you can read about them in this website. Personally, I prefer expresso but I can only have one or two per day otherwise I get "electric". I often make homemade instant coffee brands instead.
If you would like to try Portuguese coffee, you can buy it online. I came across Portuguese coffee and other merchandise for the art of coffee at shopwiki.com
You know, "Silva" is one of the most common last names in Portugal and I´m one of them so I found this Portuguese coffee mug very funny :)
Here, many people have the habit to drink their coffee out. It´s a cheap way to enjoy a good expresso, as it cost around 0.70 cents, and socialize with neighbors and friends. In my opinion, in Portugal, coffee can be considered a nationwide tradition, there´s a coffee shop in each corner.
I like to have my coffee at home too. Last year, I made a nice deal with a credit card and received a coffee machine from my favorite brand as gift. If you´re curious...one of my favorite Portuguese coffee brands is "Delta". I think you can find it online too.
Ok guys, I´m off for a mug :)
See you.

Portuguese Menu Reader´s Questions

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 04:42:00 +0000

I have received a few questions from readers and today I´m answering them all in one post.

~ The first question is about the "Pao de Ló" recipe I´ve published a few months back. The reader asked if "I was writing from my experience or if I found the information online".
My answer is: I´m writing from my experience. All recipes I publish here in Portuguese Menu were tried by me and if I post anything I never tried before I always mention that. There are quite a few different "Pão de Ló" recipes out there but the one I´ve posted is the recipe my godmother tough me long ago. She just did something different: she weighted the eggs, and used that same weight to measure other ingredients. I use grams, it works well and simplifies the process.

~The second question came from a reader about octopus.
What you have tried is the typical Portuguese octopus salad: "Salada de Polvo". It´s made with (boiled in salted water) octopus, chopped in little pieces, chopped onion and coriander. Then, it´s seasoned with salt, olive oil and vinegar. It´s served cold, in small plates along with bread and, in some regions, olive oils.

~ The third reader requested me to e-mail her a specific Portuguese Christmas recipe. I had planned to publish that recipe last December so I apologize but I ended up traveling to my hometown and had to change my editorial. I still want to post a step-by-step recipe with images and I already have the pictures, I just could not find time and now that Christmas already passed, I´m wondering if I still should publish it now. What do you think guys?

Sweet Love Day

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:06:00 +0000

Wish you all a very, very sweet Valentine´s day :)

Fruit Of The Season

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 11:07:00 +0000

Hello fellow foodies,
Incredibly, it´s been over one year since my last Portuguese fruit post. So, today, I´m publishing a picture of Portuguese Winter fruit goodies.
All the fruits in the picture above are Portuguese, except Mango which is imported from South America.
Bananas are from Portuguese island "Madeira", Pears are Portuguese "Pera Rocha" and Clementines are from Algarve. Apples are also national production but I´m not sure where they came from, probably from Portugal center region.
Add some slices of Pineapple, Peach and Kiwi and you´ll have a great fruit salad just like I usually do. I also like to add strawberries to my fruit salad but, currently, we don´t have any fresh ones. We will only have fresh starwberries by the end of Spring. I will try to remember taking photos the next time I do fruit salad.
See you xx

Homemade Cheese Cake

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 01:53:00 +0000

I adore Cheesecake but I had never tried baking one myself... until recently.
In Portugal we have a typical cake which resembles Cheesecake, it´s called "Pastel de Requeijão" but it´s different from this old style American Cheesecake recipe.
All the Cheesecake I had ever tried in my life was from Restaurants or that instant cheesecake packages we can find in the supermarkets here. I had promised myself that one day I would learn how to bake a great Cheesecake :)
The other day, I was bloghopping trough EC when I came across a Cheese Cake recipe which caught my attention, this one here, published at Omnivores Delight.
When I first read this recipe, I knew I could not follow it exactly because we don´t have here some of the brands but I decided to adapt it and try it anyway. Here´s what I changed:

1- I made a sweet dough myself using flour, sugar, butter, one egg and milk.
2- I used two Ricotta and Cream Cheese brands we can find in Portuguese supermarkets
3- I used less milk cream, only 200 ml.
4- I used vanilla sugar instead of essence
5- I used both white and yellow sugar, half each.

Everything else I followed the original recipe in the link above. I already baked this Cheesecake twice. The first 3 pictures are from my first trial and the last from the second, which I think worked better despite the look. Let me tell you.. this Cheesecake is so awesome!!
Now that I finally learned how to bake a good Cheesecake, I´m going to do it more often...for sure :)
See you xx

Cheese Lover

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:23:00 +0000

Cheese is one ingredient I include in many different dishes. I always sprinkle parmesan cheese on top of many Italian specialties I cook: Lasagna,Spaghetti, Pizza, Cannelloni, Carbonara, Tagliatelle, etc. We also like cheese in sandwiches and as a starter, along with some slices of Portuguese bread, butter and olives. I confess...I´m a cheese lover:)
Portugal is a good quality cheese producer. We have a few different PDO cheese in different country´s regions. For example, in north: Serra da Estrela (Ceia, Guarda, Gouveia, Manteigas, Sabugueiro); center: Azeitão; Alentejo; Algarve; the islands Azores and Madeira.
You can check Portuguese Menu´s Typical Products archives for some pictures of good quality Portuguese cheese.
When I tasted Cheesecake for the first time, I immediately became a fan. Many cheesecake recipes I found online include ricotta cheese or provolone, two Italian cheese qualities which can be easily found here in Portuguese supermarkets.
Recently, I baked two Cheesecakes with a recipe I found on a food blog. I could not find all the ingredients mentioned in the original recipe but I tried it anyway. The first cheesecake did not taste as good as I expected so I changed the recipe, including the dough, and the in the second time it came out beautifully. I will share the Cheesecake recipe that worked out really well and some pictures of it in my next post.
See you soon :)

Portuguese Chicken Piri-Piri

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 19:36:00 +0000

Hello everyone.
I´m back with a post about Portuguese Chicken Piri-Piri. A Portuguese Menu reader asked me about this popular dish so when I went to "Churrasqueira" restaurant I remembered to take some pictures to share here.
Churrasqueira is a big restaurant located in Faro, on the road to the airport. The restaurant is big, well decorated and has excellent service. As part of the decoration there are a few sets of nice hand-painted tiles with chickens, very funny.
Chicken Piri-piri is a Portuguese specialty. Here in Algarve there´s "Frango à Guia" which is similar to the chicken in the pictures above. Very small chickens are seasoned with a special seasoning (garlic, lemon, salt and other ingredients) before grilled. Chichen Piri-piri is served with french fries, salad and rice. Here´s the pictures:

Yummy!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 22:41:00 +0000

Happy New Year Everyone!
I spent New Year´s Eve eating and drinking with my friend M. After midnight, I had a good time watching the fire and "7Eventy 7Even" concert in Faro´s downtown. Their singer is amazing...although they play covers, I enjoyed every bit of it.
I wish all Portuguese Menu visitors and friends the best for 2011..and much success for my fellow bloggers!
I´m using the postcard image above, which I found online, across all my blogs...
My message for 2011 is: "Don´t Destroy Nature"

Hugs & Peace to all!
xxx

Foodie Finds

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 21:58:00 +0000

I started Portuguese Menu over two years ago. During all this time, I came across many food blogs or websites from different countries and even made online friendships with other foodie fellows. You can check my blog-roll for some foodie fellows´ blogs.
Overall, blogging about food in English, sharing what goes on in my kitchen and trying to describe my country´s typical dishes and food traditions has been a very pleasant experience. One in which I have learned so much, both about my own country and others. One in which my curiosity took me a bit further.
For example: I started experimenting new recipes and browsing online food shops; I learned about crock pots and the different recipes one can use it for; I learned that there are more shaped cake pans and kitchen supplies than I could ever imagine. You can take as examples for that: a castle cake tins williams-sonoma or a prince castle sauce dispenser.
I learned about chocolate marshmallow sticks and the fact that in USA people cook Marshmallows and use them for more elaborated deserts while here in Portugal Marshmallows are mostly eaten plain, as they come in the package. Not to mention what I learned from Chinese, Japanese and Veggie blogs.
These are only examples of how blogging about food and having a "curiosity attitude" has enriched my own foodie world.
I recently tried a Cheesecake recipe which I enjoyed very much and will share it in a future post.
See you soon :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 04:00:00 +0000

To all Portuguese Menu visitors, readers and fellow foodies:

Merry Christmas!

Peace, Health & Love :)

Picture: dementia.pt

Portuguese "Rabanadas"

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 23:04:00 +0000

Christmas is arriving. This year, I´m planning to spend Christmas Eve in my hometown with my daughter and my mother. This means that I will be traveling and won´t be coking or baking much. Well, at least not in my kitchen.
The picture above are "Rabanadas", one of the Portuguese typical Christmas sweets. I do Rabanadas all year round, specially when I have some old bread and am craving for something sweet.
You can check my archives for more Portuguese Christmas Sweets .

A Portuguese Menu reader left me a comment asking for "Filhoses Enroladas" recipe, which is a typical Portuguese Christmas sweet. Filhoses Enroladas are made of a fried dough which is fried in hot oil and then covered with melted sugar. I will make some Filhoses after Christmas, for New Year, but I will try to post my recipe before.
See you soon :)

Portuguese Fruit of the Season: Clementinas

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sun, 05 Dec 2010 07:44:00 +0000

Hello everyone, hope you´re all having a good weekend.
Here in south Portugal is cold and rainy. We are back to soups and hot dishes. I´m doing a "sweets" pause before Christmas and today my Menu includes Beans Stew Recipe. I will take some pictures to post later.
It´s been a while since my last "Fruit of the Season" post, and now that Winter arrived, we´re back to "winter" fruits: citrons, apples and bananas.
Portugal is a citrons producer. For example, my hometown´s traditional sweet is a small cookie boat filled with orange sweet: "Barcos de Laranja".
My favorite type of orange is the small ones you can see in the picture above. We call them "Clementinas" (plural) and, usually, they´re very juicy and sweet.
See you soon :)

Chicken Breast Stroganoff

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:26:00 +0000

Stroganoff Sauce can be cooked with any type of meat.
Last weekend I cooked chicken breast Stroganoff and served with "Garlic Spaghetti". Here´s my Stoganoff recipe:

1. Prepare chicken:

~ Cut chicken breasts in slices.
~ Season with salt, garlic slices and lemon juice.

2. Prepare stroganoff sauce mixing:

~ 200 ml sour cream
~ 3 tablespoons of ketchup
~ 1/2 teaspoon of mustard
~ Pinch nutmeg & black pepper (optional)

3. Fry chicken in hot olive oil until well done.

4. Add stroganoff sauce and cook for 3 minutes.

Stroganoff is a versatile recipe, it goes well with pasta, rice, vegetables, salad, smashed potatoes, anything you like really.
Bom Apetite :)

Crab "Natura"

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 21:35:00 +0000

For those of you who enjoy Seafood, here´s a picture of mouthwatering Crab "Natura" I prepared for a weekend "Petisco" :)
I call it "natura" because I don´t add anything, it´s just good crab boiled in salted water. I buy Crabs like the one in the picture in a seafood shop in "Olhão", this city´s seafood is my favorite. Don´t ask me why, it just tastes different and it´s fresh.
In Portugal, some people add beer or mustard but if the crab is fresh enough and has many eggs (fish eggs = ovas) like the one in the picture above, you don´t need to add anything. Serve with toasts & butter and you´ll have a real sea treasure :)
Good Weekend to all!

Portuguese S. Martinho

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:50:00 +0000

Winter arrived to Portugal.
Cold nights. Raincoats and jackets...multicolored umbrellas.
Before the cold really arrives we have "S. Martinho Summer", a few sunny days.
The smell of baked chestnuts invades downtown´s streets.
Last week we celebrated "S. Martinho" day.
Portuguese tradition during this time: Trying the new wine: "Água Pé".
Good week :)

Image Credits:cienciavivasintra.pt

More Portuguese Goodies from St. Iria Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:19:00 +0000

Hello everyone,
Today I´m posting another set of pictures I took in St. Iria Funfair. The pictures show more Portuguese goodies and typical products you can find in most Portuguese regions.
Each Portuguese region´s capital has it´s own yearly funfair, plus, in most villages there´s a monthly market in which producers sell their goods. The bigger funfairs and some of the markets are a mixture of an amusement park and a marketplace:
(click the pictures to enlarge)

Queijo, Presunto, Toucinho, Torresmos, Chouriço & Farinheira

Figos (Figs), Figs and Almonds

Cebolas (onions), Alhos (garlic), Tremoços, Azeitonas (olives)

Nozes, Avelãs (nuts), Castanhas, Feijão (dry beans)

Portuguese Typical Sweets In Yearly Sta. Iria Funfair

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 23:53:00 +0000

Sta. Iria Funfair comes to Faro once a year, always in October´s second half.
Besides carousels, there´s a market in which you can buy food, sweets, kitchen utensils, clothes, bags, shoes, and many other things.
Like in most Portuguese funfairs, you can find the small popcorn tent, the drinks´tent, Petiscos, fast food and typical "Farturas" or "Filhós".
This year, I went to the fair twice and in both occasions I took some pictures to share with Portuguese Menu readers. Here´s the first set, legends are the sweet´s Portuguese name:

Pão Doce, Cavacas, Tortas & Different Biscuits

Regionais, typical south Portugal region - Algarve - sweets

Estrelas, Figos Cheios, Bolo de Figo

Tarte Amêndoa, Pasteis, Suspiros, Azevias

D. Rodrigo

Humm...mouth-watering just by looking. All great Portuguese sweets :)

Some Portuguese Strange Dishes

noreply@blogger.com (Mizé) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 16:15:00 +0000

Today, for lunch, I had a Portuguese dish I hadn´t in years..."Língua de Porco Estufada" which is a pork tongue stew. When I lived in my mother´s house, she used to cook this dishe´s cow version and I loved it. When properly cleaned, seasoned and well cooked, tongue is a very tender meat, you almost don´t need to chew it.
Later this evening, I was thinking about the next recipe to post here in Portuguese Menu when I realized we Portuguese have a few "strange" typical meals. Ok, not as strange as eating cockroaches, scorpions or flowers but different enough to be noticed.
So, I though about posting the name of a few Portuguese dishes that can be strange to some people:

~ Pipis - chicken livers, necks and "moelas"

~ Túbaros - Pork testicles

~ Orelha de Porco - Seasoned pork ear

~ Pézinhos - Last portion of pork´s leg

~ Dobrada - Cow stomachs

~ Língua - Tongue, both cow and pork

~ Ovas - fish eggs

~ Jaquinzinhos - baby "carapaus" fish

~ Petingas - baby sardines

All great dishes with typical seasonings you can find in the best Portuguese restaurants. Spanish "Tapas" can´t beat Portuguese "Petiscos" :)