When Portuguese get together it´s like this

We eat. We cook. We have a few beers and we laugh. In 90% of the cases, being together is about preparing our food and savor it. This is true back home but I know now that it´s even more among the expats communities. Here, the type of food we relate to becomes a rarity and just too precious when it comes along.

Some Portuguese friends and neighbors I have in Singapore visited Portugal at the same time as I did. Suffering from the expat syndrome, they also returned packed with some of the Portuguese classics.  I´m yet to meet a Portuguese in Singapore who resists to the temptation of bringing back yummy things like codfish, chouriço or cheese.

With this introduction I mean to say that every time some of us have any of these precious items, then it´s time to gather the people and eat! And that´s precisely what happened last weekend: we shared the good flavors we brought from home.

Here´s non other than the chouriço being roasted in this very typical clay assador, brought by my neighbor (I completely forgot to bring one too!!). To cook the chouriço it´s only necessary to put some alcohol in the bottom (normally an alcoholic drink) and set it on fire. The flames will do their job and leave the chouriço crispy and brown. The flavor is just amazing!

 Cheese from the south region of Portugal.

Scrambled eggs with farinheira, Tuna paté and freshly baked bread by my husband using Thermomix.

The paté is something I prepare very often and I follow the same recipe I learned many years ago. It´s always a hit and super easy to make.

To prepare it, you just have to mix the following ingredients in a blender:


- 1 can of tuna
- 1 boiled egg
- 2 - 3 cloves of garlic
- coriander
- pickles
- about 3 - 4 table spoons of mayonnaise
- about 1 - 2 table spoons of mustard

As for the bread... we are going crazy with it around the house, in a good way, particularly my husband who has always been fascinated by the process of making bread. Thanks to Thermomix, doing it became sooooooooooooo easy and super fast, literally 5 minutes.

Whether you have a kitchen appliance to help, here´s the recipe of this white and wheat bread we´ve made for our Portuguese gathering.

Ingredients:

- 500 grams of bread flour (250 g of bread flour and 250 g of wheat flour for the wheat bread)
- 6 grams of yeast
- 300 ml of tepid water (if you want to be precise, tepid means 37º)
- 2 tea spoons of salt
- 1 tea spoon of sugar

Dissolve the salt and the sugar in the tepid water and then add the yeast. Let it rest for 5 minutes until getting a brownish layer on the top. This means the bacteria in the yeast were activated by the sugar. Only then we add the flour and knead the bread.

Now it´s time to let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, covering it with 2 cloths to keep it warm. The dough should double the size.   

At this point you can either bake the bread right away at 180º (preheat the oven) or knead the dough once more to get the air out and let it rest for another 30 minutes, already in the oven´s tray. This will allow the bread to grow even more.

Before baking the bread don´t forget to brush the bread with water.

Hope you can try this recipe!



 

61kg of luggage

Familiar with the episode of laying down on a suitcase to try to close it? That was me a week ago when packing to return to Singapore! I managed to squeeze in 2 suitcases the most incredible things... and weight: 61kg to be more precise. Of those, I would say that at least 40kg were food related!

With the airline I was travelling with I was allowed to carry up to 60kg, so despite the exaggeration I still got away with it.

Thank God, because everything was too precious to me to leave behind:

- Remember the kitchen appliance I have written about before (Thermomix)? I said I would get one for myself back home, and I did! It´s been a week since I started to use it and I´m extremely happy with it, as it helps me to cook what I wouldn´t easily do by myself, like bread. I´ve been making it every 2 or 3 days no among many other things. It´s changing my life!

- Codfish, lots of it, of course!!! Remember that "our" cod is salty and dried, not fresh... so my luggage was not stinking, ok?

- Different types of cheese and chouriço, about 8 or 10 of each.

- 2 bottles of olive oil, the best in world! (and much, much cheaper in Portugal than in Singapore)

- Corn flour to prepare a traditional Portuguese bread, called broa. I had never found in Singapore until 3 days ago. Next time I won´t have to bring this in my luggage. 

- 3 chocolate bars of a specific brand to prepare chocolate mousse (my husband´s specialty).

- Several packages of jelly. Although in Singapore this is easy to find, the texture is a bit different from the jelly I was used to. That´s why I brought it.

- Biscuits, different types of it (my addiction!).  

- And, finally, a box of egg tarts to my English neighbors and friends, so that they could compare to the others they have tried before, but not in Portugal. And here it´s where you can find the best in the world! Any Portuguese will tell you that and I´m no different!

At Cantinho do Avillez

Here I am after a 2 week-visit to Lisbon and fully recovered from my jet lag!

No words can describe how happy I was to go back after moving to Asia 15 months ago! I spent such an amazing time with family and friends, which in my Portuguese culture means good food on the table in 90% of the cases. Not that I have cooked much, no, as I kept going out to restaurants or to other people´s houses. I wanted to eat everything, go everywhere and be with everybody. So, between my packed schedule and limited internet connection there was almost no time to update the blog and let you know what I was up to during this visit.

I took lots of pictures though and as I look at them now I only have one question: where to begin my travel report?

Following my previous post on Anthony Bourdain´s visit to the city, I thought I could start with a great dinning experience I had at a restaurant where he also went to, called "Cantinho do Avillez".

It belongs to a young Portuguese chef, José Avillez, known for the way he takes the classic dishes and traditional ingredients to a modernized level. My thumbs up to him, I absolutely loved the food and the great atmosphere of the restaurant (and reasonable prices!). Definitely one of the best nights I had during my stay in Lisbon, also thanks to the great company!

I went to "Cantinho do Avillez" along with my husband and other 4 friends and our pact was to order different dishes so that we could all share and try as many as possible. Luckily the menu was small and we got to eat almost everything. 

For starters...

Marinated scallops with avocado

Absolutely A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Extremely simple dish but full of flavor and freshness. Those scallops were the best! Many of you might not know that Portugal is very strong when it comes to fish and sea food. The Portuguese coast line is about 900 Km long and to find great places specialized in sea food is the easiest thing in the world and an experience I would recommend!

 “Nisa” cheese baked with ham and rosemary honey

Another Portuguese classic - cheese! Honestly, if I was forced to choose only one food to live with until the end of my days, this would be it. I love cheese!
Nisa is a type of cheese produced in a Portuguese region with the same name. They make one of the best!

Main dishes...

Prego

"Prego" means, literally, nail. Don´t ask me why... All I know is that this is the best beef sandwich seasoned with mustard that you will ever have in your life and one of the most iconic Portuguese dishes. Detail: the bread is soaked in the sauce wherein the meat was cooked. All the main dishes you´ll see next are 5 stars, but this simple sandwich... I have to give a 10!!

Flaked cod with bread crumbs, LT egg and “exploding” olives

In the description of the dish only cabbage is missing (green veggies in the picture). Cod is cod, good, simple, homy. Many of the codfish dishes go very well with olives. A match made in heaven! By the way, Portugal is a big producer of olives and great olive oil!

Grilled tuna with vegetables in a sweet and sour sauce

I have to say that fresh tuna is something I don´t particularly love. But I was surprised by the flavors and by how tender the tuna was. That night, it was surprisingly one of my favorite dishes!

 Cantinho tartare steak with NY style potatoes

A simple and classic dish everywhere you go in the world.

Spoon veal, curry sauce, vegetables and Thai rice

Here´s an Asian dish. The meat was just unbelievable! It completely melts in the mouth.

 Portobello mushrooms risotto, bacon and parmesan cheese

Now, Italian style. For a cheese lover like me, this dish is like paradise! I´m very picky with risottos, they have to be perfect, and this one was.

Desserts...

Lemon sorbet with basil and vodka

Hazelnut³

Chocolate cake with strawberry ice cream

Orange and vanilla crème brûlée

All the desserts were fantastic, but to me nothing beats a good creme brulee! I´ll never forget the best one I have ever had 6 or 7 years ago. It was in the north of Portugal, in the middle of nowhere, at a very humble restaurant, made with fresh and very yellow. Creme brulee is one of my favorite desserts since then.

Thank you to "Cantinho do Avillez" and thank you to my friends who made this feast even more delicious. Thank you!

Next post will be about my luggage from Lisbon to Singapore. It´s hilarious what I was capable to bring back with me, trust me!

Anthony Bourdain´s first visit to Lisbon

This week, TLC has been broadcasting in Singapore the program "No Reservations" in Lisbon. Anthony Bourdain had already been to Portugal, from the north part of the country to the islands, but never before to Lisbon. This was his first time.

The filming took place last year and actually I had already watched the show on Youtube months ago. However, only yesterday, when I saw it again on TV, I thought it makes perfectly sense to post here:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QU9T2dDZlg

Reason number 1 to recommend it? Lisbon is my city. Where I was born and grew up. Where most of my memories live. As a Lisboeta - how the people from Lisbon are called - it´s hard not to see Lisbon as one of the most beautiful and interesting cities I know.

Secondly, the program is a loyal portrait of Lisbon, its history, Fado, the people and, obviously, the food - the traditional and the modern cuisine.

At some point in the beginning of the video, Anthony Bourdain mentions that "Lisboetas like their food. They talk about it a lot and have strong ideas about what visitors should eat".

True. True. True. I can totally, totally relate to this... I personally do talk about Portuguese food a lot and I sell it as the best. It´s like there´s an unspoken mission to place Portuguese food back on the map. Everybody knows the Italians for their pasta, the Spanish their tapas, the Mexicans for their quesadillas, but not many people out there know the Portuguese for their codfish or egg tarts. So many great things about the Portuguese food... we do well by not keeping our mouths shut, that´s what I think.

One last note: the program also focus on the current economic crises and major difficulties the Portuguese people are facing. It´s something I don´t write about here, because the blog (like the program does it well) is all about celebrating the Portuguese food and its beauty, despite everything.

Now, watch the video!

"Rissol", a Portuguese Classic

Have you ever had that feeling about a particular food that you love but whose recipe you imagine to be so difficult that you can´t picture yourself doing it, ever?

That was my feeling towards the rissoes! These sort of snacks are a big Portuguese classic, made with dough and a filling, which are very accessible at any supermarket, café or restaurant. Plus, they are super cheap. So what could possibly trigger me to learn the recipe? Right, I know the answer... living abroad!

I can´t say the rissoes are the easiest thing in the world to do, but they were not that difficult either! The issue here is the time, as it takes about 2h to 3h to prepare them. The good news is that rissoes are the type of thing you make in big quantities, freeze and cook in 5 minutes whenever you want (they are supposed to be deep fried while they are still frozen).

However, I must confess the amazing machine really came in handy and the dough took 5 minutes when it can take at least 30 minutes. How can you not love an appliance like this?

For this post, lots of photos to illustrate the different stages.

Filling

We got started with the filling and used the following ingredients:

- 1 chopped onion
- minced pork and chicken - about 400 g (the beef and shrimp are more traditional flavors)
- 1 to 2 chopped tomatoes + a bit of tomato paste
- 1/4 of chopped yellow pepper
- Chicken stock
- Coriander
- Pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg
- Bechamel sauce

Preparing the filling is easy and all you have to do is to prepare a simple stew with these ingredients.

First, brown the onion with a bit of olive oil and once it gets translucent, add the meet.

Then, add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, the coriander, the yellow pepper, all the seasoning, as well as some chicken stock. Let it cook for about 20 minutes.

Prepare the bechamel sauce (recipe on a previous post) and pour it into the pan. Three more minutes and the filling is done.

Dough

To make the dough, we used the thermomix, which was extremely helpful!

This recipe comes with the appliance´s cookbook, so I´m not really sure if the ingredients and the result would be exactly the same if I was to do it by myself. Anyway, here are the ingredients:

- 500 g of flour
- 500 g of warm water
- 60 g of butter
- 10 g of olive oil
- Pinch of of salt

The dough was ready in 5 minutes and we worked it while it was still warm. It´s easier.

Shaping the Rissol

The final stage is the toughest, as it takes time. With the dosages proposed, you´ll get about 60 rissois.

With a rolling pin flatten the pastry until it gets thin and draw small circles with a glass or mug. Then, put a spoon of the filling on the dough and fold it, without pressing. To cut the excess of dough and get a perfect shape, use the glass again.

With a fork, press the rim of the rissol and they are ready to be breaded with egg and breadcrumbs and frozen.

Finally, the process is over and the fun part starts... eating! Just fry them while they are still frozen in hot oil for about 5 minutes and they are ready to be enjoyed. It´s a flavorful combination between crispy and moist. You´ll love it!

Like the croquete, the rissol is usually seen in parties and events in general as they are so easy to eat with the hand. But they also go very well with rice and make a great meal.

For me, having this delicacy for the first time in so long, it´s really like being home :)

Codfish for a Sunday lunch

Last Sunday I hosted a Portuguese lunch to introduce the codfish to some of my friends who had never tried it before (one Singaporean and two English). I had been promising them a Portuguese feast for a long time and have finally (and gladly!) paid my debt.

When I say feast I really mean it! Starting with the homemade bread I had made the day before, the Portuguese cheese and scrambled eggs with farinheira, followed by one of the most loved Portuguese dishes, codfish with cream, and ending with chocolate mousse (my husband´s specialty, whose recipe  I´ll have the chance to share soon).

 

Codfish with cream I´ve prapared

All this food combined with wine, good company and conversation resulted in a 6 hour lunch! Could a Sunday afternoon get any better?

Moving on to the real subject of this post... the codfish! I´ve mentioned a few times before that this is by far a key ingredient in the Portuguese cuisine. My experience in Singapore tells me that people in general know the Portuguese are good at making egg tarts, but have no idea we are a codfish masters. We definitely love it and it´s said there are over 1001 ways to cook it - just go to a bookshop in Portugal or online and you´ll find cookbooks or websites holding this promise.

I might be wrong, but it seems the codfish itself is generally unknown. The fact that we have it dry and salty, makes it even more peculiar and exclusive to the Portuguese cuisine. I´ve personally seen fresh codfish only once in my life.

 The codfish as it´s sold - dried and salty


The codfish with cream is one of my favorites dishes and what I choose to prepare every time I have non-Portuguese friends over for a meal. I preach so much about the Portuguese food that I don´t have a choice but to give them something that will meet their expectations.

As for the recipe, here is. It´s not difficult, but it takes time, 1h30 to 2h.

Ingredients

- 4 cod steaks
- 1kg - 1.5kg of potatoes
- Olive oil
- 2 onions
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 40 g of flour
- 40 g of butter
- 250 dl of milk
- 250 dl of cream
- 1dl of the water used to cook the codfisf
- Pepper
- Nutmeg
- lemon
- shredded cheese or breadcrumbs

Step 1

Cook the codfish in water for 5 minutes. Let it cool down, remove the bones and skin and shred it.
Note: the cod needs to be unsalted, which means it has to be in water for about 2 to 3 days and the water needs to be changed roughly 3 times a day.

Step 2

Peel the potatoes, cut them in small cubes and fry them.

Step 3

In a big pan, brown the onions (cut in circles) and the garlic in the olive oil. Add the codfish and the fried potatoes and mix everything. Turn the stove off before adding the cod and the fries or immediately after mixing everything altogether.  

Step 4

Now, we need to prepare the bechamel. In a small pan, melt the butter and add the flour without never stop stirring. Then, add the water and keep stirring for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the milk and the cream and keep stirring for about 3 to 4 minutes until you get a thicker sauce. Turn off the stove and season with pepper, nutmeg and lemon.

Then pour 2/3 of the sauce into the pan with the potatoes and cod, mix, and put this in a tray. Pour the rest of the bechamel on top and create another very thin layer either with the cheese or the breadcrumbs. 

Step 5

Pop the tray in the oven for about 20 - 30 minutes, until the top becomes golden.

I never add salt, because the codfish should still be salty enough. I know it won´t be the same, but I´ll have to try this recipe with another fish, maybe salmon. Unfortunately, I also have limited access to the cod.

More bread and the amazing machine!

I have a good friend, Portuguese, also living in Singapore who has a super duper machine that can do pretty much any dish! I know, I know, it sounds too good to be true, but it is! Bread, desserts, rice, meat, fish, soup, ice cream, really... think of something and this appliance will make your dreams come true. Just press some buttons, follow the instructions and in a very short time a meal will be ready to serve.

This kitchen appliance is sold worldwide and super famous in Portugal, under the name of Thermomix (in Singapore) or Bimby (in Portugal). At first, the price tag might make you think on whether to buy it, but you´ll get convinced once you see how it works and how easy your life can get, specially if you have kids, don´t have time to cook or don´t like to do it.

Although I´ve been trying to resist it for many years, I´ve made up my mind and will get one when I go to Portugal in March (slightly cheaper than in Singapore). The reason is simple: the appliance can definitely help me to prepare some of the food from home while in Singapore and, honestly, save me some money in the end.

Last weekend, for example, I used my friend´s machine to make 3 delicious breads, just like with the same texture and flavor I would find in Portugal. All I needed was 1kg of flour, water and yeast and that cost me 2 dollars and 10 minutes. If I were to go to a bakery, only one bread - that I don´t even like that much -  could have cost at least 5 dollars...

If you´re curious about this appliance, here´s the website for Singapore: http://www.ilovethermomix.com/index.html. It´s sold by agents only, precisely to explain the clients how it works and all it can do.
From what I know, the appliance comes with a cooking book and there are tons of recipes online.