Welcome 2010!

That I love French Cuisine is no secret... Is there a better way to start the new year than to cook Coq au vin for the first meal of 2010? I thought so! We had a family meeting to celebrate and welcome a brand new year, and share our best wishes and resolutions. It was a slightly french meal -- the perfect theme to use the new Le Creuset pan I got for Christmas. For dessert, there was Pumpkin Pudding with Almonds... moist, sweet, and nutty. What else could I have asked for? Happy 2010!

Coq au vin

Serves 4

1,2 Kg free-range chicken, cut into large pieces (or 8 thighs + legs)
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter, separated
1 onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, chopped
150 ml dry white wine*
1 bay leaf
½ tsp dried thyme
200 gr wild mushrooms
parsley, to serve

Wash each piece and dry with paper towels. Place flour in a plate and rub the chicken, until covered. In a heavy pan, heat 1 tbsp butter. Working in batches, sauté the chicken for 3-4 minutes, each side. Set aside. Pour a little chicken stock (or water) into the pan, and remove any brown pieces from the pan walls and bottom. Add onion and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Return the browned chicken to the pan. Season with salt and ground black pepper and dried thyme. Add half the wine, let it steam and mix. Add the remaining wine, and cook, covered for 35-40 minutes. Stir occasionally. If it's dry, add some chicken stock or water.

Whilst the chicken cooks, prepare the mushrooms. Preheat a large saucepan. Add 1 tbsp butter, the garlic and half the mushrooms, sliced. Be careful the saucepan is not too crowded. Season with salt, and cook for 4-5 minutes. Set aside in a heated plate, and repeat.

To serve, add the mushrooms to the pan, garnish with parsley and serve with boiled potatoes and a green salad (optional).

* Coq au vin is traditionally made with red wine, mas there are all kind of versions with different wines. My choice for this recipe is a dry white wine.



Pumpkin Pudding with Almonds

250 gr baked pumpkin, smashed with a fork
100 gr dark muscovado sugar
2 large eggs
150 ml cream
1 tsp quatre-épices*
2 tbsp raisins
caramel for the mould
2 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted

Mix pumpkin, eggs, spices and sugar. Beat until combined. Add cream and raisins. Mix well. Cover a ring mould with caramel. Pour the batter and cover with a lid. Place the mould into an ovenproof dish and fill with hot water to cover half the wall of the mould. Cook in a preheated oven 180ºC, for 30 minutes. Remove to a serving plate when completely cooled. Garnish with toasted almonds.

*quatre-épices is a spice mix. You may use half cinnamon and equal parts of ground ginger, ground gloves and ground nutmeg.

Comfort Food

What makes something 'comfort food'? Perhaps finding comfort in food is not the same to everyone and may be achieved differently -- it can come from memories of foods of our childhood or our most loved flavours, the ones that warm both heart and soul. Me, I love persimmons. For nowadays, a ripe persimmon with a dash of cinnamon, eaten by the spoon, is what I call comfort food! Many of you will probably disagree, as many people seem to *really* dislike persimmons... For those, I'm sharing my Chestnut Risotto with Red Beans. Now don't say chestnuts aren't your thing... ;)



Chestnut Risotto with Red Beans

(serves 4)

1 tbsp olive oil
100 gr smoked bacon, chopped
1 tbsp thyme (leaves only) + extra to serve
200 gr chestnuts (shelled and peeled), chopped coarsely*
100 gr risotto rice
750 ml vegetable stock, warm
400 gr red beans, cooked
2 tbsp single cream + 50 ml whole milk
Parmesan (1/4 cup), freshly grated, to serve

*Bake chestnuts for 15 minutes at 200ºC with salt. Don't forget to make a shallow cut before baking. Peel whilst still warm. Freeze in ziploc bags.



In a heavy based pan heat the olive oil. Add bacon and thyme and cook for 2 minutes. Add chestnuts and rice and keep stirring until the rice looks slightly translucent. Add a ladle of hot stock and a good pinch of salt, if necessary. Keep stirring. It should take around 15 minutes until you run out of stock and the rice is cooked. Add red beans, cream and milk. Stir well. Place a lid on the pan and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan and thyme leaves.

Going Portuguese

The sea. Always the sea. If you look at Portugal's history it's always about the beauty of our surrounding coasts, and all the dreams of faraway lands that come with it. The exhibition “Encompassing the Globe: Portugal and the World in the 16th and 17th Centuries” is about that too. Or as Holland Cotter put it in the NY Times: A version of the Internet was invented in Portugal 500 years ago by a bunch of sailors with names like Pedro, Vasco and Bartolomeu. The technology was crude. Links were unstable. Response time was glacial. (A message sent on their network might take a year to land.) <= It's kinda of faster today.

Portuguese people have historically been influenced by so many cultures that is not surprising our food shows a large variety of flavours, with exotic spices from India or Brazil playing their role, and of course fish being a staple. Although bacalhau (cod fish) and sardines are the most popular choices from the sea, stuffed squid accompanied by boiled potatoes are a very traditional dish in the Portuguese cuisine, both in Lisbon and the Algarve.



Stuffed Squid Lisbon-style
Lulas recheadas com Chouriço à Lisbonense

Serves 4

12 large squid (about 600 grs), whole but skin removed and eyes discarded
10-12 slices (about 100 grs) chouriço, finely chopped
1 Tbps olive oil
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 small tomatoes (I used yellow tomatoes)
1 small red chili, seeds removed and chopped
2 small carrots
2 Tbsp kalamata olives, chopped
1 Tbps parsley, chopped
salt and black pepper

for the sauce:
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
2 Tbps olive oil
1 bay leaf
3 large ripe tomatoes
1/2 glass (100 ml) white wine (dry is best)
salt and black pepper

500 grs new potatoes, boiled in salted water
1 Tbps parsley, chopped

Prepare the squid. Reserve the tubes and chop the tentacles. In a small saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sautee onion and garlic for a couple of minutes. Add the tentacles, carrots, chili and chouriço and stir. Mix in the chopped yellow tomatoes and cook with a lid on for 3 minutes. Add olives and chopped parley. Season with salt and pepper. Cool almost completely. With a coffee spoon, stuff the squid, filling the tubes about 2/3 full. Close with a toothpick.

Boil the potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve.

For the sauce, place onion, garlic and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add tomatoes and bay leaf. Cook with a lid on for 5 minutes. Put the stuffed squid in the saucepan. Season with salt and pepper. Allow to boil. Refresh with white wine. Remove the lid and cook until reduced and squid are tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with the potatoes.

Notes: Larger squid are best for stuffing, as it's not so difficult to fill them.

4 for 6 - an ode to the potato

It's been a while since I shared a recipe and some thoughts with you. I have no idea about where March went to... I've been doing so many things, dreaming of so many more that time just wasn't enough to pass by and say hello. But I'm back to tell you all about a great project I've been working together with a bunch of talented Portuguese bloggers! When my friend Mariana asked me to take part on 4 por 6 working balanced meals for 4 persons with a budget of 6€, I was really happy with the idea of helping people plan their food with little money. Although this is obviously focused on Portugal's present scene, I thought I could share the recipes with you anyway.

So today we're doing potato an ode, and will be having the first strawberries of the season!



Potato, Onion, Zucchini and Bacon Tian
Tian aux pommes de terre, oignons, courgettes et pancetta
Adapted slightly from French Magazine Saveurs, n.162 July/August 2008

Serves 4

4 small-medium potatoes (500 grs)
2 medium onions (I used red onions but white are fine too)
4 small zucchini (400 grs)
12 bacon strips (about 175 grs)
1 Tbps fresh thyme (just the leaves)
3 Tbps (50 ml) olive oil
3 Tbps (50 ml) single cream (optional)

Preheat the oven to 180ºC (360ºF). Peel the potatoes and cut into thin slices. Put aside in a bowl covered with water. Slice (unpeeled) zucchinis and peeled onions about the same size of the potatoes. Discard the water from the potatoes, add half the olive and season with salt and fresly ground black pepper. Toss to coat. In a covered ovenproof dish (or individual ones), place the potato, zucchini, and onion slices with the bacon strips (halved) to create alternate "layers". Sprinkle the thyme leaves on top. Add the remaining olive oil and single cream (if using any). Finish with about 3 Tbps (50 ml) of water, and cover. Bake for 20 minutes. After that, remove the lid, slightly increase the oven temperature, and leave for an extra 5-10 minutes or until golden. Serve warm with watercress salad.



And for dessert: soup!

Strawberry and Basil Soup
Adapted (slightly) from Elle à la table, n.63 March/April 2009

Serves 4

500 grs strawberries
6 basil leaves (or ment or lime-thyme)
35 grs sugar
1 Tbps balsamic vinegar
dash of white pepper

Wash the strawberries, remove leaves, and half each one. Put 1/4 of the strawberries in a saucepan with 1/2 cup (125 ml) of water, sugar, white pepper, 2 basil leaves and boil for 5 minutos. Add balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil once again. Place the remaining strawberries into serving bowls and pour the cooled syrup (you may or may not sieve it before). Finish with a basil leaf on top.



I've actually manage to buy the ingredients for the main dish and the dessert with only a total of 4.95€ ... More suggestions 4 por 6 (in Portuguese) at my partners in this project: Mariana, Pipoka, Laranjinha, Elvira and Marizé. We'll be running 4 for 6 every two weeks. Stay tuned for many more cheap meals!!

Pasta or rice?

Daily decisions aren't always a piece of cake... Sometimes it's all about grains. Pasta or rice? How about pasta that looks like rice? Risoni is a rice shaped pasta (sometimes called orzo) that shouldn't just be reserved for soups – risoni is quite versatile, and makes a nice change to 'regular' pasta or risotto. Chard is not so usual around here. I've been lucky with a new organic supermarket in my neighborhood that had beautiful purple chard.



Chard Risoni with Quark

Serves 2

1 cup (220grs) risoni
2 1/2 cups (625ml) vegetable stock
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup (100grs) Quark
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
a bunch of Chard (from 2 small beet-roots), steamed and coarsely chopped
1/2 cup bacon, chopped (optional)
grated Parmesan, to serve
rocket, to serve

Heat vegetable stock in a deep pan. Add the risoni and cook for 8-10 minutes (or according to packet directions), stirring occasionally. Sauté bacon in a large saucepan with olive oil and garlic, until crisp (2-3 minutes). Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside. Add steamed Chard to the remaining juices in the saucepan and cook for a couple of minutes. Once risoni is cooked, stir in the butter, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

To serve, place the risoni in a large deep plate (or a bowl), sprinkle with bacon, add a couple of tablespoons of Quark and half the Chard. Top with grated Parmesan and rocket. Serve immediately.

Streets & Pies

Walk the streets. If I had to point out a favourite thing when I'm abroad, it had to be lurk around. To have a sneak peek at non-touristic places, and somehow blend with the locals. Quite easy, if you're in a big city like London, and know your way around the language. Not so cool, when you're in Paris with my lousy French. But a closed mouth with an enigmatic smile, nice clothes and an extra colourful scarf will put you trough. Now try to blend in Cambridge or Bury St Edmunds or make an attempt to pronounce 'Kenneth' like a local... I've mentioned my flash trip to the UK last summer to meet my friend. N. lives in the Suffolk. Although I know the south of England fairly well, I had never made it to the center north of the country before. My day spent in Cambridge was lovely, and my visit to The Theatre Royal in Bury most memorable. As a good British girl, N. served me a pie for dinner. A few days ago I made a fish pie for dinner (hence the awful photos), and just couldn't stop all the memories that popped up.



Fish Pie
Slightly inspired from Jamie's Ministry of Food, original recipe here

Serves 4

4-5 large potatoes, peeled, and cut into large chunks
1 large carrot, peeled, and grated
150g Mascarpone cheese
Juice and zest of 1 small lemon
1/4 tsp red chili flakes
400g white fish fillets, cut into large chunks
8-12 king prawns, raw, peeled
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F).

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, and add the potatoes. Cook for 12 minutes or until soft. Grate the carrot into an oven dish. Place the fish an the prawns on top of the carrot, and sprinkle with chili flakes. Add the lemon zest and juice. Drizzle with the olive oil. Mix everything together.

Drain the potatoes in a colander and return them to the pan. Mash until smooth, then mix in the Mascarpone cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spread evenly over the top of the fish and grated veg. Place in the preheated oven for around 40 minutes, or until cooked through, crispy and golden on top. Serve with steamed vegetables or a green salad. I served mine with caramelized butternut squash.

My favourite beer

I'm not much into beer. To be completely honest, I totally fail to understand how some people love beer. If not for the occasional Guinness Stout, I'd live happily without such thing... But I've recently found out that I LOVE barley. Since I tried it for the first time in Slovenia, and after my minestrone, I became quite fond of this grain. This salad is a breeze to make if you already cooked the barley - which can be done in larger amounts, and kept in the fridge - and roasted the pumpkin (with a drizzle of olive oil, and a bay leaf) - again very convenient to bake large quantities.

Spinach Barley Salad with Feta

Serves 2

1 cup barley, cooked
1 cup roasted pumpkin, cut into wedges
2 cups fresh spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 hard boiled egg, quartered

In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the spinach. Sautée for 2-3 minutes, until soft. Stir in the freshly ground nutmeg. Season with a pinch of salt.

Dressing

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt
ground black pepper, to taste
3 tps extra-virgin olive oil

In a large serving bowl, whisk the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in the olive oil, beating until smooth. Add the barley and the remaining salad ingredients (except the egg), and toss to coat with the dressing. Add the egg, and extra pepper if necessary. Serve.

The 3 Fs

In the last century, Portugal was under dictatorship for almost 50 years. During that time, the "3 Fs" - fado, Fátima, and football - provided some sort of collective anesthesia more than welcome by the regime. Music, religion, and sports were all the people would need to keep going with their miserable life and not complain. With the end of the long-term Salazar dictatorship, the trilogy became old fashioned. It was time for the new real "three Fs" to stand forward. Nowadays for the Portuguese, family, friends and food are inseparable... We usually meet around the table, eating and chatting through the afternoon or the evening. Food is as much an excuse to talk to friends as talking is to meet up for a meal.

I don't cook traditional Portuguese very often. Either because I'm not really good at it or just because I grew up eating world food instead of deep rooted Portuguese dishes. Or just because I'm too lazy to make the effort to reinvent some old classics, like some promising young chefs are doing currently in the Portuguese Cuisine scene. But I made a promise to give it another try to Portuguese food a while ago. When my kitchen was invaded by broad beans, aka favas, I just knew the time had arrived.

Favas com Chouriço
Broad beans with Chorizo

Serves 4

400 grs fresh fava beans (about 2 cups), peeled twice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 gloves garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 large chorizo (best quality), sliced
1/2 glass white wine
1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped + extra stems
a bunch of garlic leaves (optional)
1 tsp pimentão doce (paprika)
Cooked rice, to serve

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil, and add the chorizo slices. Cook for 3 minutes. Remove the chorizo to a bowl. Add the onions, garlic, and garlic leaves (if using) and cilantro stems. Saute for 2 minutes. Add the white wine to deglaze. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the fava beans, the pimentão doce and the stock. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes or until favas are cooked. Return chorizo slices to the saucepan. Add chopped cilantro leaves. Serve with cooked rice.

Stuffed stuff

"What's that? That's lunch, honey... Oh c'mon, I meant what's in that? Give it a try, if you guess, I'll give you a present. You're such a pain! Yeap, that's me. Do we have a deal? Yeah sure, as if I'd ever get all you've putted into this melted mess..."

My lovely husband (aka The Official Taster) is the perfect partner when it comes to food. He barely dislikes anything and he's happy with simple dishes. Plus he's a daring food lover who's ready to try new recipes without a blink. But some days eating my food asks for extra guts, specially when my creative spirit goes overboard!! It was not the case, however. Not this time! Stuffing is an old favourite of mine. I like to stuff all kind of veggies. I like sweet and sour together when stuffing. I like mushrooms and I love stuffed mushrooms. Any type of mushrooms, any stuffing.

Stuffed mushrooms can't never go wrong, the combination with grilled polenta and roasted cherry tomatoes made for a perfect weekday's lunch. Yes, sometimes we're lucky enough to be able to have lunch together at home. It takes the planets to align, trams to be on time and a fair amount of running but damn, it tastes great!

Roquefort and Dried Plums Stuffed Mushrooms with Grilled Thyme Polenta and Roasted Cherry Tomatoes
Serves 2

For the polenta
1/3 cup (about 80 grs) quick polenta
1 and 1/2 cup (about 325ml) boiling water
1/3 cup Parmesan, grated
1 tsp butter
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, leaves only
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle the polenta into the boiling water with a pinch of salt in a non-stick saucepan. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring continuously. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmesan, the butter and the thyme. Pour the polenta into a rectangular baking pan and let stand for cooling (about 10 minutes). Cut the polenta into triangles or squares. Pan-fry the polenta for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown. Serve hot, topped with the stuffed mushrooms.

For the stuffed mushrooms
6-8 large fresh mushrooms (or 2 Portobello)
6-8 dried plums, stones removed
2-3 Tbsp Roquefort cheese
6-8 tsp Mozzarella cheese, grated
Salt and black ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 175ºC (350ºF). Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems and discard (keep for further use in stews or soups). Arrange the mushroom caps on a baking sheet. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Place one dried plum into each cap. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a piece of Roquefort. Top each cap with grated Mozzarella, pressing down gently to hold all stuffing together. Bake for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the cheeses melt.

For the roasted tomatoes
8-12 Cherry tomatoes
pinch of salt
1 Tbsp olive oil

Place the tomatoes into a heatproof plate. Sprinkle with salt and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until soft and juicy. (Prepare tomatoes first so that you can put them together into the oven with the mushrooms)

Assemble by topping the grilled polenta with the stuffed mushrooms. Place the roasted tomatoes on the side. Serve with a green salad. Use the tomatoes juice as a warm dressing for the salad. Serve warm.



Other recipes:
Fresh Herb Muffins with Turkey Stuffing

Salmon on the run

Pesto works like a charm with any kind of pasta. That's nothing new. What I was yet to find out was how easy Pesto goes with oily fish. This is a really quick way to prepare salmon, and the result is most impressive - colorful, elegant and very tasty. I've served it with Rosemary Toasted Baby Potatoes and Spinach Mash.

Stuffed Salmon Fillets
Adapted from Annabel Langbein, Cooking to Impress without Stress

Serves 2

2 boneless, skinless salmon fillets (about 150 grs each)
salt and freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Stuffing
2 Tbsp homemade Pesto
I Tbsp toasted pine nuts
2 Tbsp chopped black olives
2 Tbsp sesame seeds to sprinkle

Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slash on the top of each salmon fillet. In a small bowl, combine pesto, pine nuts and black olives and stuff about 1 Tbsp mixture into each slash. Carefully, put stuffed salmon fillets in a baking tray covered with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 220ºC (425ºF). Season fish with salt and pepper and squeeze over lemon juice. Sprinkle sesame seeds over both pieces of salmon. Bake for 8 minutes or until just cooked through.

Serve salmon with a spoonful of vinaigrette.

Holy chestnuts!

Chestnuts: I'm a sucker for those little things. Chestnuts are overly popular in Portugal - around Lisbon, street sellers have them roasted on open fires all over the city, from early Autumn till now. A short while before Christmas, some friends gave me a huge pack and it sat in my kitchen for most the season, without any spare time to take care of those beauties. Chestnuts can be roasted in the oven with salt, eaten straight away or used to cook. Just a few days ago, I finally spend a 'funny' morning roasting my chestnuts, removing coats and making them ready to freeze. In the meanwhile, I've cooked us this spicy chicken for lunch.

Curry Chicken with Chestnuts

Serves 2

1 small onion
2 Tbsp organic tomato paste
12-14 chestnuts
1 garlic glove
1/2 tsp Red Thai curry paste (adjust to your taste)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp yogurt
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 Tbsp raisins
2 small chicken breasts, cubed
1 cup chicken broth or water
salt and black pepper pimenta, to taste

In a food processor, chop onion and garlic with tomato paste. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion, garlic and tomato paste mixture to pan and stir often, about 2 minutes. Stir in curry paste and chestnuts. Mix in cubed chicken and season to taste. Stir for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. When broth resumes, stir in yogurt and raisins and half cilantro leaves, finely chopped. Remove from heat after a couple of minutes, add lemon juice and remaining cilantro. Serve with boiled green beans.

With or without?

True chili has beef in it. That's what I've been told - it doesn't mean I'm willing to cook it that way. Beans are full of protein - a meat-free chili recipe is not only delicious but also nutritionally balanced. That's my chili and I've got no complains. My beloved committed carnivores became fans!

My Veggie Chili

Serves 4

1 small eggplant, sliced
1 small zucchini, cubed
1 small turnip, cubed
1 small red pepper, unseeded and sliced
1/2 cup green beans, diced
1 small jalapeño pepper, unseeded (seeded if you want it to be hot)
1 green onion, chopped
1 glove garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can (400 grs) diced tomato
1/2 cup red wine
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
2 cups cooked kidney beans
Juice 1 small lemon
Fresh cilantro (about 1/2 cup)

In a saucepan, grill sliced eggplant with salt and a little olive oil. Heat olive oil, add onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, adding turnip, zucchini, red bell pepper, green beans, and jalapeño. Allow to cook for extra 5 minutes. Add tomato, red wine, stock and spices. Cook for 10 minutes, mix in kidney beans and grilled eggplant, cubed. Season to taste. Once it starts boiling again, add lemon juice and cilantro. Turn heat off. Allow all ingredients to mix together for a couple of minutes. Serve with a slice of good bread.



This is my entry to the RWT Chili Cook-Off, hosted by Tami of Running With Tweezers.