Simple Chicken Stock

July 31, 2015March 11, 2016

A simple chicken stock is something that every home cook should master. Not only is it much healthier that then stuff you can buy in cans at the grocery store, but it can save you a bundle! A good chicken stock can make a quick meal taste like you slaved over a hot stove all day long 🙂

This particular recipe is a basic one. I like to have a basic recipe on hand in gallon zip lock bags in my freezer because I never know what I will want to make with it… But, if you know that you always like a certain recipe that calls for ginger and soy, then by all means cut up some ginger and toss it in. If you love the taste of a hearty traditional chicken soup, then add in some thyme and rosemary. Once you get this basic recipe down, the sky is the limit. I have used this chicken stock in recipes right here on this blog time and time again. Check these out… Lemon Chicken Soup (Canja), Slit Pea Soup and Lobster Risotto. And when you are done with making your stock, you’ve got some delicious cooked chicken meat to use in recipes like Cran-Raisin & Walnut Chicken Salad Wrap.

This is probably one of the most simple recipes you will see… you may wonder why you haven’t been freezing your own stock for years!

Start off by adding one whole chicken to the biggest stock pot you have on hand. Be sure to remove the packets with the gizzard. As for the neck, that is great for stock too, I remove it, but you can certainly keep it in the pot.

To this peel and roughly chop a carrot… I like to cut it down the middle to maximize open carrot area. Roughly chop a couple stalks of celery with or without the leaves. Then add in one onion halved and a bunch of parsley. (Again if you are planning to mostly make mexican based dishes, you could add in cilantro instead of parsley)

The next thing I like to add is a good handful of salt… I like to control the salt in my stock and I am making a good amount here so I add in about 1/8 cup of kosher salt. (Adjust salt to your taste and health requirements) This also helps flavor the chicken for later use. (This is also when you could choose to add in other herbs and spices like cracked black pepper, coriander, garlic, jalapeno, thyme, rosemary, sage, or ginger etc.)

Add water. You will want to add water up to about 2″ from the top of your pot. Just to allow room for boiling.

Boil this for about 1 hour with the lid on. Then shut it off without uncovering. Allow to cool completely. This will take at least 4-6 hours. Once completely cooled, you can skim off the fat if you so choose as well.

Once liquid and chicken have completely cooled, strain into containers. You can use the stock or bag in 1 gallon freezer bags, old cool whip containers or ice cube trays and freeze. The stock will also be great in your fridge for 3-4 days.

At this point, I usually can’t resist making some kind of soup right away, usually a chicken noodle or a mexican tortilla soup or something… then I freeze the rest. I get about 3-4 gallons of stock from this process.

Recipe for Simple Chicken Stock:

1 whole chicken

1 onion, halved

2-3 carrots, roughly chopped

2-3 celery stalks, roughly chopped

1 bunch parsley

1/8 cup kosher salt

water

Directions:

Add all to pot cover with water (up to 2″ from top of large stock pot). Boil for one hour (Add water to replace evaporated water). Cool completely over 4-6 hours. Use, refrigerate or freeze.

*note – this is a gluten-free recipe

Pan-Fried Mint Bread “Pudding” (Pudim de Hortelã)

July 29, 2015July 29, 2015

When I was a little girl, my home was somewhat of a mini farm. We always had chickens, goats, sheep, rabbits, pigs a cow and an amazing garden and fruit orchard. My parents always had a plentiful garden full of wonderful tomatoes, couves (Portuguese collard greens), squash, grapes, and beans. Anything that could be grown, my Dad could grow. On the out skirts of the garden were always chives, parsley and mint. The smell of mint hit you long before you found where it was and I loved it. There was so much mint in fact that I was allowed to use it for my mud pies and fun projects. Memories of growing up in the country hit me every time I bite into a fresh cucumber or smell the parsley to tell the difference between it and cilantro in the grocery store. Funny how food connects a person to their past and bridges generations all at the same time.

One very vivid memory is of my mother taking day old Portuguese Popo Secos (rolls) and a bunch of mint from the garden and making bread “pudding”… pudding is in quotes because unlike traditional pudding there is no milk in this dish. I fell in love with this “pudding” as a child and added my own spin to it as an adult adding a little savory in to balance the sweet. Today, my husband loves when he wakes up to the smell of mint and caramelized sugar and my children are starting to understand the connection between growing something in the garden and it making it onto the dining table.

***note – I consider this a Portuguese dish not because of it being a traditional dish, but because it was made by my Portuguese mother.

One or two day old bread is best used for this recipe. These are Portuguese Rolls known as Popo Secos. They are individual rolls with a moderately crusty exterior and a very soft and airy interior. They are best served fresh and day of baking… Which is why this recipe is great to use up bread you got earlier in the week. (If you don’t have Portuguese bread readily available in your area, try this with a crusty italian… you will want about two large loaves)

Rip up bread into large bowl filled with water.

It will look like it won’t fit… but, it should if your bowl is big enough… I use a bowl that can accommodate about 10 cups and fill it with 6 cups of water.

Submerge your bread in the water.

Grab about 6 sprigs of mint, these are fresh from my garden… if you don’t have a mint garden, it’s really the easiest herb to start with, it’s almost like a weed, you actually have to contain it so that it doesn’t spread to your entire garden. If you don’t have a mint garden, then you can get this at your local farmers market or even grocery store.

Pick the leaves off each stem, you don’t want the stems as they are a bit too woody.

Roughly chop your mint leaves.

Add your chopped mint to the soaking bread.

Mix mint in and submerge. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes at minimum and up to an hour.

Mince one medium onion or large shallot.

Add one stick of salted butter to a large non-stick skillet.

Add your onions into the pan with the butter over medium heat.

Saute onions in butter until golden.

Ring out bread and mint so that you have damp bread.

Add damp bread and mint to the onions.

Saute bread in butter and onions turning every few minutes until the bread starts to dry out a bit and you can see it browning.

Keep working at it, this will take a good 5-6 minutes over medium heat.

Add in about 3/4 cup of sugar. I like to cover the entire top of the bread, spread the love.

Once bread gets to a browning point, cover in a layer of sugar and continue to saute.

Recipe for Pan-Fried Mint Bread Pudding (Pudim de Hortelã):

(serves 4)

6 Papo Secos (Portuguese rolls), torn

6 sprigs of mint, chopped

3/4 C. sugar

1 stick salted butter

1 medium onion, minced (or 1 lg. shallot)

6 cups water

Directions:

Add bread to water in a large bowl. Add mint, mix. Allow to soak for 15-60 mins.

Add minced onion to large saute pan with the melted butter. When color on onions comes to a light golden brown start squeezing water out of the bread and add dampened bread to the skillet. Once all the bread makes it into the skillet, saute until the bread firms up a bit and looses some of the moisture. Then add the sugar in an even layer over the top of the bread mixture. Continue to saute. When sugar has fully caramelized onto the bread mixture.

*note – this “pudding” is dairy free.

Southwest Turkey Burger

July 27, 2015July 27, 2015

You might be thinking you only like burgers made from 100% All American beef. I say that because that’s what I used to think too… So what I did was examined the difference between ground turkey and ground beef. On the plus side ground turkey is by far a much healthier option. However, if you were to take ground turkey and just form it into a patty, you might find your burger dry and bland. So, in keeping this in mind, I came up with a recipe to leave your turkey burger flavorful and juicy. This is not your average Turkey Burger…

Packed with nutrients, vitamins and protein, this Southwest Turkey Burger is a healthy and delicious addition to your weekly dinner rotation. Olive oil, onions and peppers add in not only flavor, but plenty of moisture. Black beans add in an extra protein punch, more of that moisture and some great texture. Along with fresh ingredients and a pantry staple, there are a host of spices that highlight one of this county’s most tantalizing food genres.

Now, I am preparing these burgers for my husband, myself and our two toddlers… So, I will take you first through the not so spicy kid friendly version. Then, we will kick things up a bit with adding some more heavy-duty spices and a bit more onions and peppers.

Start your base mixture here with black beans, ground turkey and an egg…

Rinse one can of black beans.

Add the washed beans into a clean bowl.

To the beans add in about one pound of ground turkey.

Add an egg into the ground turkey and beans. Stir together to get the mixture going.

Now you can start getting a key component ready, your sautéed onions, peppers and garlic.

Saute a medium onion, chopped in olive oil over medium heat.

Add your peppers to your onions and continue to saute.

Mince some garlic and add it into your sautéed veggies.

Saute until golden brown.

Place your veggies in a separate bowl to speed the cooling process.

You’ll want about a teaspoon of kosher salt.

Mix the salt into your meat and bean mixture. To this mixture, add in about 1/3 of your cooled sautéed veggies… I do this for the kid friendly version of these, I’ll add the rest in a bit for the adult version.

Add in a good 6-7 shakes of cumin.

Add in a good 5-6 shakes of smoked paprika.

Now lets turn these babies into kid patties…

Make a patty with this not so spicy mixture. And if you aren’t into spice, then you are set to turn all the mixture into patties.

I make a couple of these smaller burgers for my kids and add the additional spices in for the grown ups.

Get good color on each side as they cook through.

Now for the grown ups add in a few shakes of cayenne pepper.

Add in a few shakes of chili powder.

Now for the grown up burgers I add in the rest of the sauteed veggies. Then I use my extra large cookie scooper to handle the mixture because it is a delicate blend.

Place the scoop directly on the grill that is heated with oil.

Take the back of a wooden spoon and press down forming the ball into a patty.

Again, get good color on each side as they cook through.

Place the cheese on the burger when you are about 2 minutes from pulling your burger off the grill.

People underestimate the importance of the bread they use for their burgers. Find the freshest keiser rolls you can for this recipe… These are fresh from my bakery.

Cut your rolls in half and toast them up on the grill.

Recipe for Southwest Turkey Burgers:

(serves 4-6)

1 lb. ground turkey

1 15.5oz. can black beans, rinsed

1 onion, chopped

1 pablano pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 egg

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)

1/4 c. olive oil

4-6 slices pepper jack cheese (or cheddar for the kid friendly version)

4-6 Keiser rolls

Directions:

Start by preparing your meat mixture base. Add one can of rinsed black beans to a bowl with one pound of ground turkey meat and one egg. Also add in your kosher salt. Mix together.

In a non-stick skillet over medium heat add in your olive oil, onions and peppers. Saute until lightly golden brown. Add in garlic and sprinkle with salt. Continue to saute until golden brown. Once the veggies are nicely cooked, remove from skillet and place in a separate bowl to cool.

Now, for the kid friendly version:

Add in 1/3 of the cooled veggies. Also add in cumin and paprika. Mix. Form kid sized patties and serve on white or wheat buns.

For the adult version:

Add in remaining veggies and your cayenne and chili powder. Mix. Scoop out with XL cookie scooper and grill on medium heat until just about done.

At this point add-on cheese until melty.

Serve on roll. Enjoy!

*Note: This burger patty is gluten-free and can be enjoyed on a salad or on a gluten-free keiser roll as well.

“Portuguese Style” S’Mores (Bolacha Maria S’mores)

July 22, 2015July 22, 2015

So, I have decided to have a little fun with today’s blog entry. It’s summer, which means it’s fire pit and camping season here in New England. So I decided to think a bit outside the box and merge the Portuguese and American cultures together in a fun and simple way… The Portuguese being the Bolacha Maria cookie… The American being the time-tested camp fire favorite, the s’more.

Now unlike my earlier s’more posting (Peep S’Mores) this post will involve real fire and bona-fide marshmallow roasting technique. You will need to get ahold of three ingredients… regular size marshmallows… none of those crazy giant marshmallow, no colors or crazy flavors… just plain ole marshmallows. You will also need a package of Bolacha Maria cookies and a Hershey’s bar.

Let’s get started!

I like to use two marshmallows for my s’mores, no matter if they are American style with graham crackers or Portuguese style with a Bolacha Maria Cookie.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmellos directly on the fire... you want to gently toast your marshmellos over the coals.

Now the trick here is not to place your marshmallow directly on the fire… you want to gently toast your marshmallow over the coals.

Constantly rotate your marshmallow over those coals and you will get a well toasted marshmallow perfect for building your s’more!

Place your Bolocha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Place your Bolacha Maria cookie down on a plate.

Unwrap a chocolate bar, cut in half.

Place the chocolate bar half on top of the cookie.

Add your toasted marshmallow on top of your chocolate bar.

Recipe for “Portuguese Style’ S’Mores:

(serves 1)

2 Bolacha Maria Cookies

2 marshmallow, Toasted

1/2 regular size chocolate bar

Directions:

Toast marshmallow slowly over hot coals. Then start stacking as follows: One Maria cookie, one piece of chocolate and then the marshmallows and top it off with the Maria cookie. Enjoy!

***The Portuguese American Mom is in no way suggesting that this is a traditional Portuguese recipe… this is entirely the an adaptaion of a classic American treat by The Portuguese American Mom

Lobster Risotto

July 20, 2015March 13, 2016

This summer we had the pleasure of attending my sister’s wedding in Negril, Jamaica! During our time there lobster was not in season and banned from being caught. So, when we went to a specialty restaurant at the resort we stayed at, I ordered the shrimp risotto. And I have to say it was absolutely delicious! Even though I was the one to order this wonderful dish, my husband fell in love with it! So, when we returned, I had the inclination to make my own risotto using our very own Northeast caught cold water lobster.

A disclaimer before I start is that risotto is a simple dish, but it is food of love as it takes a good amount of time and it can not be rushed.

First thing to do is prepare some stock. I had some frozen homemade chicken stock, so I used that (about 6 cups). If you have seafood stock, great, use that… But, I do love the flavor a homemade chicken stock brings to this dish. You want to keep this stock warm without boiling as boiling will evaporate the stock before you can use it.

Use one large shallot or two smaller ones… If you don’t have shallots available you can use one medium onion. Shallots are just a bit milder in flavor.

Cut the shallot in half to stabilize your cutting surface.

You’ll want a small to medium dice.

Warm a non-stick (if you have one) pot over medium heat. Add in a few tablespoons of olive oil.

Next add in a couple tablespoons of butter to the olive oil for flavor.

Add your diced shallots to the fat in the pot.

Saute over medium heat until golden brown.

Chop up a couple cloves of garlic and add in to your already golden shallots.

This is aborio rice… It is widely known as one of the best rices to use for making a good risotto. This particular one is just my store brand, but it is a long grain Italian rice imported from Italy.

Each grain is fatter than your run of the mill rice.

Add your raw unwashed rice to your pot with your shallots and onions. You want to toast your rice grains before you start adding in liquid.

The trick to a good risotto is to add in your liquid slowly.

Add your warmed stock to your pot one ladle full at a time.

You want to make sure each ladle gets completely soaked in before you add the next ladle. Stir continuously.

I have a left over lobster from this past weekend. So this baby is getting cut up and put in my pot.

I start off by removing the legs and popping them in my pot. This helps me achieve two things. Since I am using chicken stock, the legs help to introduce a seafood stock flavor… They are also pretty yummy to add to each individual dish.

Remove the meat.

Chop it up into medium sized chunks.

Add your meat into your pot when you only have a couple ladles of stock left to go. As the lobster is already cooked, your goal here is just to heat the meat through, not to over cook your meat. This is a good time to add in 1/2 cup of dry white wine as well.

At this point I like to finish with a few more tablespoons of butter and top with some reserved lobster meat. Then I top with some chopped up scallions or parsley. You also want to taste for salt and pepper now as well.

Lobster Risotto

Serves 4

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken or seafood stock

2 cups aborio rice

1 large shallot, diced medium

3 Tbs. olive oil

6 Tbs. butter, divided

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

1 lobster, shelled and chopped

1/2 cup dry white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Warm 6 cups stock in a medium sauce pan. In a large non-stick pot saute shallot over medium heat in olive oil and 3 Tbs. butter until golden brown. Add garlic and saute for a minute. Add in raw rice and toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly. One ladle at a time add in stock, making sure each ladle has been absorbed before adding in the next. Add in lobster legs. When there are only a couple of ladles of stock to go, add in white wine and lobster meat. Finish ladling in stock. Check for salt and pepper and add if needed. Also check for rice tenderness. (If more liquid is needed either add more warmed stock or warmed water. Add in a remaining butter.

Top with reserved lobster if desired and scallions or parsley. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

*note – This is a gluten-free recipe.

Strawberry Lime Corn Salad

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015

Do you ever get sick of the same ole dinner night after night? I know, it’s probably not exactly “the same”, but getting stuck in a dinner time rut is so easy to do. Tonight I made a BBQ Salsa Lime chicken and to go along with it, I decided to get creative! Hence the Strawberry Lime Corn Salad was born…

This time of year is so wonderful for fresh fruits and veggies. My kids both love strawberries and they both gobble up corn like you wouldn’t believe. So, I decided to combine the two with a little panache. I actually made this salad right outside by the grill while enjoying my family. The kid’s played on the swings, my husband enjoyed a cold drink and I was chopping and dicing away (for about 5 minutes because it’s really that quick!)

If you are making your corn on the grill like I did, you will want to start off by timing it out so that your corn will have time to cool well before dinner, just so that you can handle it. Another great way to make this ahead though is just to microwave your corn. (To microwave corn: Don’t remove the husk at all, just place as is in the microwave for 3 minutes on high, then allow to cool for 5 minutes before shucking.) Microwaving is a great method for this particular salad because when you microwave corn, what you are doing is sucking all the sweet juice from the cob and pushing it all into the corn kernels; so, you end up with a very dry cob, but super juicy kernels.

Let’s get started:

Place corn on the grill about 1/2 hour before dinner… The corn itself will take about 15 minutes to cook, and then you can allow 5-10 minutes cooling time.

Grab some fresh strawberries, 6-8 or so.

Dice up your strawberries. I would say a medium dice for a strawberry.

Slice up one scallion… discard the tip of the root and the tip of the top.

Add in your scallions.

Zest one lime.

Add your zest into the salad.

Aren’t those grill marks pretty? Allow this to cool a bit so that you can handle it with your hands. You’ll need two ears of corn for this recipe.

Remove the kernels from the cob be carefully cutting down along the edge.

Add in your corn.

Now take that lime you just zested, cut it in half and add the juice from both halves right into the salad. Mix everything together.

Recipe for Strawberry Lime Corn Salad:

(Serves 4-6)2 ears of corn, grilled, kernels removed from cob

6-8 fresh strawberries, diced

1 lime, zested and squeezed

1 scallion, chopped

1 splash white wine vinegar (about a Tbs.)

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Serve, enjoy!

*note – this recipe is gluten-free

**note – this recipe has no added salt

Vavó’s Portuguese Stovetop Pudding (Vavó’s Papas)

July 15, 2015September 10, 201513 Comments

Para a alma da minha Vavó…

Olinda DaPonte Moniz Mota would have turned 99 years old this month. My Vavó moved to the United States and settled in Fall River, Massachusetts with her husband and three children when she was just about 50 years old in search of more opportunity for her children. Can you imagine up and moving your entire life at 50 years old? It is hard for me to fathom leaving a home where all my friends and family had been for generations to move to a country where I don’t know the language, have no job, no real set plan. Sure there were some family and friends who had crossed the vast Atlantic and settled here, but you have to admit it is quite a leap of faith.

One thing that really rooted my Vavó home was the food. And I would have to say this dish was one of her favorites. On any given morning, I could arrive at my grandparent’s home and find my Vavó settled on the sofa with a cup of tea and a plate of Papas. It was her breakfast of choice. She used to love it when I would come and make it for her, as I did from time to time as she got older. This is my version of my Vavó’s Papas.

Two cups of whole milk… I am using lactose free milk here which is fine too.

My Vavó had a sweet tooth… this is 1/4 cup of sugar. If you don’t like your Papas terribly sweet, reduce this to 1/8 cup.

Separate out your egg yolk from your white. Add the white to your morning omelet or something, you won’t need it here. Although, my Vavó used to use the whole egg because she didn’t like to waste… but, it’s better to discard the white (or like I said, use it in something else)

Now you are left with just the yolk. You will want this ready to go, because when it’s time to add it in, it needs to be done pronto.

Measure out two slightly heaping tablespoons of corn starch…. This is not corn flour or corn meal… but starch.

Mix your milk and corn starch together before turning on your burner to medium heat… You will get no lumps this way.

I love this wisk… It’s my gravy/pudding wisk… If you make either fairly often, I would highly recommend picking one up. If not, a regular wisk will do here.

Add in your sugar once your milk mixture thickens up a bit. Continue wisking constantly.

Add in your egg and have your wisk at the ready.

Wisk in the egg yolk rather aggressively… You don’t want to leave chance for your egg to cook before it is incorporated.

Allow the papas to boil while continuing to wisk for a good minute or so.

My Vavó would have loved these plates with their pretty flowers. It is important that your plate have a good rim to it. (Plates are Butterfly Meadow by Lenox)

Gently pour liquid onto the plate until it just comes up the rim of your plate.

My Vavó was always sure to have a bottle of cinnamon sugar on hand. This makes the perfect sprinkle on the hot Papas… the sugar will melt in and become slightly crisp while the cinnamon provides the perfect contrast. At this point allow the Papas to cool slightly to set.

Recipe for Vavó’s Portuguese Stovetop Pudding (Vavó’s Papas):

(serves 2)

2 cups whole milk

2 Tbs. corn starch, slightly heaping

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

cinnamon sugar for topping

Directions:

Combine milk and cornstarch in a small sauce pan. Bring to boil over medium heat wisking constantly. When mixture has thickened add in sugar, continue wisking. After about 1-2 minutes add in egg yolk, wisking extra fast so as the yolk does not cook before combined. Pour out onto a plate immediately and top with cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool just slightly to set.

Serve warm, enjoy!

*note: this recipe is gluten-free.

**note: this recipe can be made with lactose-free milk.

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

July 13, 2015July 13, 20154 Comments

Easy entertaining is all about good preparation. I have a book club with my mom, sisters and some very close friends. Last month was my turn to host and I am just getting around to sharing with you all my menu…

Dinner for 8: All Grilled Menu… 1st Course – Grilled Romaine Salad topped with bacon, avocado and a homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. 2nd Course – Grilled Shrimp Scampi over linguine Fini and a Grilled Tostada. 3rd Course – Grilled Pound Cake with strawberries and grilled peaches dressed with a simple syrup and topped with homemade whipped cream. Um… yum.

Grilling food is a great way to take a classic menu and give it a smoky twist. Grilling your fruit helps to bring out natural sugars in the caramelization process. And grilling things like your lettuce, keep your guests on their toes! And if you have everything prepared ahead of time, grilling keeps you out of the kitchen and outside with your guests!

Today we will start with the main course. I didn’t focus on cooking the linguine fini, just follow the package instructions for that. We will cover the Grilled Shrimp, the scampi sauce and the Grilled Tostada.

Start with your marinade:

Add in about 1-2 cups of dry white wine. This depends on your prep bowl, you need enough to cover the shrimp.

Add in a few slices of lemon and the juice of about 1 lemon.

Add in some dried red ground pepper.

Add in a healthy pinch of kosher salt.

Stir all together and let marinade for about 20-30 minutes tops

Just before your guests arrive, skewer your shrimp and set aside. Having the shrimp on skewers helps to portion it all out. Be sure to reserve the marinade liquid, it will be used in the next step.

For the scampi sauce:

Start off by melting one stick of butter into a large skillet… Remember, this is going to feed 8 people! (Be sure your skillet is really big, because all your pasta is coming in here a little later)

Thinly slice one whole onion.

Saute the onion until translucent over medium heat.

For the scampi, you will want about 8 cloves of garlic roughly chopped… I like one per guest.

Chop up some parsley and add in to your skillet.

Add about one cup of the reserved shrimp marinade in to the skillet. Allow this to come to a simmer for about 5 minutes… you want to cook off both the alcohol from the marinade and the raw shrimp juices that made their way into that marinade. To this add in your drained pasta. Allow it to cook together for a few minutes.

Place all your pasta in a large serving bowl and shave some parmesan cheese and some torn parsley over it.

Continue with the shrimp:

Grill your shrimp until you get nice grill marks on them and they turn pink. Don’t over cook them, that’s easy to do. Just 3-4 minutes on each side should do the trick. Also add lemons to your grill… I do one half a lemon for each guest… so I did 4 lemons.

For the Tostada:

For your Tostada, start with one loaf of french bread. (Italian is ok too)

Slice your loaf of bread on a bias.

Melt in a stick of butter into about a half cup of olive oil. remember this is going to feed 8 people!

You will need three cloves of garlic.

Using your garlic press. Press all three cloves of garlic into your warmed butter and oil.

Last step in your garlic butter oil is to add about one teaspoon of kosher salt.

Brush one side of the bread liberally with garlic butter oil… I only do one side because I really like the flavor of the unbrushed side as much as the brushed side… If you want to do both sides, go for it.

Set aside the bread until your guests arrive.

When you place your shrimp on the grill, you can place the bread oil side down on the grill.

From here people can either serve themselves… or you can plate each. To plate:

On each person’s plate be sure to place pasta, a grilled lemon and a tostada. The shimp doesn’t take long to cook at all.

Recipe for Grilled Shrimp Scampi with Garlic Tostada:

(serves 8)

Shrimp:

4 lbs. shrimp

2 lbs. linguine fini, cooked to al-dente

2 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

8 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 stick salted butter

5 lemons, divided

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, shaved

Tostada:

1 loaf french bread, sliced on bias

1 stick salted butter

1/2 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, through press

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

For the shrimp:

Marinade – Combine wine, juice of one lemon, lemon slices, salt, red pepper flakes and shrimp. Allow to marinade for about 20-30 minutes. skewer. Set aside. Reserve marinade.

Scampi sauce – Melt 1 stick of butter into a large skillet. Saute onion until translucent. Add in garlic, saute another minute or so. Add in parsley. Add in 1 cup of marinade liquid. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in drained pasta. Allow to cook together for a few minutes. Transfer to serving bowl and top with torn parsley and parmesan cheese.

Shrimp – Grill on each side for a couple minutes until pink on either side.

Tostada:

Thickly slice french bread on the bias, set aside.

In a small sauce pan melt butter with olive oil. Add in garlic that has been run through a press. Add in salt. Simmer for about a minute over medium heat. Turn off and allow to cool for a few minutes. Brush one side of each slice of bread liberally with garlic butter oil.

Place oiled side down on the grill for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Serve along side pasta.

Enjoy!

Lobster Corn Chowder

July 10, 2015July 10, 2015

Summer is such a wonderful time for food, especially in New England! We have delicious sweet corn and incredible cold water lobsters a plenty. This past 4th of July weekend we were lucky enough to have both! I even bought some extra corn and had some left over lobster so I decided to create a version of what New Englander’s are known for… chowder! Lobster and corn brought together with a creamy broth, what could be better?

I grew up in the small New England town of Westport, Massachusetts. Westport is both a fishing and farming community. Some of the biggest of those two industries has always been lobster, dairy and corn. All of these essentials are found in this dish. Who says you can’t go home again?

You’ll want to start by shucking about 8 ears of fresh corn and placing them in a pot.

Then cover the corn in cold water. Bring to a boil and shut it off… Let it sit in the water to cool a bit. (The fresher the corn, the less time it needs… but, don’t forget this will also boil again later) One it is done boiling, reserve about 1 1/2 cups of the cooking liquid for later.

Place a small ingredient bowl inverted in a larger bowl… You’ll want to make sure your larger bowl can accommodate the kernels of 8 ears of corn… This method makes for so much less mess!

Now prop up a cob of corn on top of that little ingredient bowl. If you don’t find it to be stable enough, just cut off the very bottom.

Now, carefully run you your knife down the legnth of the corn cob... be sure your fingers are out of the way!

Now, carefully run you your knife down the length of the corn cob… be sure your fingers are out of the way!

Now, this is a very important step… take the back of your knife and firmly run it down your naked cob. You are essentially creaming the corn by doing this.

Here is what you are left with 🙂

Before you begin, you will want to also boil a potato with salt and garlic, chop and reserve. Just one.

Start your soup by building your base, which is your veggies, but first you’ll need to render some bacon so that you have fat to cook your veggies in. So, cook until crisp.

Drain your bacon on a couple of paper towels. Reserve the bacon fat in the pot.

This is a shallot… a rather large shallot actually. It is a milder cousin of the onion. Because I find this to be a more delicate chowder, I didn’t want to overwhelm the flavor with onion.

Chop the shallot as you would an onion.

Saute the shallot over low heat in the reserved bacon fat.

Get one red bell pepper and halve and seed it. I like the sweetness of red bell pepper, you can use which ever color you like best.

Chop it up and add it in to the sauteing shallots.

Measure about a quarter cup of all purpose flour.

Add flour to the sautéed veggies.

Stir in that flour and cook for a minute or so.

Add all the corn you’ve prepared to your soup pot.

That corn cooking liquid you reserved goes in now. I run it through a strainer just to catch any stray corn silk.

Here is my left over lobster, isn’t he cute?

Pull off his legs. There is lots of yummy meat in those legs, but I have no patience to get all that meat out for this purpose.

So what I do is throw them right in the soup pot. This serves two purposes. First of all, it gives your cooking liquid a bit of seafood stock. Second, you can serve these right with your chowder and people can suck the meat out of them should they so choose. Now is the time to add in your potato as well.

Now, remove the body and discard. (I don’t put the body in the soup pot because there is too much mush for my taste). Shell all this lobster.

Once you have shelled the tail, you can pull off the back of the tail as I have done here and remove that vein. Some people don’t bother with this step, I just do. It’s up to you.

Now chop up the meat you have reserving the claw pieces to top your chowder if you so choose.

Add the chopped lobster to the soup pot to heat through.

When all your ingredients have hung out together for a few minutes… Add in half a quart of light cream.

Chop and crumble bacon into the soup pot.

Add salt and pepper to taste. I like a good amount of fresh cracked black pepper.

Add a couple dashes of white pepper.

Add some sliced scallions, oyster crackers, the reserved lobster claw, serve and enjoy!

Recipe for Lobster Corn Chowder:

(Serves 8)

1 boiled lobster, shelled and chopped

8 ears of corn, boiled

1 1/2 cups corn cooking liquid reserved

1 large red potato, cooked and chopped

1 large shallot chopped

1/2 red bell pepper seeded and chopped

3 slices bacon

rendered bacon fat reserved

1/2 quart light cream

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. white pepper

kosher salt to taste

fresh cracked black pepper to taste

2 scallions chopped

oyster crackers or saltines

Directions:

Prepare potato by boiling in salted water and one clove of garlic (optional). Prepare lobster by boiling or getting it steamed from your fish monger. Prepare corn on the cob by shucking and bringing to a boil, reserving 1 1/2 cups corn cooking water. Cool these ingredients so they are easy to handle.

Next shell and chop lobster. Reserve lobster legs. Remove corn kernels from cob and cream from cob as well (demonstrated above). Chop potato. Set aside all ingredients for when they are needed.

Render bacon fat, reserve fat in soup pot. Set aside bacon to drain on paper towel. Sautee shallots and bell pepper in the bacon fat over low heat for about 5-6 minutes until tender. Add in flour. Cook flour for a minute or so, stirring. Add in corn. Stir. Add in corn cooking liquid. Stir. Bring to a simmer. Add in lobster, potato and lobster legs. Stir. Pour in light cream. Stir. Add in white pepper. Add in salt and black pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

(If you would like to make this recipe gluten-free, swap out all purpose flour with corn starch)

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)

July 8, 2015November 5, 2015

Sometimes the simplest foods are the most delicious. That is certainly the case for this Portuguese classic. Growing up, there were always a big platter of these at any given family gathering. Just a simple red bliss potato boiled till tender and stuffed with some wet crushed pepper or pimenta moida.

In this recipe, I have taken this simple recipe to the next level. Although still simple, I have added one more step… cooking down the pepper with a bit of olive oil and garlic. Give them a try, you’ll be glad you did.

Start off by carefully cutting into your uncooked potato… Go in about 2/3 of the way through and stop. You will want to make sure the flat side of the potato is facing down so that when they are placed on the platter later, they don’t roll too much.

Cover your potatoes in a cold water in a pan just large enough to accomodate your potatoes. For purposes of this recipe, lets say 8 medium sized red bliss potatoes.

Cover your potatoes in a cold water in a pan just large enough to accommodate your potatoes. For purposes of this recipe, lets say 8 medium-sized red bliss potatoes.

Add in a generous pinch of salt. The goal here is to flavor the potato itself.

Grab one clove of garlic.

Crush the garlic and remove the peel.

Add garlic into the potatos and salted water. Then turn on the burner to bring potatoes to a boil.

Add garlic into the potatoes and salted water. Then turn on the burner to bring potatoes to a boil.

When you see the splits in the potatoes start to come apart a bit, its a good hint to check to see if they are fork tender. Then allow to cool a little while in the water and then drain to continue cooling. You will need to handle these with your hands.

While this is going on, you can begin preparations for the stuffing:

Run two cloves of garlic through a press, or mince garlic by hand. Add to cold olive oil in a small skillet. Then turn burner on to medium. You want to saute the garlic without burning or turning garlic brown. The goal is to not only cook the garlic, but to infuse the oil with that garlic flavor.

Next add in a good quality wet crushed red pepper. My family makes our own each fall and we remove most of the seeds so it isn’t too spicy. You can find a good quality wet crushed red pepper in any portuguese market and in some super markets. If you don’t have either option… gather a few medium spice peppers, seed and grind, soak with salt in its own juices over night to achieve a similar effect. Or order from a portuguese grocer on-line.

Simmer on low for about 5 minutes in the garlic infused oil. Allow to cool slightly.

Your potatoes should be cool enough to touch for this next step. Gently open the slit you made in the potato just enough to allow a spoon full of pepper in there… There is almost always a casualty or two that split wide open into two pieces… just put those on the bottom of your platter!

Go about the stuffing of the potatoes until you have filled your platter.

Yum!

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

8 medium red bliss potatoes

1/2 cup Portuguese wet red crushed pepper

3 garlic cloves, divided

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Prepare potatoes by washing and cutting into each potato about 2/3 way through and stopping. Add into a pot and cover with cold water. Add in salt and 1 clove of garlic crushed. Bring to a boil over high heat. When split in potatoes start to separate, check they are fork tender. When fork tender, shut off flame and allow liquid to cool a bit. Drain and continue to allow to cool.

Prepare the stuffing by sauteing two cloves of garlic that have been run through a garlic press to a small skillet with cold olive oil. Turn burner on to medium heat and gently saute the garlic in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add in about 1/2 cup of red pepper. Saute for about 5 minutes over low heat. Allow to cool slightly.

Stuff potatoes with pepper mixture. Serve. Enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free recipe.

the portuguese american mom

stay awhile… have a cup of tea, let's get creative!

Month: July 2015

Simple Chicken Stock

Pan-Fried Mint Bread “Pudding” (Pudim de Hortelã)

Southwest Turkey Burger

“Portuguese Style” S’Mores (Bolacha Maria S’mores)

Lobster Risotto

Lobster Risotto

Strawberry Lime Corn Salad

Vavó’s Portuguese Stovetop Pudding (Vavó’s Papas)

Grilled Shrimp Scampi

Lobster Corn Chowder

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)

Portuguese Style Pepper Stuffed Potatoes (Batatas com Pimenta)