Category: Portuguese Comida

Portuguese Chicken & Rice (Arroz com Frango)

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Spring is a funny time of year here in the Northeast.  Some days it’s sunny and you want to stay outside and grill and enjoy the beautiful day and the very next week, you can have 5 days of clouds and rain.  It makes for an interesting trip to the market when trying to plan out meals.  One thing that works rain or shine and really can provide some rainy day comfort is this one pot Portuguese dish, Arroz com Frango (Chicken & Rice)!

I have loved chicken and rice ever since I was a little girl.  What’s not to love right?  There is a juicy flavorful chicken combined with equally flavorful rice and potatoes, not to mention the nuggets of chouriço that are tucked away in there.  It’s really everything you could want from Portuguese cooking all in one spot.

This meal is also quite versatile.  In my house, my dad has always been a big fan of chicken legs, so my mom always made it with just legs.  And if you like that, great, make it just like we do!  But, if you prefer thighs or even breasts, this recipe accommodates that too.  Also, we make this with beer as many of my Portuguese recipes have, but white wine works well too and if you don’t keep alcohol in the house, just use some chicken stock.  It will still be delicious!  The key here is those main Portuguese spices, the crushed red pepper, the chouriço (which is used as much for its flavor as for the meat itself), the garlic and of course the Portuguese All Spice (which can be swapped out for sweet paprika in a pinch).

It’s an easy recipe that has something for the whole family.  Take a look at how I do it…

Start with some fresh chicken. I prefer legs for this recipe, but thighs would be great and if you only do breast, then that works too. I also prefer that it have skin as the skin imparts quite a bit of flavor. It can be removed after cooking if you like.

Start by searing your chicken. (Sorry this picture is so dark! It’s a big dark pot.)

You want to get every side.

Remove the chicken from the pot.

Peel and slice up some hot chouriço.

Chop up a large onion.

Saute the onion in the chicken fat you have just rendered. If not enough fat has been rendered, then you can add some olive oil.

Add in chouriço.

Get a few cloves of garlic.

Smash them with your knife and this makes the peel easy to remove. Add the peeled garlic into the pot.

Chop up about 6-8 potatoes… You want about one small potato per piece of chicken you are using or 1 large for every two pieces.

Add in a bottle of beer. Use that bottle of beer to measure out about 6-8 more of water. (white wine can be substituted for the beer)

Measure out your rice. This is NOT par boiled, medium grain rice. Uncle Ben’s does not work here, neither does any kind of quick cooking rice. Just good old-fashioned rice. I like River Rice.

Add rice into pot.

Add in one small can of tomato sauce.

And one to two heaping Tbs. of ground red pepper.

Add in a good pinch of kosher salt.

Add in Portuguese All Spice. If you don’t have this handy, add in about a tsp. of sweet paprika. (NOT SMOKY)

Keep an eye on it, if the rice needs more water. Once the potatoes have cooked through and the rice is plump and has absorbed most of the liquid, You are through.

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Portuguese Chicken & Rice (Arroz com Frango)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. chicken, skin on

8-10 small potatoes, peeled and diced

4 cups medium grain white rice

1 large onion, diced

1 beer (or 1 cup white wine or chicken stock)

3 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled

1 lb. hot chouriço, peeled and sliced

1 (6 oz.) can tomato sauce

2 Tbs. Pimenta moida (crushed red pepper)

1/2 tsp. Portuguese All Spice

1 Tbs. kosher salt

8 cups water

Instructions:

In a large heavy pot over high heat, sear chicken.  Remove chicken from pot and turn heat down to medium heat.  Add in onions, saute.  Add in chouriço and garlic.  Add chicken back in to pot.  Add in beer, water, rice, potatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, All Spice and salt.  Stir.  Cover and cook on low until potatoes are fork tender and rice has plumped to become fully cooked and absorbed most of the liquid.  Watch pot throughout cooking time, stirring and adding water if needed.  

*This is a gluten free recipe so long as white wine is used in lieu of beer.

Portuguese Style Stuffed Peppers

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Stuffed peppers are a meal all in themselves.  They have protein, grain and vegetable all in one perfect package.  Adding in the chouriço, portuguese ground pepper (pimenta moida) and Portuguese Allspice really bring it into “Portuguese Style” territory!

These are great for a weeknight meal, to bring in to work for lunch or make some of the stuffing, freeze in an airtight bag and stuff fresh peppers whenever you get the inkling!

 

I like the red, orange and yellow peppers myself because they are sweeter, but if you prefer green, go ahead and use green!

Cut each pepper in half lengthwise. This will later lead to a more crispy top on your stuffing.

Seed the peppers removing as much of the white pith as you can.

Dice up a medium onion.

Fresh parsley is important here.

Chop it up.

Use one large can of plain tomato sauce. reserving about 1/3 of it for topping the peppers before they go into the oven.

The meat for this stuffing is made up of half ground beef and half chouriço.

Add in the onion.

Brown everything together in the skillet.

Once browned, add in 2/3 of the can of sauce.

Now add in a couple of cups of cooked white rice. If you prefer brown rice here, that’s fine, just be sure it is thoroughly cooked, this is not the time for aldente anything.

Add in some salt and pepper to taste and your stuffing is ready!

Select a baking dish that will comfortably fit the number of peppers you are looking to bake without being too tight.

Grease the baking dish with some oil.

Place your peppers with the cut side up on your baking dish ready for stuffing.

Stuff each pepper 1 and a half times its size so that it has a nice rounded top of stuffing.

Cover with some plain sauce just to keep the stuffing moist.

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Portuguese Stuffed Peppers

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2-3 bell peppers, cut in half and seeded

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground chouriço

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups cooked rice

1 can tomato sauce

2 Tbs. parsley, chopped

1 Tbs. Pimenta Moida (ground pepper)

1/2 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Brown ground beef, ground chouriço and onion in a skillet over medium heat.  Drain if there is an excess of fat (a little fat is ok).  Add in Pimenta Moida, parsley and a little salt and pepper (don’t over do it here) and 2/3 can of tomato sauce.  Stir.  Add in cooked rice.  Stir.

Stuff filling into peppers and place in an oiled baking dish.  Top stuffed peppers with remaining 1/3 can of tomato sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes until pepper has cooked through. Serve hot.

***Gluten-free

Skillet Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau à Brás)

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It is said that there are over 700 different ways to prepare Portuguese style cod fish.  Bacalhau à Brás is one of the more popular and certainly one of the most famous ways to enjoy this versatile ingredient.

One might wonder why salt cod is so important and prevalent to the Portuguese cuisine.  But, one must only think about the historical aspect of the Portuguese culture to understand it.  The Portuguese have long been famous sea-faring people.  From the great Prince Henry the Navigator to Ferdinand Magellan, the Portuguese ruled the seas and for a short time in history were the most powerful nation in the world because of it.  So what sustained all those great sailors?  Why… salt cod of course.  While I’m sure the Portuguese had other foods among their mighty ships, salt cod was an easy sustainable and very easily stored source of protein for the men who braved the oceans for centuries.  It could be kept in a ship hold for months or even years if need be and if they ran out all they need do is make more right out on the ocean.

This particular dish is not something I would call a “weeknight” meal.  There are several stages to preparing the recipe not least of which includes soaking the cod overnight and changing out the water several times to tame down it’s saltiness.  Then there is the preparing of the potatoes which in my recipe are first par boiled and then fried.  Then making the sautéed onions, garlic and pepper and preparing the eggs.  Do this on a Friday night for lent or on a Sunday for lunch and you are sure to be pleased!

These are bits of salt cod soaking in water. I soaked them over night and changed the water 3 times before I used it in this dish.

This is one bit of cod. Place on a plate to work with it. Or you can place a bunch in a bowl, but be sure it has been drained.

The goal is to break apart the fish into small chunks, but not to shred it.

This should be your end result. This is now ready to add to your recipe.

Crack eggs into a large-ish bowl.

Beat well with a fork.

Fresh flat leaf parsley is very needed in this recipe for it’s freshness and taste. If you have curly leaf, that’s ok… but best is Italian Flat Leaf.

Roughly chop parsley.

Very thinly slice your onions.

Thinly slice and then dice your garlic.

Add cold/room temperature water to new potatoes and parboil for 10 minutes.

Once potatoes have been boiling for 10 minutes, drain water and allow to cool before working with them.

Cut in half to further allow for cooling.

The peels should easily come right off without taking any actual potato with them, in other words, you should be able to just remove the skin without any flesh.

Cut potatoes into a thin match stick type french fry.

Heat oil to the point of forming bubbles on the end of a wooden spoon when inserted. Or you can test oil by placing one piece of potato in and if it bubbles right up, the oil is ready. Once this happens keep heat to med/high.

Once fries come to this color, remove and place on some paper to drain. Lightly salt with kosher salt right away. (Do not over do it with the salt, remember the cod will be salty on its own.)

Sautée onions in olive oil over medium heat.

Once onions start to take on some color, add in garlic.

Add in some Pimenta Moida. (if you don’t have this handy, add in 1 tsp. dried pepper flakes.

Continue sautéing.

Add in prepared chunked cod. Stir to marry the flavors.

Add in reserved french fries.

Add egg and stir quickly so this doesn’t turn into an omelet.

Add in some parsley.

Once egg has almost set, add olives and finish with more parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.

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Bacalhau à Brás

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 – 1 1/2 lbs. salt cod tid bits, soaked, drained and chuncked

7-8 medium new potatoes, par boiled, peeled and cut into matchstick fries

8 lg. eggs, well beaten

4 onions, thinly sliced in rings

4 garlic cloves, sliced and chopped

4 Tbs. pimenta moida (alternatively 1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)

1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup olive oil, plus more to finish dish

1 cup vegetable oil for frying potatoes only

1 cup olives (optional)

Directions:

Fry dry cut potatoes in either a skillet with 1 cup of veggie oil or in a deep fryer until golden.  Drain on pepper towels and lightly salt.

Sautée onions in a skillet with olive oil over med. heat.  When onions start to take on color, add in garlic, sautée another minute.  Add in Pimenta Moida, sautée another minute. Add in chunked cod, continue to sautée a few minutes.  Add french fries and stir to incorporate.  Add in egg and stir to coat all ingredients in the skillet.  Immediately add parsley and stir.  Cook until egg is almost set.  Garnish with additional parsley, olives and drizzle with fresh olive oil.  Serve hot.

***Gluten-free

Portuguese Meringues (Suspiros)

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How can I describe a Suspiro?  Well… If you have never had a Suspiro or a meringue before, what I can say is imagine what cotton candy’s opposite would be texture wise while still retaining all the sugar.  It’s almost like a chalky consistency, but far from that in flavor.  And the best part about the home-made ones most especially is that they have a relatively gooey middle.

Suspiros have been part of my life forever. Every Portuguese market I know of always has these big beautiful sweet treats stocked. More candy than cookie, these special goodies were only bought every so often in my house, but when they were, we were always happy kids! Unlike the American version (Meringues) which are only about the size of a half-dollar, Portuguese Suspiros are about the size of a hamburger bun. They are best eaten slowly with a cup of tea.

In my opinion each and every holiday should include Suspiros, but none more than Easter! After 40 days of Lenten sacrifice, there is nothing more satisfying than pure sugar! They can be colored, of course, to accommodate any theme (think pink for Princess tea parties or blue for a baby shower) and are a great addition to birthday parties and anything you might want something a little “out of the box” for. A major part of making these yummies is drying them out, it is best to make them when it is not too humid out and best stored in an air tight container or zip tight bag.

Preheat your oven to 225°F.

Start by adding about 2″ of water to the bottom of a medium-sized sauce pan. Bring the water to a simmer over medium heat.

You want to be sure the sauce pan you use is smaller than the bowl of your electric mixer.

You want to be sure the sauce pan you use is smaller than the bowl of your electric mixer.

Separate 4 egg whites into the bowl of your electric mixer. Cold eggs aid in this process.

They won’t look like much in the bowl, but their volume will increase, don’t worry.

Use the egg yolks in a cake recipe or to make lemon curd or just discard.

Measure out 1 1/2 cups of granulated white sugar.

Add directly to the egg whites.

With a hand whisk, incorporate the sugar in with the whites by beating well.

Once the whites and the sugar are beaten to a slightly frothy milky white substance, place the bowl on the sauce pan that you have brought to a simmer. Beat steadily and quickly with your hand whisk for about 3-4 minutes.

You will know the mixture is ready to remove from the heat when it looks like the sugar crystals have melted as you bring the mixture up the side of the bowl as seen here.

Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.

Once sugar crystals appear to have dissolved, place bowl on electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high until mixture has cooled and stiff peaks have formed. This should take about 4-5 minutes.

The mixture is so stiff that when I remove it from the machine and let it rest for transport to the sink, it just stays up right.

Stiff peak.

Ready your supplies. I am using a disposable pastry bag and an extra-large tip. If you don’t have these supplies, you can use a gallon size freezer bag and attach whatever size decorating tip you have, or just use no tip at all. The Suspiros will turn out just fine, they just won’t have the pretty carved look to them. (Unless you cut a zig-zag shape into the corner or “tip” of your bag.)

Prepare the bag by cutting off enough tip to accommodate your tip holder.

This is what you should have once it is all assembled.

I like to start by folding back about an inch from the top. whether using a pastry bag or a gallon size freezer bag, this tip helps to fill without incident.

The tip I am using today is a 1M by Wilton.

Fill the bag.

Unfold that top portion you had originally folded down. Pinch at the top so as not to lose too much mixture.

In a circular motion, pipe the mixture onto the parchment lined pan.

Build as high as you like. I like good hearty Suspiros. These are about 2 1/2″ in diameter.

Once all the Suspiros are built, they are ready for the oven.

Bake at 225°F for one hour without opening the oven door. Once the hour is up, shut off the oven and leave the Suspiros in the oven until completely cool about 1-2 hours more.

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Suspiros (Meringue)

Serves 16

Ingredients.

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 225°F,

Beat egg whites with sugar by hand for about 30 seconds in the bowl of an electric mixer. Place a sauce pan on the stove with about 2″ of water in it.  Bring water to a simmer. Place the bowl on the sauce pan and beat constantly. (This is an important step as it both builds volume and keeps the mixture moving so that the eggs don’t cook.) After about 3-4 minutes, check that the sugar crystals have mostly dissolved. Remove from heat and return bowl to the electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk mixture for about 4-5 minutes until stiff peaks can be formed.

Place mixture in a piping bag (or gallon size freezer bag) fitted with a star tip (or just with the end cut off). Pipe mixture onto a parchment lined sheet pan in 3″ round circles that are about 2″ high.

Place sheet pans in the oven and bake at 225°F for one hour without opening the oven. Then turn off the oven and allow Suspiros to cool completely in the oven before removing. Remove from oven and enjoy! Be sure to store in an air tight container.

Portuguese Kale Soup (Sopa de Couves)

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Probably one of the most recognizable staples in any Portuguese-American home is Sopa de Couves.  More affectionately referred to as just “Sopas” or “Sopinhas” (soup-ee-n-yas), this beloved peasant style soup is not a thing to be trifled with.  It is as hearty as they come almost a cross between a soup and a stew.  Served with a fresh piece of Portuguese bread (pop-seco), this soup is served as a main course in the Portuguese-American home.  Often a big pot of this is prepared on a Sunday, served for “dinner” at 1 o’clock and then left overs are served all week long… at least that’s how it was in my house. Two things that are not well-known by many of my American friends is that no two families prepare this soup the same way and there is actually no kale in this soup!

Let’s tackle the recipe issue first.  The Azores are made up of 9 islands off the coast of Portugal. Until recently, communication was not something that was abundant among the tiny villages throughout these islands let alone among the islands themselves. Hense, a different recipe developed within each village.  Often times this soup was made up of whatever a family had on hand resulting in a different recipe among each family.  The basics are the couves of course, then inexpensive vegetables like potatoes, cabbage and beans.  If a family was lucky, a piece of meat was added in along with a piece of chouriço!  Whether to add carrots (which my family does not) or cabbage (which my family does) was often a matter of what was grown in their back yard garden or simply what was on hand.  Today, each family has their special family recipe and that is likely a very loved recipe upon which all other versions of the soup are compared against.

Now onto the issue of the kale.  So, Kale Soup is actually made from the Portuguese “Couves” which is a cousin to kale.  It has a broad flat, deep green leaf more closely resembling a Collard Green.  In fact, making kale soup with the American curly kale would not be traditional at all.  My grandfather brought Couve seeds over from St. Michael many many years ago and my family has been growing the vegetable in our back yard gardens ever since.  If I ever run out of the home-grown authentic Couves, I in fact use Collard Greens and it turns out just fine.

What I will take you through today is my family’s version of this Portuguese staple… and if I do say so myself, it is a really good version!  Thick and hearty, this soup starts with a bean broth base with no whole beans in it at all.  Most of the ingredients are kept in my freezer and pantry at all times so a pot of this is usually ready to go whenever I get the inclination. Naturally this soup has really become a football food in my family seeing as how we make it on a Sunday and football is on on Sundays. There is nothing like a steaming hot bowl of soup and a fresh piece of crusty bread to really take you through each quarter of a football game! Take a look at how I do it…

 

Fill your largest pot with water. This is my Pampered Chef 12-qt Executive Non-stick stock pot, it’s huge and I love it!

Rinse off and pick through your beans. I like to use a dual colored bean like this pinto or you could use a cranberry bean as well.

Rinse off and pick through your beans. I like to use a dual colored bean like this pinto or you could use a cranberry bean as well.

After they have boiled for about two hours, you will have beans that are busting open on their own. This is the desired effect. You in no way want aldente beans. You want smushy beans.

Now you can add in a good pinch of salt.

I have to tell you my soup making life was forever changed when I bought one of these handy-dandy stick blenders. I just take the blender and submerge it in the hot soup without fear of splashback and I can easily blend all those beans at the bottom of the pot! If you don’t have one of these lovely contraptions, you can do what I used to do… allow the soup to cool to “non-scalding” level and start ladling it into a blender. This will need to be done in stages. It’s alright it there are a handful of beans that don’t end up blended, but you want to be sure the majority of them are well blended in with the cooking water. Do NOT get rid of the cooking water! You want all that flavor!

Now, although a great deal of the cooking water has evaporated at this point, you will need to add in enough to bring the soup level up over the half way mark in your pot, almost to 3/4 of the way up actually. Seen here is your soup base. From this point on, you will want to keep your burner turned to med/med high depending on the strength of your stove. Remember this base can easily burn if you aren’t careful. And take it from me, there is nothing worst than burnt soup!

Now that your base is done, you can start to add in your ingredients. Probably one of the most inexpensive cuts of beef there are out there with the most flavor to impart is the beef shank. This is traditionally what we use in a good Portuguese soup. You want to keep that bone in there and hope that the bone marrow that is in it will melt right into the soup. If not, you can always manually do it. Then later you can remove the bone and its great for your favorite 4 legged canine!

This time of year, obviously I don’t have a garden full of couves. But at harvest time, I was sure to cut some up and package it into nice freezer bags to last all winter long. If you don’t have this handy, no problem… Just grab a bunch of collard greens at the supermarket. rinse each leaf, roll them up and cut into ribbons about 1/2 wide. For this recipe you will need half a bunch and you can freeze the other half just like this for next time!

I don’t bother defrosting my couves, I just pop them right in the hot soup water and here they are. It only takes about a minute really.

A lot of the spice in this soup, which isn’t crazy, is provided by the chouriço, but I like to help it along a bit with a heaping tablespoon of pimenta moida.

Cabbage. This is a take it or leave it ingredient in this soup. I prefer my soup with a bit of cabbage, some don’t. If I don’t have any in the fridge, it doesn’t prevent me from making this soup, I just leave it out.

I use anywhere between 1/4 – 1/2 the cabbage and i chop it up like so, it will further fall apart on its own. All in all you want about two cups of cut up cabbage.

I use all-purpose potatoes for this recipe, nothing fancy.

Roughly dice into chunks. I like to try for a little bigger than a quarter.

Add these in after the cabbage has been added in and cooked for about 1/2 hour or so. Then cook potatoes until fork tender before adding in the pasta.

This is my favorite pasta to use. Elbows are traditional. I like Barilla just because of the extra grooves, but any elbow will do.

Add in to boiling soup with another pinch of salt and boil for about 25 more minutes. Again, the goal here is not to have aldente pasta, at all.

This is what your soup should look like when complete.  At this point I finish the soup with a good swig of vegetable oil like my Vavó always did.

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Portuguese Kale Soup (Sopa de Couves)

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

1 16 oz. bag dried pinto beans, rinsed and picked through

8-10 medium all-purpose potatoes, diced largely

2 cups Couves or Collard Green, Chopped into 1/2″ ribbons

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 lb. beef shank

1 lb. chouriço, cut into 1 1/2″ chunks (not peeled)

1 heaping Tbs. Portuguese ground red pepper

1/2 lb elbows macaroni

kosher salt

2 Tbs. vegetable oil (optional)

water

Directions:

note: I use a 12-qt. stock pot for this recipe

Soak beans over night if you have the chance.  If not, boil beans for several hours until they are very soft and popping open.  Do NOT add salt to this step.

Once beans are fully cooked, use a stick blender to blend beans in with cooking liquid.  Add water to pot enough to come 1/2 – 3/4 of the way up your largest pot.  Add in beef shank, a large pinch of salt, couves (collard greens), chouriço, cabbage and pepper.  Boil this for about 1/2 hour until the couves  and cabbage become soft.  Next, add in the potatoes and cook until fork tender, about another 1/2 hour.  Add in the elbow macaroni, simmer until done about another 1/2 hour.  Finish with a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil.  Serve hot with a crusty piece of bread.

***To make this recipe gluten-free, omit the macaroni or use a gluten-free version, but be careful not to over boil the gluten-free version as the recipe calls for with the non-gluten-free.

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Portuguese Stuffing (Recheio)

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This is the stuffing I grew up eating. It is the only thing that I knew to be stuffing until I was a teenager and my friend’s mother would get Bell seasoned croutons to make what I now identify as a “stove top” type stuffing.  The two types of stuffing can not even be compared. So I won’t even try.  What I will do is tell you that to date, I have never tried a stuffing I have liked better or one that is nearly as flavorful and savory.  My family’s Portuguese Stuffing recipe is a treasure on our Thanksgiving table each and every year.

My family’s stuffing recipe does not start with croutons at all, but with day old bread.  The flavor comes from a combination of very traditional Portuguese seasonings… Portuguese Hot Chouriço is a main component along with pimenta moida, Portuguese All Spice, onions and garlic.  The method is really what turns it into a stuffing.  I’ll take you through that in the tutorial below.

The recipe has changed slightly over the years.  When my grandmother was alive, in addition to the chouriço meat that we add in to this delicious recipe, we would also add in the giblets.  That stopped when I got old enough to understand what giblets were… Well, I say that stopped, but I am quite sure my mother continued to sneak them in until I started really helping her prepare Thanksgiving dinner.  And although this stuffing was delicious with the giblets, in my opinion, it is just as delicious without.  That being said, I do mention in the tutorial where you can add them in if you so choose.  Another change that we have made is that traditionally we would always stuff the turkey with the stuffing as it is “stuffing”.  And my mother really liked the addition of the turkey juices into the stuffing as it cooked, but with the national recommendations not to do that, we have stopped filling the turkey with the entire batch of stuffing.  Now what I do, is usually add about a cup or two just to the outer portion of the turkey cavity so that it can both gather juices and get crispy on the outside while still able to cook thoroughly.  Then the rest is still prepared in a casserole dish.

 

A good Portuguese stuffing starts with a good day old Portuguese bread. These are pop-secos.

Tare the bread up.

Place bread in a large bowl of water.

Press bread down so it can soak in all the water.

Saute onions in some olive oil over medium heat in the largest skillet you have.

Add in some garlic and continue to saute over medium heat.

This is a bag of ground chouriço I got from my local butcher. If you don’t have this available to you, just get some chouriço, peel the skin off the sausage and run it through a food processor for a minute or so.

Here is what it will look like.

Add chouriço in with your sautéed onions and garlic.

You will want to cook it down until some of the fat is rendered from the chouriço and it stats to get a bit crispy.  If you like to use giblets in your stuffing, this is where you would add in the chopped giblets.  We do not use them anymore as they are not a family favorite.

When the color of the chouriço is bright and you have rendered some of the fat, add in a couple of table spoons of crushed red pepper (pimenta moida).

Next, squeeze out most of the water from your bread by hand.

Add it into your skillet.

Cook the wet bread in with the chouriço mixture.  

Keep working the chouriço, onions and garlic in through the bread after about 10 minutes of this, remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a large casserole dish.  At this point, taste for salt and add if needed.

Place two eggs in a bowl.

Beat the eggs well and add in to your bread mixture.

Mix eggs into the bread mixture as thoroughly as you can.

Next, add in about a teaspoon of Portuguese All Spice. (There is a quick recipe for Portuguese All Spice at the bottom of my Beef Stew recipe)

Add in and mix well… then bake in a 350°F degree oven for about 45 minutes to an hour… the goal is for it to get crispy on top, heated all the way through and not wet in the middle.

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Portuguese Stuffing (Recheio)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 1/2 dozen Portuguese Pop-Secos (rolls)

1/2 lb. ground chouriço

1 large onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

3-4 Tbls. crushed red pepper (Pimenta Moida)

1 tsp. Portuguese All Spice

2 eggs, beaten

turkey giblets, chopped (optional)

kosher salt to taste

olive oil

6-8 quarts of water for soaking

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl filled 3/4 with luke warm water, tare bread and soak.

In a large skillet, saute onions in olive oil over medium heat.  When onions are starting to cook through, add in garlic and saute another minute.  Add in chouriço and continue to saute. The next step will take place once the chouriço is starting to render its fat and become crispy. At this point, add in giblets if desired.

Hold soaked bread between both hands and squeeze out most of the water.  Add each piece into your hot skillet.  Incorporate the wet bread in with the chouiço mixture and continue to saute the bread in the skillet for about 10 minutes.  At this point taste for salt and add if needed.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.  Place in a large casserole dish.

Add in beaten eggs and Portuguese All Spice.  Mix in well. Place casserole uncovered in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through and top is crispy.

Enjoy!

 

Portuguese Onion Medley (Cebolada)

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My father attended a Portuguese Catholic Elementary school when he was a boy after he and his family moved to Fall River, Massachusetts from St. Michael, Azores in Portugal.  He recalled for me that every day he and his siblings (he had 8) would return home for lunch and Cebolada was almost always on the menu.  My Vavó would serve it along with chouriço and a fresh Portuguese pop-sec (bread roll).

Although my mother’s family came from a totally opposite side St. Michael, she told me that her mother would make this quite often as well… She said that her favorite time of year to make Cebolada was in the summer when she had lots of fresh tomatoes coming out of the garden.  My mother said she remembers her mother either eating Cebolada as is or over a left over piece of fried fish.

Cebolada is a quintessential Portuguese staple.  All the flavors that you will find in almost any Portuguese dish is concentrated right here in this recipe.  Many, like my grandmother will eat Cebolada just as is and it’s a great vegetarian dish just so.  I personally love Cebolada over some velvety soft, boiled yams and make it each and every year as a side on my Thanksgiving table.  A cousin of mine says that her mother always pairs Cebolada with crabs.  But, more often than not, Cebolada is used to stretch food, either left overs or if only a little protein is had.  And of course I can’t be certain, but my guess is that this was the original intention of the dish.

I start off with 3 large onions.

Peel the onions leaving them whole.

Then slice up some fairly thick slices.

You will want to cover the bottom of a large skillet with olive oil.

Place your onions in the skillet over medium heat…

Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Slow cooking is key here, this is not something that can be rushed.

While the onions are cooking… prep your remaining ingredients…

I am using two fresh from the garden, ripe tomatoes. Any type of tomato will do here. Whatever you have on hand is fine.

I am using two fresh from the garden, ripe tomatoes. Any type of tomato will do here. Whatever you have on hand is fine.

Today I have decided to dice them up pretty largely. You can go smaller or you could slice in rounds, it’s totally up to you… In the winter when tomatoes aren’t fresh I use either a diced can tomato or a whole Roma tomato that i break up by hand… or sometimes I will just use a tomato sauce… so just do what you like best!

Three cloves of garlic… please use fresh here, it makes a difference as there are only 4 ingredients and two seasonings.

I dice/mince the garlic.

When the onions start to get soft, you know you are ready for the next step.

Add in your garlic.

I put in only about a half a tsp. of Portuguese Allspice.

Once you have given the garlic a minute to play with the onions, add in your tomatoes.

Then drop in two heaping Tbs. of wet ground red pepper. You want to be careful here though, you really need to know your ingredients... I put in two Tbs. because I like the flavor and my pepper is not particularly spicy, if yours is be conscious of that... Also, be aware of the salt content.

Then drop in two heaping Tbs. of wet ground red pepper. You want to be careful here though, you really need to know your ingredients… I put in two Tbs. because I like the flavor and my pepper is not particularly spicy, if yours is be conscious of that… Also, be aware of the salt content.

Stir it right in and lower your heat to about a medium/low.

Keep at it, stirring every few minutes so that nothing sticks to the pan and the flavors will really start to meld. Once everything starts to mush together a bit and the onions are starting to break down and melt, you are done... Check for salt and serve.

Keep at it, stirring every few minutes so that nothing sticks to the pan and the flavors will really start to meld. Once everything starts to mush together a bit and the onions are starting to break down and melt, you are done… Check for salt and serve.

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Recipe for Cebolada:

(serves 4-6)

3 large onions, sliced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 heaping Tbs. mild wet ground red pepper

1/8 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

1/2 tsp. salt, plus more to taste as needed

Directions:

Saute onions (add salt to onions) in olive oil over medium heat until softened and pliable.  Add in garlic, saute for another minute.  Add in Allspice and pepper.  Add in tomatoes. Turn down heat to medium/low.  Continue to saute, stirring every few minutes until onions appear to be breaking down and tomatoes are soft.  Taste for salt, add if needed.  Serve.

Enjoy!

My favorite way to eat:

As I mentioned, I love to serve mine over yams… not sweet potatoes, yams. I boil them in salted water, then toss them in the emptied skillet I just used to make the Cebolada and fry them in olive oil for about two minutes and serve.

Add on the Cebolada and Yum!!!

 

 

Mom’s Amazing Chouriço & Peppers (Chouriço com Pimenta)

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done7My Mom makes the most amazing Chouriço & Peppers sandwiches. We just celebrated my son’s 3rd birthday and of course I asked my Mom to make this delightful treat.  I also asked that she be sure I was there to document her exact steps with my trusty camera, so you get the recipe right from the source.

Five easy ingredients, one pot, and three simple steps make for a new favorite week night meal, pot luck contribution, tail gating staple or party request time and time again.  I don’t think I can ever recall a Portuguese party that did not have some version of this sandwich piled up on a platter.  But, I have to say every time I bring these little sandwiches with this specific recipe to a party, I hear nothing but compliments and requests for the recipe. This past weekend was no exception. People ate them right up and kept coming back for more! So here it is…

Here is the start.

Here is the start.

This is ground chouriço… Most recipes involving chouriço that I have shared thus far have involved chouriço in its original form… but this is a version sold without the skin and ground up.

It’s the same price as regular chouriço and for this recipe we are starting with 3 lbs. because this is for a party.

A lot of people like to use green bell peppers for this recipe, but I am not a fan of the green, I prefer the sweeter red, orange and yellow. This is total personal preference. If you want to go the traditional route, go ahead and use green.

Three small cans of tomato sauce. We like to use plain Hunt’s… not ‘no salt added’ not ‘italian seasoning’ …just plain.

My mom likes to dice her onions pretty finely, she is not a fan of chunky onions in anything.

My mom likes to dice her onions pretty finely, she is not a fan of chunky onions in anything.

The peppers however, are diced up pretty big, each piece is roughly chopped to the size of between a nickel and a quarter. Saute both onions and peppers in a bit of olive oil for just a few minutes.

Add in all the tomato sauce and stir.

Now you want to add in about 8 oz. of beer per pound of chouriço.

Add in chouriço.

Stir.  Notice how thick the consistency is when you start out.

Cover, lower heat to medium/low and allow to simmer.

As the cooking process goes on some of the fat is released from the chouriço and it becomes much more liquidy. Continue to cook until that liquid gets reduced by about half. In the end, you still want it moist.

Each brand of chouriço has a different level of fat, this recipe is based on Michael’s Provisions Chouriço which has a low fat content and so it produces less liquid when cooking… If you are using a chouriço with a higher fat content, you may need to cook longer to cook off some of the liquid.

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Recipe for Mom’s Amazing Chouriço & Peppers:

(makes 30 party size sandwiches)

3 lbs. ground chouriço

3 bell peppers, large dice

3 onions, small dice

3 small cans tomato sauce

24 oz. beer

olive oil

30 mini portuguese sandwich rolls (or lg. rolls cut in half)

Directions:

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil.  Add in chouriço, tomato sauce and beer.  Cover and simmer over medium/low heat for about 1 hour.  When liquid is reduced by about half, turn off heat and stuff sandwiches. (The meat should be very moist, but not soupy.)

Enjoy!

***NOTE: this recipe is a one to one ratio throughout, so if you want to cut it down or increase the amount, just do so in kind… for example to make for a family dinner use 1 lb. chouriço, 1 small can tomato sauce, one pepper, one onion and 8 oz. of beer 🙂

Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans (Feijão Assado)

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If ever there was a Portuguese comfort food, Feijão Assado is it for me!  This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations and it is something that I come back to time and time again.  I have memories throughout my whole life of my Vavó and my Mom making Feijão Assado and Soupa de Feijão (Bean Soup) for family dinners, parties and holiday celebrations.  Because the time to initially soak and cook the beans can take some time they would always cook the two together reserving half the beans for the soup and the other half for the baked beans.  The Soupa de Feijão recipe is coming this fall, but for now we will focus on this warm, creamy savory comfort food.

I’ve called it Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans instead of just Portuguese Baked Beans because I have made this into the main course for our supper tonight by adding not only salt pork and a little bit of chouriço, but a whole pound of chouriço.  My grandmother would never have put an entire pound of chouriço in anything, she always said that chouriço was just added to recipes for the taste.  So, as I write out the recipe tutorial I will note the adjustment should you chose to go the traditional route.

This dish and a nice fresh portuguese roll is a filling, balanced and super nutritious meal.  However, as I mentioned, you can also bring it as a great party food or pot luck contribution and really get people talking!  Often times, if I am throwing a dinner party where I am serving roast pork or pork chops I will make this to go along side.  I’ve also known Feijão Assado to make a great breakfast food.  Whichever way you decide to make it, try it out soon because it really is a very different way to eat your beans.

I use while nave beans for this recipe because my Vavó always said the smaller the white bean the better. This is your basic one pound package.

I use while nave beans for this recipe because my Vavó always said the smaller the white bean the better. This is your basic one pound package.

Fill a 6 cup bowl about 3/4 of the way with water… this may seem a bit big, but these beans absorb almost all this water over night.

As you can see the beans are way down at the bottom of the bowl. You may be tempted to add salt at this point, avoid that temptation! White beans actually absorb water without salt, not sure why, but they do. You’ll have plenty of time to flavor later.

Cover it up and let stand over night at least 6-8 hours or up to 12 hours.

And there it is... look how they have plumped up!

And there it is… look how they have plumped up!

Now you will want to start this next step with fresh water. So drain off the beans, this also gets rid of any residual dirt… if you want to rinse your beans and pick through, now would be a good time for that as well.

Then, cut a medium onion in half and add it into the water.

Then, cut a medium onion in half and add it into the water.

Peel three garlic cloves and add those in too... The onions and garlic really flavor the beans while they are cooking, but you are still not adding in salt.

Peel three garlic cloves and add those in too… The onions and garlic really flavor the beans while they are cooking, but you are still not adding in salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Once you have a boil going, lower the heat and continue to boil until beans are tender (about an hour and a half).

When beans are tender, shut off the flame. NOW you can finally add in a pinch of salt… not too much, just a pinch.

This is a good view of how tender the beans are. You want them naturally breaking up a bit.

Drain most of the water from the beans. Don’t worry about the onions and garlic, those will melt right into the dish.

You will want to reserve about one cup of the cooking liquid. This will help with keeping the beans moist while baking and it also helps to create the creamy texture.

Add in one small can of tomato sauce.

Add in one small can of tomato sauce.

Salt… Be careful here, my Vavó always said salt adds flavor and it takes it away. So, start with 1/2 tsp and taste after you mix everything together. Both chouriço and the wet red pepper both have salt in them, so you don’t want to over do it. And remember you already added in a pinch.

One good chunk of salt pork or a couple of slices of thick cut bacon (not too smoky) or even pancetta would be nice here. I am adding mine in whole, my grandmother would chop it up, it’s up to you which you would like to do. I think it’s pretty in the center when it comes out of the oven.

One heaping tablespoon of wet red crushed pepper is next… if you only have dry, they just add in half as much.

Now just a pinch of Portuguese All Spice… If you don’t have access to this spice just add in a pinch of sweet paprika and you’ll be ok here.

Mix all together.

I like to peel the skin off my chouriço for easier eating, personal preference.

Slice it up. As I mentioned above, my grandmother would only have added half as much, this is totally up to you. Also, I should note that I am using hot chouriço, you can also use mild and be just fine. The flavor profile is the same save the heat factor.

Add your chourço into your bean mixture.

I bought a set of these beautiful baking dishes the last time I was in Portugal and pain stakingly brought them back to the states with me. It's made of a traditional Azorean pottery. If you don't have this dish, you can either use a 9x12" stoneware dish or any regular baking dish will work.

I bought a set of these beautiful baking dishes the last time I was in Portugal and pain stakingly brought them back to the states with me. It’s made of a traditional Azorean pottery. If you don’t have this dish, you can either use a 9×12″ stoneware dish or any regular baking dish will work.

Pour directly into your baking dish.

Pour directly into your baking dish.

As you can see, it still looks pretty soupy, that's perfect.

As you can see, it still looks pretty soupy (like a thick soup), that’s perfect.

Be sure chouriço is evenly distributed.  Bake at 375°F for 90 minutes.

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Recipe for Portuguese Baked Pork and Beans (Feijão Assado):

(serves 4-6)

1 lb. dry Navy beans, soaked 8-12 hrs.

1 lb. chouriço, peeled and sliced

1 small can tomato sauce

1 onion, peeled and chopped in half.

2 cloves garlic, peeled

1 heaping Tbs. wet crushed red pepper (or half the amount of dry)

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste

1/2 tsp. Portuguese All Spice or paprika

1″ cut of salt pork (or three slices of thick cut bacon, non-smoky flavor)

Directions:

Soak beans over night in plain water.

Drain beans.  Cook beans in a soup pot with fresh water, onion and garlic.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Cover and reduce heat.  Cook for 90 minutes or until beans are very tender. After cooking is complete, shut off flame add in a pinch of salt and allow to sit covered for about 20 mins.

Drain beans reserving one cup cooking water.  Add in tomato sauce, salt, pepper, pork and chouriço.  Mix together.  Pour into a 9×12″ baking dish and bake at 375°F for 90 minutes.

Enjoy!

*note – this is a gluten-free recipe.

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

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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.

Sautee onions in butter until golden.

Saute onions in butter until golden.

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

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.

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 sautee.

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

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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.