Roasted Chouriço & Potatoes (Batatas Assadas com Chouiço)

November 18, 2015

The holiday’s are a special time. It’s a time of year that all the traditional family recipes really shine! Each year my sister prepares Roasted Chouriço and Potatoes for Thanksgiving because this is her favorite dish. And I can’t say I blame her.

With the delicious traditional Portuguese flavors in full swing, these potatoes become tender and velvety. And if you slice up a piece of the chouriço with some of the potato on your fork you end up with magic in your mouth!

If you are Portuguese, this recipe (or your family’s version of this recipe) may already be on your table. If not, you might be looking for a new and interesting side dish to serve alongside your green bean casserole. You may have guests that don’t care for turkey and would appreciate a different protein being offered. Or hey, maybe you are going as a guest and want to offer to bring something you will enjoy and can impress the host with something unique. Any way you slice it, this recipe fits the bill! And if you have vegetarians among you, this recipe can easily be made without the chouriço!

Start with a clean bowl. This one is the Pampered Chef Small Batter Bowl, I love it because it’s like a giant measuring cup with a spout for easy pouring (and its oven and microwave safe!).

Open a small can of tomato sauce.

I used the Pampered Chef Can Opener to do this and so I have no sharp edges.

Pour sauce into bowl.

Add in Portuguese All Spice. If you don’t have this available to you locally, I posted the recipe for it at the bottom of my Beef Stew recipe, just take a look.

Add spice into sauce.

Add in a few spoon fulls of Portuguese Ground Red Pepper.

Add in half a beer (about 3/4 cup.

Add in kosher salt.

Crush a couple cloves of fresh garlic.

Dice it up and add it into the sauce.

Add in garlic and give the sauce a good stir.

Thinly slice half a large onion.

Place potatoes in baking dish. I am using the Pampered Chef Square Baker stone.

Cut up your chouriço into chunks.

Place in dish with potatoes.

Spread onions over top.

Pour sauce over top. Be sure to coat each potato.

Once all your potatoes are covered with sauce, cover with foil.

Once pan is covered in foil, place in a 375°F oven for 2-21/2 hours until potatoes are fork tender.

When potatoes are fork tender, remove foil and turn all the potatoes again coating them with sauce and roast another 1/2 hour or so.

Roasted Chouriço & Potatoes

Serves 6-9

Ingredients:

8-9 medium potatoes, peeled

1/2 lb. chouriço, sliced into 9 chunks

1/2 onion, sliced thinly

1 small can tomato sauce

1/2 beer (about 3/4 cup)

3 Tbs. Portuguese Ground Red Pepper

2 cloves garlic, crushed and minced

1 tsp. kosher salt

1/2 tsp. Portuguese All Spice

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375°F.

In a medium mixing bowl add in sauce, beer, All Spice, garlic, salt and pepper. Arrange potatoes, chouriço and onions in a baking dish. Pour sauce over the potatoes, chouriço and onions being sure to coat each potato. Cover with foil and roast for 2-2 1/2 hours until potatoes are fork tender. Once potatoes are tender, remove foil and turn potatoes so they get again coated with sauce, roast for an additional 1/2 hour uncovered. Serve hot. Enjoy!

*this is a gluten-free recipe.

Portuguese Style Braised Short Ribs (Pequenas Costeletas Refogadas)

October 21, 20155 Comments

I love a good old-fashioned Portuguese recipe that has been passed down generation after generation as much as the next person, but this is not it. This recipe is purely my Portuguese cooking skills put to use with an updated combination of ingredients. The braising method isn’t something that I grew up with, but in this dish, it’s perfect. I even so so far as to serve this over mashed potatoes! Let’s get crazy now! So, if you are in the mood for something Portuguese that is a bit different from anything you’ve ever tried, check this out!

Someone asked me once about my Portuguese Beef Stew, what is it that makes it “Portuguese” exactly? My response was that the combination of spices, the use of Portuguese sausage and the specific ingredients are what makes it “Portuguese”. Like many nationalities, Portuguese cooking has it’s go-to ingredients, paprika, garlic, onions etc. Then there are some ingredients like Pimenta Moida (Portuguese Ground Pepper) that are very specific to Portuguese cuisine. If you get a handle on exactly what makes something “Portuguese”, you can really make almost anything “Portuguese Style”. And that is what I’ve done for you today.

Of course with all that being said… there are probably thousands of ways to make something “Portuguese Style”. This is the “Portuguese Style” that I grew up with. And that has a lot to do with where my family is from. My mother’s family is from the village of Povoação and my father’s family is from the village of Rabo de Peixe which are both in St. Michael, Azores, Portugal, but on opposite sides of the island separated by mountains. Now that may not seem like a big deal now… but, when flavor profiles were being developed long before people had cars to travel to and from villages and up and down mountains, each village made their own style of “Portuguese Style” food and they were just a little different. Both villages are located on the ocean and so they both accepted spice traders from all over the world making the spices they cook with a bit different. So, MY “Portuguese Style” is mostly a combination of the styles in those two villages and by extension a combination of spices from all over the world! How awesome is that?

Let me show you how I made this “Portuguese Style” dish…

Start with some short ribs… Now I made this as a small meal for my husband and myself, but you could easily double the meat in this recipe.

Short ribs are especially delicious because of all this connective tissue… And braising it will render a good amount of that fat.

Salt and pepper the meat well.

Instead of using a more traditional chopped onion, I am throwing my spin on this dish by making it with pearl onions… Now, if you have fresh pearl onions and the constitution to peel and prepare each and every one, more power to you. I, although love doing almost everything from scratch, take help from the store on this one and get the already prepped perfectly delicious frozen pearl onions.

Put them into a colander in your sink, run a bit of warm water over then and allow them to drip dry for a while before use.

Use one garlic clove per piece of short rib… In my case I’m using 7 garlic cloves.

I am using a pot that is just large enough to accommodate my short ribs… you don’t want them getting lost but you don’t want them over crowded either. If you don’t have a pot that will manage this, you will want to sear your meat in batches. You also need to be sure that what ever you are using is oven safe as this is a one-pot dish. (if you don’t have anything, you will also need a baking dish with a lid or some good aluminum foil.)

Add in a good quality cooking olive oil.

And grab your favorite set of tongs. These are my Pampered Chef tongs, i love the grips on them.

Once your oil is good and hot over medium/high heat, place each short rib in.

Allow them to sear for a few minutes on each side until browned.

Don’t play with them. Let them sear for at least 3-4 minutes… this will take time.

But, this is the reward… after about 20 minutes of searing, you get these beautifully caramelized pieces of meat… remove and place on a plate while you make the rest of the dish.

You will have some awesome drippings in the bottom of your pan, you will use those now… add the drained onions to it.

Once the onions start to caramelize, add in the garlic.

Then add in your crushed red pepper… A warning here, the way my family makes red pepper, it is more for flavor and not so much for heat… so I am adding in about 1/4 cup of it. If your pepper is hotter, you will need to adjust this amount accordingly.

In a lot of my Portuguese recipes, you will find me using tomato sauce because that is how my mother cooks… but, I wanted a less saucy and more concentrated flavor here, so I add in about 2 Tablespoons of tomato paste instead. Have you seen these tubes of tomato paste? They are great!

Next, I add in about 3/4 of a can of domestic beer. Nothing with too strong a flavor.

Now grab your resting meat and add it and the juices that made their way onto the plate back in.

You want to nestle each piece right into the onions.

Cover your pot and pop it in a 275°F oven for about 1 hour and 45 minutes or so. (It won’t mean the end of the world if you forget it until 2 hours and it also won’t be the end of the world if you are super hungry and need to pull it out at 1 hour and a half… but, I found this to be the perfect timing).

And this is what comes out of your oven!

Serve over some buttery mashed potatoes.

Portuguese Style Braised Short Ribs

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

8-16 short ribs (8 to serve 2 or 4 to serve 4)

1 bag frozen pearl onions

1/4 cup Portuguese crushed red pepper

8 cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled

3/4 can of domestic beer

2 Tbls. tomato paste

1 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

olive oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 275°F. Before you begin take the short ribs out of the fridge generously sprinkle with salt and pepper and let sit out for about 20-30 minutes and defrost the pearl onions.

Place a pot over medium heat and add in a few Tbls. of olive oil. Sear the meat on each side until browned, this process should take about 20 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and set aside. To the drippings, add in the pearl onions and saute until starting to caramelize. Add in garlic. Add in Allspice, tomato paste and beer. Then add in short ribs including any drippings from the plate they were placed on. Cover and place in oven for 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Remove from oven and taste for salt and pepper. Serve over something plain like mashed potatoes or white rice. Enjoy!

Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado)

September 9, 2015

The Italians have lasagna, the Greeks have moussaka, the Mexicans have enchiladas and the Portuguese have Bacalhau Assado. Whatever the country, a time consuming casserole dish filled with beautiful food is a cherished part of family gatherings and family dinners alike. I truly believe these dishes are where the phrase “Food of Love” was started. We Portuguese love our salt cod, so it is only natural that our most loved casserole has salt cod as the star. Derived from a country that has deep seeded roots as sea-faring navigators and fisherman, the Portuguese introduced Salt Cod to most of Europe. We have dozens upon dozens, perhaps even hundreds of recipes for salt cod and not any that I can think of for fresh cod. I suppose we wouldn’t need any recipes for fresh cod as salt cod is not only more delicious, but also considered a great comfort food. As a matter of fact, as I write this now, I can recall it has always just been naturally assumed in my family that when speaking of “cod fish” we think salt cod, not fresh. This became apparent to me later in life when at an American sea food restaurant where Atlantic Cod was served topped with little buttery cracker crumbs… I was almost confused to think of it fresh like some might be confused to think of bacon as fresh pork.

Portuguese Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado) is a serious dish for serious food lovers. Layers of carefully constructed sliced potatoes, salt cod and sautéed onions (Cebolada) all baked together and topped with boiled eggs and olives and infused with good olive oil to form the perfect balance of flavors, this dish has it all.

In my family, as I am quite sure in many Portuguese families, this wonderful creation is enjoyed at many a social gathering… but, most especially the holidays. A nice tray or casserole dish of Bacalhau Assado sits right near the Shrimp Mozambique and the Polvo (Octopus) each year at Christmas! A more delicious site has yet to be created!

Many of the recipes I post here on thePortugueseAmericanMom.com are easy, simple, inexpensive and quick. This is not one of those recipes. Although this dish is not at all complicated, it does require the coordination of several different steps and so is definitely not something that can get done in under a half hour. It is a labor of love and worth every minute!

Let’s start with the star ingredient… the cod fish…

Salt Cod at Portugalia Marketplace in Fall River, MA

With so much to choose from, it can be difficult to select just the right cut. I like to make my life a little bit easier, so I usually go for something without bones! 2 lbs. please 🙂

Here is what I brought home.

Just look at all that salt! Most of that will need to be removed for the cod to be edible.

Some people like to soak the fish overnight, which works well too… accept you will need to change the water a few times as it does tend to need more than just a soak… Me, I like to boil the salt out.

Boil and drain, this process will need to happen 2-3 times depending on just how salty the fish is and what your taste is… I like the fish to have a good amount of salt flavor, because otherwise what’s the point right? So, I try to keep the boiling process down to twice… Don’t forget this fish needs to stand up to potatoes and onions.

Gently with your hand, flake off chunks of fish to separate.

This is the broken up cod… you don’t want to mash it, you want it chunky.

Now that the cod is prepared, lets move onto the potatoes…

These are Yukon Gold potatoes… Any kind of all-purpose white potato will work as well.

Peel the potatoes and place them in a cold pot, then fill with cold water and a nice pinch of salt.

Look how golden these turned when cooked.

You want to thinly slice your potatoes, but you also want them to not fall apart… Just find a happy medium and whatever you are comfortable with will work.

Now lets work with the onions… this part of the preparation is very similar to my Cebolada post less the tomatoes.

Start by slicing some onions, I like a varying slice, some thick some super thin.

Add onions to a hot pan with olive oil and add just a small pinch of salt… Saute over medium heat until tender.

One the onions have become tender, add in ground red pepper, minced garlic and Portuguese Allspice.

When your onions get to this stage, they are ready to go. (They should no longer be stiff at all, but not mushy either… you are looking for a medium bodied onion that is very flexible, this still needs to be baked once incorporated into the dish)

Now that all three elements of the recipe are ready, we can start to build…

Now start building the final product in your casserole dish… This recipe will fill a 9″x13″ pan. Add in a drizzle of olive oil to coat the bottom of the baking dish. I prefer either glass or stone as seen here… If using a metal pan, be sure to coat bottom and sides well. (I would even spread it around with a paper towel if using metal)

This is a simple layering process. Start with one even layer of potatoes. You will use about 1/3 of your sliced potatoes.

Now add in an even layer of onions. You should use about 1/3 of your onions.

Now for the cod fish. You will need about 1/2 of your fish now… I don’t like to put too much cod on top as I feel like it gets dried out, so sometimes I reserve a few pieces for the top, but I didn’t do that today.

Spread evenly atop the onions. I like to drizzle just a little olive oil at this point.

In the middle is when you want to use any potatoes that are not perfectly round due to falling apart in the cutting process… you want the bottom to be solid and the top to be pretty… So here they are.

Keep layering in that order… Potatoes, onions, cod…

Once you reach the top, finish you should have onions on top… Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 350°F oven for one hour. Then bake uncovered for about 15 minutes.

When it comes out of the oven, grab some olive oil, drizzle… grab some olives and sliced hard-boiled eggs (2) and decorate the top.

Serve hot… but, it’s still yummy when cooled a bit!

Recipe for Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado):

(serves 8-10)

2 lbs. salt cod, deboned

4 1/2 lbs. potatoes, peeled

5 large onions, sliced

1 heaping Tbs. ground red pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup olive oil, divided

12 olives

2 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced

1/2 tsp. Portuguese Allspice

kosher salt

Directions:

Start by washing and then boiling the cod fish. Drain and boil again. Drain and flake into chunks. Set aside.

In a large pot, boil (in lightly salted water)peeled potatoes. Allow to cool a bit and slice. Set aside.

In a large skillet, saute onions until tender. Add in garlic, red pepper and Allspice. Add in a small pinch of salt. Saute until very flexible, but not mushy.

In a 9″x13″ casserole dish, layer ingredients. Start with olive oil, then 1/3 potatoes, then 1/3 onions, then 1/2 the cod, then drizzle with olive oil and repeat using the next 1/3 potatoes, the next 1/3 onions and the remaining cod. To finish add the remaining potatoes then the remaining onions. Drizzle with olive oil again, cover with foil and bake at 350°F for one hour. Remove foil and continue to bake for 15 minutes.

Top with sliced hard-boiled egg and olives.

Enjoy!

*Note: This is a gluten-free recipe.

Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique)

September 2, 2015September 2, 20159 Comments

Although this meal can feed a number of people, I decided to make this dish for my husband as a surprise dinner at home after the kids were tucked into bed. It was our Engage-aversary, 9 years since he popped the question, what better time for an elegant meal? But, it was a Tuesday night, he was working and I had charge of two toddlers all day and evening… so needless to say my energy was not at its peek. I needed a quick meal that was just fancy enough for my little candle lit affair… I had some shrimp in the freezer and everything else in the pantry… so, I thought why not? The dish was delish as always and we got to celebrate and have an adult date night right in our own dining room.

I grew up eating Shrimp Mozambique. And to eat Shrimp Mozambique is to love Shrimp Mozambique. In my family and in my little area of New England, Shrimp Mozambique is a mainstay. We serve it every Christmas and several times throughout the year for different gatherings and parties. Elegant in its presentation, exotic in its flavor and almost magical in its ability to transform a dinner into a party! All this and you might think this is going to be a long drawn out and expensive recipe that is hard to understand and even harder to follow… but you would be all wrong on all counts. In fact, Shrimp Mozambique is not only quick and easy, but pretty reasonable to make at home especially if you can pick up this size shrimp on sale for $6.99 for a 2 lb. bag like I did in the freezer section!

With under 10 ingredients, most of which you will be able to find in your pantry… onions, garlic, salt etc. it’s super easy to throw together. And from start to finish you can have this meal on the table in under 30 minutes. The two ingredients that are key in this dish are the Azafran (but this can be easily subbed out with saffron) and the crushed red pepper. Crushed red pepper is a wet jarred pepper that is usually ground and cured with salt. You should be able to find it in your Portuguese or Spanish section of your market.

Melt one stick of butter into a pot.

Finely dice 1/2 a large onion or one whole medium onion.

Add onions into your melted butter… you will want to get these started before you add in the garlic as they have a longer cook time than garlic and the last thing you want is burnt garlic!

You will need about 6 cloves of garlic.

Smash your garlic before mincing, it helps to release lots of the flavors on everyone.

Mince garlic.

Once the onions have started to soften, add in your garlic.

You will want to be sure to stir frequently.

Azafran seasoning is similar to saffron, but only about 1/5 the price.4

You will need one packet per pound and so in this case we are making two pounds, so we will need to add two packets.

Add in two packets of the Azafran seasoning.

Add in one heaping Tbs. crushed red pepper. (I think this photo is so cool… my pepper was in the fridge and the pot is really hot causing that white smoke you see around the pepper)

I’ve always been partial to this size shrimp for this recipe. If you like bigger shrimp, go ahead and use it, but this works well for parties, family dinner or anytime.

You can put them in the pot straight from the freezer, no need to pre-soak. I should mention that I leave the peel on, I feel like half the flavor of this dish comes from that peel… I know it can be a bit of a pain to peel while you eat, but it is sooo worth it… and hey, it will slow you down too! Take some time to enjoy your meal!

Stir to coat the shrimp with all the spices and color.

Add in one bottle of beer any run of the mill domestic will do. (If you are allergic to gluten, you could substitute about 1 1/2 cups of dry white wine or just a gluten-free beer)

Be sure the shrimp are coated. Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Cover and bring to a boil over high heat, when it comes to a boil lower heat to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes and then immediately remove from heat.

The last thing you want is overcooked, mushy and mealy shrimp. Do not over cook this. Shrimp cook really quickly, the smaller the shrimp the faster the cook… I am allowing 8-12 minutes for larger shrimp and to cook off the alcohol in the beer.

There… perfectly cooked shrimp! Now, don’t forget to taste for salt, add another pinch if needed.

For a party, I like to keep white rice separate, but for a dinner party or meal at home, I like to plate my shrimp right onto a bed of cooked white rice.

Recipe for Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique):

(serves 4-6, dinner —- serves 10-15 party)

2 lbs frozen, deveined, easy peel shrimp (do not remove peel)

1 stick butter

1/2 lg. onion, finely diced

6 garlic cloves, smashed and minced

1 Tbs. crushed red pepper, heaping

1 beer (12 oz)

2 packets Goya Azafran Seasoning

kosher salt to taste

Directions:

In a medium pot, melt one stick of butter. Add in onions, saute for about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, saute an additional 5 minutes. Add in a pinch of salt. Add in Azafran, stir. Add in crushed red pepper, stir. Add in frozen shrimp, stir to coat shrimp in sauce. Add in beer, stir, cover and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 8-12 minutes. Taste for salt, add if needed. Serve over a bed of white rice.

Enjoy!

*note – Gluten-free adjustment, use gluten-free beer or white wine in place of beer.

Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy

August 31, 2015

Have you ever been to the grocery store and found chicken on a “Manager’s Special”? It usually means they want to move the chicken out of store because they have a sell by date that is that day or the next, so they mark it way down… That was the case with today’s Sunday dinner. I went to the market and found a big family size package of chicken drum sticks (10 in all) for $4.11. I mean, how do you pass up a price like that? That’s like a $1.50 per pound.

So, I decided to take it home and make it into a lovely meal. This dish is simple to put together with just 7 ingredients you probably have in your pantry already. This recipe will work with any cut of chicken… if you find thighs at a good price, use those, breast, use those… But, I have to warn you, you may start making this meal even if the chicken isn’t on sale because aside from being inexpensive, it’s also super yummy! With Crispy roasted skin that is pan seared first and a lush gravy over the top combined with melt in your mouth onions, mmmm. I chose to plate my chicken on a platter of plain white rice, but you could certainly whip up some mashed potatoes or cous cous, or even buttered noodles. I put it right on the platter mainly so it could soak up some of the silky gravy.

I should also mention that this chicken is on the table in under an hour and uses only one pan! Let me show you what I did…

Look at all this chicken!

Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Then sprinkle with Hungarian Paprika. Hungarian Paprika is one of my most favorite ingredients, it’s got a nice heat to it that isn’t overwhelming. However, if you don’t have Hungarian Paprika handy, just take some plain, run of the mill, sweet paprika and add a little cayenne pepper to it and you’ve got something pretty similar. (1 Tbs paprika + 1/4 tsp. cayenne)

In a heated skillet with about 1/8 cup of olive oil, place chicken seasoned side down.

Then repeat the seasoning process on the other side of the chicken as the first side is cooking.

Slice up a large onion… I have to tell you, I only used one onion, but you could definitely use two if you prefer, yum.

Slice up some garlic… My garlic was on some kind of steroids I think, so I just used one clove, but if you are using normal size garlic, you can use 3 cloves.

Turn the chicken in the skillet until each side looks lovely and golden brown just so.

Then add in your onions.

And your garlic.

Then just before you are ready to put it in the oven, drizzle with a bit more olive oil.

This is what you should see.

Now place a lid on it and place in an oven heated to 350°F for 35-40 mins. (I should note that if your skillet is not oven safe, you may want to transfer to a baking dish at this point, cover with foil)

When it comes out of the oven, you should see that the meat is ready to fall off the bone.

On a family sized platter, make a bed of rice (or mashed potatoes or cous cous or buttered noodles)

Place chicken on rice and tent with foil while you make the gravy.

When you remove the chicken from the skillet, you will have a good amount of liquid left… this will be the base for your gravy.

There is one additional ingredient needed for the gravy… a heaping spoonful of corn starch. That’s it.

Be sure the heat has been off and wisk the cornstarch in to incorporate into your drippings until there are no lumps left.

You should see a nice smooth liquid. Now turn the heat to medium and constantly wisk.

When your gravy gets to this consistency, you could either thin out with a bit of water or if its thickened to your liking, then serve.

I like to pour the gravy right onto the platter.

Recipe for Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy:

(Serves 5-6)

3-4 lbs. chicken drum sticks (or thighs)

1/8 cup olive oil

1 large onion, thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1 tsp. Hungarian Paprika

kosher salt

For gravy:

pan drippings

1 heaping Tbs. corn starch

1/2 cup water

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Sprinkle one side of raw chicken with kosher salt and paprika. In a heated skillet add in 1/8 cup olive oil. Next add in chicken, seasoned side down. Once chicken is in the pan, season the other side that should be facing up. Allow chicken to crisp up and become golden brown on all sides turning as needed, but not too often.

To the browned chicken add onions and garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Cover and roast in the oven for 35-40 minutes.

Once the chicken comes out of the oven, set aside and tent with foil.

Drippings will remain in your skillet. With the heat off, add in 1 heaping Tbs. corn starch. Wisk in until there are no lumps. Turn heat on to medium and continue to wisk until thickened. If too thick, add in water. Wisk another few seconds. Pour over chicken.

*note: This is a gluten-free recipe.

Farmer’s Market Chicken & White Bean Soup

August 23, 2015August 24, 2015

I simply love this time of year. Harvest is starting to come in, we are nearing the end of the hot days and looking into Indian Summer. The farm stands are all stocked and Farmer’s Markets are booming! I had the occasion to visit a local Farmer’s Market today and I feel like I struck gold with the beautiful vegetables that made their way to my kitchen..

I love going to a Farmer’s Market with nothing in mind at all. I let the freshness of the produce sweep me into a frenzy of creativity. Today, I left the house with a fresh chicken stock cooling on the stove, so I did have a little bit of direction… cooked chicken and wonderful stock. When I returned home, I found that I had some gorgeous native carrots some almost red in color, others purple! I got some cool crisp green beans and a few other things that will be heading onto my dinner plate later this week.

As for today, both my son and my daughter each have a little case of the sniffles. So, I thought it appropriate to come up with a sort of chicken soup. They are both big fans of chicken, carrots and green beans and with a few more ingredients to include cannelloni beans for a little extra protein, yummy egg noodles for their velvety heartiness along with some onions, celery and some fresh and dried herbs and we were good to go. Let me show you what I did…

Aren’t they beautiful? Orange, purple and a deep orangey red… all of them are super fresh and super sweet.

A fresh basket of green beans, yum.

Look how gorgeous these are.

Saute in a little touch of olive oil.

Add in a diced onion.

Chop up some celery.

Add your celery into the saute.

Cut a few sprigs of thyme.

Add your stock to the pot along with a few of these sprigs of thyme.

Here are my farm fresh green beans.

Chop them up... I do a pretty small chip for my kids, you can cerainly chop to whatever size suits you.

Chop them up… I do a pretty small chip for my kids, you can certainly chop to whatever size suits you.

These egg noodles are considered a nice smooth starch.

Add in a pinch of salt, crack some fresh black pepper and add in your Herbs de Provence.

Add in your white beans.

Then cover.

I like to chop and then shred the chicken a bit.

Allow to simmer for a few minutes so all the flavors can really marry.

Recipe for Farmer’s Market Chicken & White Bean Soup:

(serves 6-8)

1 cooked chicken breast

2 native carrots, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 medium onion, diced

1/2 cup green beans, chopped

3 cups dry extra wide egg noodles

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed 8 cups prepared chicken stock

.1/2 tsp Herbs de Provence

3-4 sprigs of fresh thyme (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for sauteing

Directions:

Saute onions, carrots and celery in olive oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add in a pinch of kosher salt. Once tender, add in chicken stock. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then add in green beans, beans, egg noodles, salt, pepper, thyme and Herbs de Provence, cover and reduce to med/low heat. After about 10 minutes add in the chicken. Continue to cook until noodles are tender and chicken is heated through. Taste for salt and pepper.

Portuguese Onion Medley (Cebolada)

August 19, 2015August 19, 20157 Comments

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato)

May 20, 2015May 20, 2015

One of the best parts of living in New England is the vast variety of cold water sea food we have available. Interestingly enough, it actually mirrors that which is available in St. Michael, Azores. How lucky am I?

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce is a quintessential Portuguese starter. 9 times out of 10 when we sit down to dinner at a Portuguese restaurant with friends, this is the first thing we order. It’s a two-part experience really. First you get to eat the clams that are cooked in a garlic wine broth and then again drenched in garlic, white wine and olive oil. But then, some may argue the best part of the dish is next… it’s the part when you get to sop up that delectable garlic wine sauce with a crusty piece of Portuguese bread… OMG, so good!

This dish is best served hot and brought right to the table. A couple of things you will want to have ready before you start is a good loaf of Portuguese bread, some hot sauce and a bowl to throw the emptied shells into (as you need to not crowd your plate with that so that you can get to the sauce with that bread!)

There are sooo many varieties of clams available in the world. These are called Little Necks, they are actually the second to smallest size clam that is legally harvestable in the U.S. Some people call these Northern Quohogs and some call them round clams or chowder clams. What makes these clams special is that, as it’s name indicates, they have an itty bitty neck, unlike it’s cousin the Steamer clam with it’s long neck that sticks out of it’s shell. Also, unlike the Steamer clam, Little Necks don’t have much to speak of in their bellies. It’s really mostly flesh, yum!

The first step, as with ANY clam you use, is to wash it inside and out. This may sound odd, but clams are generally sold with some sand and salt residue still remaining on the outside and there is nothing worst than biting into a clam and crunching on sand. Although, a sandy inside is not usually a huge issue with Little Necks, I still like to err on the side of caution. So, clams are zipped up pretty tightly… how do you get the inside clean you ask? Well, its simple, you need to provide them with an environment in which they might feel comfortable opening up their shells to take in some water. I do this with cold cold cold tap water and salt. And it works every time. Sometimes I throw some black pepper in there to make them sneeze, mostly I just do that with Steamer clams though.

Here are the main ingredients you will need.

While the washing is taking place, it’s a good time to prep your ingredients. Chop an onion into thin quartered slices.

Saute in olive oil over medium heat. Add in a pinch of kosher salt.

Next, you will need quite a bit of garlic for this recipe. Chop up about 6-8 cloves of garlic.

Add in to the onions once the onions have softened a bit.

Now add in the juice of half a lemon, the lemon half itself, some chopped flat leaf parsley and about 1 cup of dry white wine.

Simmer the ingredients together bringing to a boil over high heat.

Drain your cleaning water from the clams and add the clams to your pot.

Cover. Keep your burner on high and do not remove your lid. The cooking process is a steam.

This is the pot 8 minutes into cooking. Do not remove lid!

This is the pot 10 minutes into cooking… If you look at the clams, some are starting to open, but not all. Do not remove the lid! But, start watching the pot, you don’t want to over cook shellfish, it will get tough. Little Necks are tough to start off with, they don’t need any more help getting there.

Ah, 12 minutes in and finally! All the clams have opened up. Now, turn off your burner. Still, do not remove the lid! Give it about two minutes in the steam. Then they are ready!

Add in some lemon slices and more chopped parsley, and don’t forget the broth!

Recipe for Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato):

(serves 10 – 12)

4 lbs. Little Neck Clams

4 Tbs. olive oil

1 c. dry white wine

1 lemon, 1/2 reserved and sliced for garnish

6-8 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 medium onions, quartered and thinly sliced

6 Tbs. parsley, chopped, 1/2 reserved for garnish

Kosher salt

Directions:

Wash clams with cold water and a good amount of kosher salt (1-2 Tbs.). Let sit in salted water for about 15 mins.

Saute onions in olive oil over medium heat, add in a pinch of salt. Add in garlic, continue to saute. When softened add in the juice of half a lemon plus the lemon shell itself, parsley and about a cup of dry white wine. Bring to a boil.

Drain clams from their cleaning salt water. Add clams to boiling liquid. Cover immediately. Check on them every few minutes until they are all open. This is best done with a clear lid. If you don’t have a clear lid, don’t bother checking until 10 minutes into the cooking time. After about 12 minutes all the clams should be opened. Keep lid on the pot and turn off the burner.

Serve and enjoy!

*note: this is a gluten-free dish.

It is nice to have either a separate pot at a party with sauce… But, I like to build my own… Here is what I do.

I like to put some olive oil in my plate.

Then I add in some of the cooked onions, garlic and parsley.

I personally like to add in some hot sauce. If you are doing this in a bowl for people to add themselves, I would leave the hot sauce on the side. Mix this together a bit.

Add some lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Add some broth, lemon, some more parsley and a nice piece of bread.

Low-Carb Grilled Veggies

May 15, 2015May 15, 2015

Summer time is a great time for vegetables and grilling! I love taking advantage of all that summer has to offer, the fresh air, the sunshine and the fresh produce! Low-carb veggies are a delicious way to replace the old winter stand-by of canned corn or peas. I would so much rather have a healthy ear of corn which has 15-net carbs next my protein and fill the rest of my plate with delicious freshly grilled veggies and I especially love it when my veggies are being grilled over charcoal!

Today’s tutorial is super simple and you can tailor it to your families tastes and preferences like with most recipes. If you love summer squash, but hate zucchini, then swap it. If you love onions, but don’t care for tomatoes, then by all means add more onions! If you want to get your kids to eat more veggies, then take them to the store and let them pick which they like and add that! This recipe is more about being a guide on the method of cooking your vegetables.

I have a bunch of low-carb veggies on hand these days and am always trying new things with them to keep things interesting… This, however, is an old stand-by. The weather has been so beautiful lately that I have decided to do all my cooking outside today, including prep, it’s a great way to let the kids play while getting dinner on the table.

Start with placing some grape tomatoes in a medium sized metal bowl. I like grape tomatoes because they are small, so no cutting required, and they are sweet.

Cut one medium onion into 1/8 chuncks. The goal here will be to cut things about the same size. You don’t want tiny onions and big giant peppers etc.

Cut your bell pepper in half, remove the seeds. I like the orange, yellow and red as I find them to be sweeter than the green. If you prefer green or that’s all you have on hand, use the green.

Cut it up to about the same size as your onions. (I am keeping my zucchini in sliced discs, so the zucchini is really driving how large to cut all the other veggies)

Slice up a zucchini. Since this is being grilled, you will want to cut them pretty thickly as you don’t want the fire to break them down too much. You want them to hold their body.

Mix all your cut veggies together in your bowl.

Add a couple tsp. of olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt.

I got this little pan at the dollar store of all places. So, I thought I would give it a try, and I love it!

Spray your pan with cooking spray before placing in veggies.

Pour your veggies in the pan.

Place pan on over medium heat. You want the vegetables to char up a bit, but you don’t want to burn. You will want to tend to them every few minutes.

See the char they are getting? That’s nice. Let it cook another 5-10 minutes once the reach this point.

Serve with your favorite low-carb dish. Here they are accompanying my Portuguese Grilled Chicken and an ear of corn.

Recipe for Low-carb Grilled Veggies:

(serves 4)

8-10 grape tomatoes

1 medium onion, chopped into 1/8 th chucks

1 orange bell pepper, chopped into similar sized chuncks as the onion

1 zucchini, thickly sliced

2 tsp. olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. In an outdoor grill veggie pan, add in the veggies coated in oil. Tend to the veggies every few minutes as they cook so they may cook evenly.

Enjoy!

note: this recipe is gluten-free

Chicken Mozambique Sandwich (Sanduíche de frango Moçambique)

April 15, 2015August 25, 20152 Comments

If you are looking for something fun and exciting with a Portuguese twist for those Spring baseball games or just to enjoy with your family tonight for dinner. Try this super easy and quick recipe for Chicken Mozambique Sandwiches! While hot dogs and hamburgers definitely have their place all summer long, it won’t be long before they can become less than desirable. Throw this in the mix and keep um guessing.

A good Mozambique sauce is a staple all year long. Traditionally, Mozambique sauce is paired with shrimp, but it has proven to have great results with chicken. Check it out and try it with whatever protein you would like.

Start by slicing up a large onion. Traditionally, onions are minced for Mozambique, but since we are making a sandwich, I thought it would be extra yummy to have some nice onions on top of our sandwich. (If you are not a fan of onions, try not to leave them out, instead ether do it this way and remove later or mince and they will melt right in. You need the onion flavoring though.)

Saute the onions on medium in olive oil until they soften. Then add half a stick of butter.

Once the butter melts in, add minced garlic.

After about a minute or so, add in a packet of saffron seasoning. (If you don’t have saffron seasoning in your neck of the woods, just add in 6-8 tendrils of actual saffron and about a teaspoon of salt)

This is what you should have.

Slice two chicken breasts about 1/4″ – 1/2″ thick.

Add in the chicken… You want to coat all that yummy saffron seasoning directly on the chicken for just about a minute. (It’s a crazy color, right?)

Next, add in a glass of dry white wine. (about a cup… beer can be substituted here)

Add in your favorite hot sauce, or whatever you have on hand, to taste… if you aren’t into spice, leave it out, no biggy, there is still a ton of flavor going on.

If you have some fresh parsley around, add some in… it’s not totally necessary, but I like it. Simmer for 5-8 mins and your done with the chicken part of this sandwich. If you want to serve this over rice, it’s super good!

I like to make a kind of aoli sauce to top my sandwich, here’s how I do it:

Measure about a half cup of mayo. (If you prefer a healthier option, you can use Greek yogurt here, gives if a bit of a tang)

Add in about half a cup of broth and wisk to combine

Now we want to intensify some of the flavors we used. So add in about 1/2 t. garlic powder and some hot sauce. Wisk.

Lastly, add in some paprika. This is Hungarian paprika, its got a spicy kick, whatever you have on hand works too. And you’re done… If you have extra after the sandwich… Keep it! This would be really yummy over some fish or shrimp.

Now just a couple of preparations to build your sandwiches:

Find some sub rolls.

Cut down the middle using a serated knife.

Toast up your sub roll with some butter.

Slice up some Swiss cheese.

Build your sandwiches by first placing in the cheese. Then add the piping hot chicken, don’t forget to grab some of those onions to place on top and then top with the sauce. And wala, you’re done!

Recipe for Chicken Mozambique Sandwich:

(Serves 4)

For the chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced thinly

2 T. olive oil

1/2 stick butter

1 large onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup dry white wine

1 packet saffron seasoning

hot sauce to taste

For the sub sauce:

1/2 c. prepared mayonnaise (or Greek yogurt)

hot sauce to taste

1/2 t. garlic powder

pinch of paprika

For the Sandwich:

4 torpedo rolls or sub roll of your choice

1 t. butter

8 slices swiss cheese

Directions:

Chicken:

Saute onions until soft in olive oil over medium heat. Melt in butter. Add in garlic, continue to saute one minute. Add in saffron seasoning. Add in chicken to coat with spices. Add in remaining ingredients. Cook for about 5-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through. (Wine should come to a boil)

Sub Sauce:

In a medium bowl add in 1/2 c. Mozambique broth with mayo, garlic powder, hot sauce and paprika. Wisk. Set aside.

Putting the sandwich together:

Toast the sub roll with butter. Cut down the middle to allow for stuffing. Layer cheese, chicken, onions (from the chicken recipe) and top with sub sauce.

the portuguese american mom

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

Tag: onions

Roasted Chouriço & Potatoes (Batatas Assadas com Chouiço)

Roasted Chouriço & Potatoes

Portuguese Style Braised Short Ribs (Pequenas Costeletas Refogadas)

Portuguese Style Braised Short Ribs

Baked Salt Cod Casserole (Bacalhau Assado)

Shrimp Mozambique (Camarão Moçambique)

Roasted Paprika Chicken and Gravy

Farmer’s Market Chicken & White Bean Soup

Portuguese Onion Medley (Cebolada)

Little Necks in Garlic Wine Sauce (Ameijoas à Bulhão Pato)

Low-Carb Grilled Veggies

Chicken Mozambique Sandwich (Sanduíche de frango Moçambique)