Te amo Portugal!

Braving the rain!

Last week we tried our hand at Portuguese food, which not many people have tried. We opted to make the signature Portuguese soup-Caldo Verde, which really just means "green soup".

From the looks of it, being packed full of nutritious kale, it sure fits it's name! Of course, we served the soup with a lot of crusty bread.

It's not a Portuguese meal without bread!

We also enjoyed a bean salad with tuna, or Salada de Feijao Frade com Atum that really pleases the Portuguese at home.

We had our first dessert, and we made Arroz Doce, or Portuguese rice pudding, with loads of cinnamon. It's my personal recipe, so I hope you all enjoy it! We were also graced with some home-made banana bread which was ultra moist, and made with love.

Bunny, our resident Pet

Our growing gardens

Caldo Verde

1 bunch                                 Kale, very thinly sliced                              1 bunch

6                                      potatoes, peeled and chopped                                   6

1                                             onion, chopped finely                                          1

6 cloves                                  garlic, chopped finely                               6 cloves

2                                              chorizo, sliced thinly                                           2

2 L                                                        water                                                     2 L

2 T                                                      olive oil                                             30 mL

To taste                                       salt and pepper                                     to taste

1. In a large stock pot sweat onion and garlic.
2. Add potatoes and water and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
3. Use a hand blended to puree the soup.
4. Add chorizo and kale.
5. Season to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Branco, P. and Sine, E. (2012). Caldo Verde. Personal Recipe. 

Salada de Feijao Frade com Atum

4 cups                         black eyed peas, cooked or canned                            1 L

9 oz                                    tuna, packed in oil, drained                                 9 oz

2                                                  eggs, hardboiled                                               2

½ cup                                              olive, black                                        125 mL

1                                         onion, sliced in half moons                                      1

5 T                                                      olive oil                                             75 mL

3 T                                            white wine vinegar                                    45 mL

2 cloves                                        garlic, minced                                     2 cloves

4 T                                              parsley, chopped                                     60 mL

To taste                                       salt and pepper                                     to taste

1. In a small bowl, whiskl oil and vinegar.
2. In a large bowl, combine beans, onion, garlic and 3 T of parsley.
3. Pour in dressing and toss to coat.
4. Fold in tuna, season with salt and pepper and cover.
5. Refrigerate to allow flavours to blend.
6. Top salad with eggs and parsley.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Leite, D. (2009). Portuguese Salad of Black-Eyed Peas with Tuna. Leite’s Culinaria. Retrieved from http://leitesculinaria.com/7757/recipes-portuguese-salad-black-eyed-peas-tuna.html on June 6, 2012.

Creating a beautiful entrance into the garden space from the kitchen

Arroz Doce

½ cup                                             Arborio rice                                       125 mL

1 ½ cup                                                 milk                                              375 mL

1                                                   cinnamon stick                                                1

3 peels                                          lemon, peeled                                       3 peels

¼ cup                                                   sugar                                               60 mL

2                                                        egg yolks                                                     2

1 T                                                       butter                                               15 mL

To decorate                             cinnamon, ground                            to decorate

1. Blanch the rice with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes.
2. Simmer milk with cinnamon stick and lemon peels.
3. In a medium sized pot, add the milk gradually, ladle by ladle, letting the rice soak up the milk between ladles.
4. Add sugar.
5. Temper the egg yolks and add them.
6. Add butter.
7. Pour into serving dish, and sprinkle cinnamon on top in a design.

Makes 4 servings. 

Sine. E. (2012). Arroz Doce. Personal recipe.