Grilled Seafod Paella

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• Happy Wednesday Everyone.  Now that the weather is getting better I cannot wait to get back outside and start making this.  Who doesn't like a good seafood paella?  I know that my family is a huge fan of seafood and this is one recipe that EVERYONE will devour this every time make it.  
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• Let me start by saying that this will take a long time to make and it involves a lot of steps, but i will promise you that it's worth the work and wait.  This is something that I make when i'm having family over for dinner.  It will impress the pants off anyone.   

Adopted from sunset

 https://www.sunset.com/recipe/grilled-seafood-chorizo-paella-with-allioli

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron 
• 1 pound littleneck clams, scrubbed
• 1 pound mussels, scrubbed and cleaned
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
•  kosher salt to taste
• 1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, 
• 1 pound scallops
• 1-2 lobster (depending on size) cooked and split in half
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped Spanish onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups sliced chorizo
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups medium grain rice
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO;

1. In a medium stock pot, bring the chicken stock and wine to a boil over a medium flame. 
2. Add the saffron and boil for 1-2 minutes. 
3. Add the clams to the pot and cook until the shells have opened, approximately 4-5 minutes. 
4. Transfer the clams to a platter using a slotted spoon. 
5. Add the mussels to the pot and cook until the shells have opened, approximately 3-4 minutes. (make sure to reserve cooking liquid afterwards as it will be used to the rice later)
6. Transfer to the platter with the clams. Cover and set aside.
7. In a medium bowl, toss the shrimp, scallops, lobster tail and lemon with the paprika and salt. Set aside.
8. Place the paella pan or large skillet over high heat on the grill. (if you do not have a pan, i have also made this using a tin pan, you will see it in the posted picture)
9. Add the olive oil to the pan and heat for 1 minute. 
10. Add the onions to the pan and cook until softened, stirring occasionally. 
11. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 
12. Add chorizo and cook for 2-3 minutes. 
13. Stir in the tomato paste and continue to cook until well combined and dark red in color. 
14. Stir in the rice and allow to cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. 
15. Using a 1 cup label, add 2 cups of the reserved broth to the rice and stir to combine. 
16. Allow the rice to absorb the stock, approximately 2-3 minutes, before adding more 1 cup at a time until all the stock is used.
17. While the rice cooks, place the shrimp, scallops, lobster and lemons directly on the grill rack. 
18. Grill the shellfish for 1-2 minutes on each side or until cooked through and opaque in color.
19.  Grill the lemons until charred on all sides. Transfer to the platter with the clams and mussels and set aside.
20. Stir the peas into the rice mixture. 
21. Top with the shellfish and lemons. 
22. Allow the paella to cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes longer so a crust forms on the bottom of the pan. 
23. Remove the paella to a heat proof trivet and serve family style at the table. 
24. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley before serving. 
25. Serve immediately.

Green bean soup (Sopa de feijao verde)

Looking back at my blog, it's been a long time.  So my Resolution this year is to document my family, and document the food that we all love.  I have to admit, after working full time and then coming home to 3 children that are asking "what's for dinner" the last thing I'm thinking is plate it nicely and take a picture.  I don't know about anyone else's kids, but I can tell you that my 5 year old can go from princess to pain in the butt when the hunger sets in.  And of course she always goes from being full to being starving in 3.6 seconds.  LOL! 



With all kidding aside, I always felt that blogging was a outlite for me, and most of all a way to track the recipes that were major wins.  There have been times when I find myself taking pictures of food, but never seem to find the time to come back and write up a post for it. like in the case of this soup.  I made it back in November and I finally got around to posting about it.  I promised myself that I would start being better about.  I think the fact that I started a Facebook page called Portuguese Cuisine I found some motivation.  Time will tell. 




The goal is to share at least 2 new recipes a month.  I think that's doable.what better way to start than to share one of my favorite childhood soups.  As a kid I can remember my parents having a garden and growing their own veggies.  One of the many things that they grew was green beans.  I can still remember my parents being outside every other day filling a plastic grocery bags of green beans.

 They grew so much that our extended family and neighbors would come over and pick green beans for themselves.  With the abundance of green beans there is only so much that you were able to eat, so my mom would chop it into small pieces and freeze it so she could make soup thought-out the year.  While it' a very  simple soup to make it's also a soup that is packed with flavor.  Definitely a must try.  I hope you all enjoy it as much as my brother and I did when we were little. 

Source: My Mother



WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1 large chopped onion
3 large chopped carrots
1 stalk celery
1 large clove garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2-2 cups of green beans cut into small peices
8 cups water
2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable if you prefer)
salt and pepper to taste
1 cups small pastina 

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a large soup pan, saute the onions, carrots and celery in the olive oil until translucent.

Add the chicken broth, garlic, water, and seasonings.

Bring to boil and cook on medium until vegetables are tender.

Remove pan from heat. Puree the soup with an immersion blender to desired consistency.  

Place the soup back on the stove on medium heat. When it comes back up to a boil, add the pasta, green beans. 

Cover and let it simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked. Add more seasoning if desired.

Enjoy with some delicious home made bread, and like always, HAPPY COOKING!

Kale Soup- Caldo Verde

Here is another one of my favorite Portuguese soup recipes. I made this as a starter dish for my 24x24 meal. Not only is it an easy basic recipe that you can throw together it's also very tasty.

Growing up this was something that my mother would make on a weekly bases, especially on cold winter nights. This soup along with a think slice of crusty bread makes a wonderful meal. I hope you all enjoy it as much as my family and friends have.

Happy Cooking!
Source: My mother's kitchen

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced
6 large potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
2 quarts cold water
6 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 pound kale, rinsed and thinly julienned

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook garlic in 3 tablespoons olive oil for 3 minutes.

Stir in potatoes and cook, in water, bring to a boil, and let boil gently for 20 minutes, until potatoes are mushy.

Puree the potato mixture in food processor.

Stir the sausage, salt and pepper into the soup and return to medium heat.

Cover soup broth and simmer 5 minutes.

Then stir kale into soup and simmer, 5 minutes, until kale is tender and jade green.

Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and serve at once.

Arroz Doce-Portuguese Rice Pudding

During the month of March I took part in the foodbuzz24x24, I have to admit that is was a lot of fun and I look forward to the opportunity to doing it again one day.

One of the many dishes that I made was Arroz Doce. Azzor Doce translates to sweet rice and is a traditional Portuguese rice pudding, while there are many variations they are all very similar. This particular one is very creamy custardy. If you are looking for a good Arroz Doce recipe this is the way to go.

Like always if you do try this recipe please let me know how it came out. I would love your feedback. Happy Baking!

Source: My Mother;s kitchen...sorry I don't know where she got this recipe from, it's one that she has been making for over 30 years.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
2 cup or white rice (I like Carolina rice, for rice pudding)
8 cups water
half of a lemon's peel, and the other half of the lemon peel finely grated
1 tablespoon butter
A pinch of salt
4 cups hot milk (whole milk makes it creamier)
2 cups sugar
5 egg yolks
Cinnamon for garnish

In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil with the lemon peel, butter and pinch of salt.

Add the rice and let it simmer for about 20 minutes and add lemon zest.

Stir occasionally. When most of the water has evaporated, add the very hot milk.

Simmer for 5 more minutes and add the sugar.

In a separate bowl, beat together the egg yolks and add a few spoonfuls of the rice mixture to temperate the egg yolks.

Then add the now warm egg mixture to the saucepan and stir quickly until rice is evenly coated.

Pour arroz doce into a large platter or into individuals servings.

Once rice pudding has settled sprinkle with cinnamon.

Serve cooled.

Bacalhau com Natas (salted cold with cream sauce)

Growing up every year for Christmas Eve our traditional Portuguese dinner was, boiled bacahau, boiled potatoes, and steamed broccoli rabe. While it is a traditional Portuguese dish, it's not one that I'm fond of.

Since getting married and now hosting Christmas Eve each year this is the recipe that I tend to make each year. I tend only to make it once a year because It's loaded with tons of calories, but the way I see it...if you're going to indulge it might as well be during the holidays!

I hope you call enjoy it as much as we do! Happy cooking!

Recipe Adapted from my mother's kitchen

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
5lbs. salt cod, (thinker pieces are best)
3 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced thin
5 tbsp. olive oil (this is to saute the onions)
5 lbs. potatoes, (peeled and cut into fries)
2 cups milk
8 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp flour
ground pepper to taste
salt to taste
2 cups heavy cream (told you this was loaded with calories)

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Soak the cod in water for 24-48 hours in several changes of cold water.

Drain the cod, rinse, and drain again.

Boil cod, once cooked remove from water and let cool to room temp.

Once cool, remove bones and skin and pull the cod into small shreds, set aside.

In a heavy skillet over low heat, saute the onion in olive oil until soft and golden.

In your deep fryer, fry the potatoes in the oil until they are tender, they do not need to be golden because you will be making them.

As soon as the onions are softly golden, lower heat to the lowest heat, and mix in the cod and 1 cup milk, mix everything together stirring occasionally, for about 10 min.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over moderate heat and blend in the flour, add the remaining milk and heat , stirring constantly , until thickened.

Blend in the pepper and reserve.

preheat the oven to 400.

Take your baking casserole dish and layer have half cod mixture in the bottom.

Take half your fries and layer that on top.

Then take half the cream sauce and pour over the fries.

Repeat the last 3 steps.

Finally pour heavy cream over the top of prepared casserole and top with panko bread crumbs.

Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Serve hot.

Portuguese Pork and Clams Alentejo-Style

I have to say that this is by far one of my favorite Portuguese meals. I think that that is the best way to describe this dish is to call it a 'Portuguese Surf & Turf'.

Carne à Alenteja is a dish from the southern Alentejo province of Portugal, which is known for it's cooking and great wine selections. The dish is something that is simple to make and would leaving your guests thinking you spent all day in the kitchen. It is a true winner in our home and is something that I will continue making for years to come.

A few things you might want to keep in mind when making this dish is small clams are better since they cook faster and usually taste better. And of course fresh clams are always best.

Also another thing that you might want to do is marinate the pork over night. I think that the meat is more tender and is pack full of flavor. If you do try this recipe please let me know how it comes out. I would love to get some feedback.

Like always Happy cooking!

Adapted from The Portuguese Homestyle Cookbook

Original Recipe Yield 4 to 6 servings


WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 teaspoon paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 cloves garlic minced (we like garlic you could use half the amount if you like)
1 bay leaf
2 pounds pork loin, cut into 1 inch cubes
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
2 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
24 small clams in shell, scrubbed
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

In large bowl, combine wine, paprika, salt and pepper, blend well. Add garlic cloves, bay leaf, and cubed meat, turn meat in marinade to coat pieces. Marinate for 6 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain pork; reserve marinade. Pat cubes completely dry. Discard garlic and bay leaf. Melt 1 teaspoon of oil in large skillet.

Add pork cubes, stirring frequently so that the meat colors quickly and evenly. Transfer with slotted spoon to a bowl.

Pour reserved marinade into skillet and bring to a boil over high heat, scraping off any brown particles clinging to the inside of pan.

Boil briskly uncovered until marinade is reduced to 1 cup. Pour over pork and set aside.

In 6 to 8 quart pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons oil; add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until onion is soft but not brown. Add garlic, tomatoes and crushed red pepper. Simmer, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.

Spread the clams, hinged side down, over the tomato sauce; cover the pan tightly and cook over medium to high heat for ten minutes or until clams open.

Stir in reserved pork and juices. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat thoroughly.

Sprinkle with parsley.

Cabbage Soup

Let me just say that...I LOVE cabbage soup! As a child I still remember that every week my mother would make a huge pot of soup for the week. Each week she would make a different soup, but every time she made cabbage soup I would skip "main dish" at dinner, and just have a big bowl of soup(or 2) LOL!

Now that I have my own little guy I want to make sure that he too eats the things that I grew up on. This is also a great way for me to ensure that he gets as many veggies as possible into his diet. I hope you all enjoy this as much as my family and I.

HAPPY COOKING!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

3 med/large carrots chopped into large chunks
1 med onion chopped into large chunks
4 large russet potatoes chopped into large chunks
1 garlic clove
1 can of red kidney beans
1 med size head of cabbage (I prefer a savoy cabbage)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 chicken bouillon
stock pot filled a little more than half way with water

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Put your stock pot with water on high heat, and carrots, onion, potatoes, kidney beans, garlic, and bouillon.

Once the soup begins to boil being the heat down in a med heat and allow veggies to cook about 20 minutes.

Once the veggies are cooked, remove pot from heat and puree with hand held blender.

After veggies have been pureed you will notice that the soup will have a thick creamy like appearance.

Return soup to stove top let it come to a simmer make sure that you stir the soup so that it does not stick to the bottom of your stock pot.

Once the soup has come to a simmer add your chopped/bite size pieces of cabbage, and olive oil and let cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until cabbage is cooked.

Remove from heat, and let sit for a few minutes.

Enjoy with your favorite bread.

Portuguese Style Rice (Rice w/ Veggies)

So seeing that I'm Portuguese no meal was ever complete in my mother's house without having this rice. In my parents house it was a staple side and my mother would make it 1 to 2 times a week. It was something that we had so often that when I just assumed that everyone knew how to make it, so I never thought about blogging it until one day someone asked how I make it taste so good.

So seeing that I was making it for Mother's Day as one of our sides I decided that now would be as good as time ever to post the recipe. I have to admit, it's so basic and yet so delicious. This pairs well with just about any main course, from fish to pork, to steak, to lamb...It's a keeper. I hope you all enjoy this recipe and like always if you do make this I would love to hear your reviews afterward. Happy cooking!

Source of recipe...My mom's kitchen which mostly came form her mother's kitchen which came from her mother's...and so on....


WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 small red onion minced
1 large carrot finely chopped
1/2 a red pepper finely chopped
1 clove of garlic
3-4 Tablespoons of GOOD olive oil (I just eyeball this)
2 Tablespoons of tomato paste
1 chicken bouillon
3 cups of water
1 1/2 cup of rice (I use Uncle Ben's)
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of crushed red peppers (not the dry kind)

In a stock pot heat olive oil over a medium high heat.

Add onion, carrots, red pepper, garlic, tomato paste, and bouillon, and cook until all the veggies seem to become soft.

At this point add 2 cups of water reserving the other 1 cup for later.

Let everything come to a boil and let cook for another 5 minutes. Then add additional cup of water and allow to come a boil again.

Once it has home to a complete boil add rice and reduce heat to medium heat season with salt and black pepper to suit your taste.

Allow rice to cook for about 15- 20 minutes stirring frequently. As the rice cooks the water will be absorbed into the rice.

If rice is still undercooked and liquid as been absorbed add small intervals of water until rice reaches desired doneness .

Serve hot!

Bacalhau (salted cod) with Smashed Red Potatoes (Bacalhau com batatas a murro)

What can I say to describe how wonderful this dish is? Honestly it's such a healthy simple dish that it amazes me how fast and easy it all come together. I try to incorporate fish into our weekly meal plan at least twice a week...does it always happen...no, but I do tend to make salted cod twice a month.

I have been meaning to blog about this recipe for months now...but every time I make it we never seem to have any leftovers, however this time I told my husband he had to wait for his dinner until I took a picture. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do. Happy cooking!

Yields 3-4 servings....

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

1-1.5 lbs of salted cod...(per-soaked fir at least 24 hours changing the water at least 3 times)
6-8 medium red potatoes scrubbed
3 cloves of garlic minced
5 tablespoons of olive oil ( use the good stuff it make a huge difference)
3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO DO:

Preheat oven to 450

scrub potatoes will and season with a little of salt and pepper. place potatoes on cookie sheet and bake until they become tender...(medium size potatoes will take about 30 minutes on 450)

While the potatoes are baking season salted cod with some pepper and grill on low. The time for this will vary based upon the thickness of your salted) Dish is cooked when fish begins to flake...(1-1.5 inch thickness should talk about 10 minutes on each side for a total of 20 minutes cooking time)

In a small bowl combine olive oil, garlic, and red wine vinegar mix together until well combined.

Once potatoes are done cooking place on serving dish and smash the potatoes with hand.

Once fish is fully cooked let sit for about 3-4 minutes to cool slightly, and then using your hands or fork...flake fish into bite size chunks.

Drizzle the garlic/vinegar/olive oil "dressing" over everything and mix together.

Bacalhau A Bras (Portuguese Scrambled Eggs w/ Salt Cod and Fries)

As a child we never had meat on Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent. This was the tradition in my Grandparents house, and when my parents house, and now mine.

Being that we had fish twice a week during Lent, Bacalhau was always on our weekly menu. I know what your thinking, six weeks with salted cod on your menu...how boring, but you are so wrong. Did you know that there are over 1000 different recipes for this type of fish? Talk about a versatile ingredient.

Besides Bacalhau a gomes de sa, (salted cod casserole)which it also in my blog, this is by far my favorite recipe. My mother would make this once in a while, and I wished I had written her recipe down. Now that she lives overseas, it would have come in handy when I wanted to make this dish. Being that she isn't here, I had to try to concoct something for myself. With the help of the internet I was able to come with the next best thing to my mother's recipe. I hope you all enjoy this recipe.


Recipe Adapted from David Leite,
http://leitesculinaria.com/7642/recipes-portuguese-eggs-salt-cod-potatoes-bacalhau-bras.

Recipe yields 4 to 6 servings. (FYI I think the recipe below only yields 4 servings, so it you are making this for more than 4 people, I would double the recipe.)

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
1 pound dried salt cod (soaked for 24-36 hour before using)
7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into matchstick-size strips
1 large onion, diced
1 bay leaf
8 large eggs (I use 6, I think 8 is a little much)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

The most important thing that you will have to do is soak the fish. Place it in a bowl and add enough cold water to cover. Soak for 24-36 hours changing the water several times.

2. The next day, drain the fish and transfer to a large stockpot.

Cover with water, bring to a boil (you do not need to add any salt) Let simmer until the fish flakes easily, about 15 minutes once the water starts to boil.

Drain and cool. Flake the fish, discarding any bones.

Heat 4 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy, large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (If you like you could also fry the potatoes veggie oil in a deep fryer if your in a time crunch...which is what I did tonight, just keep in mind your adding more fat and calories by doing this.)

Add the potatoes in batches and saute until crisp and golden, this will take about 7 minutes per batch.

Transfer the potatoes to paper towels to drain.

Add 1 tablespoon of the oil to the same skillet and add onion and bay leaf and saute until golden, about 15 minutes.

Once onions are cooked discard the bay leaf.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the onion slices in the skillet. Add the fish and potatoes.

Whisk the eggs, the 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl to blend.

Add the egg mixture and 3 tablespoons of the parsley to the fish mixture in the skillet.

Cook over medium heat until the eggs begin to set, stirring occasionally so that your food doesn't stick, but also so your potatoes do don't turn into mush. This will take about another 3 minutes.

Transfer to a platter or serve right out of skillet.

Garnish with the remaining parsley and serve hot!

Salted Cod Casserole (Bacalhau a Gomes De Sa)

Growing up this was a staple dish in our home. My mother would make this throughout the year, but more so during Lent. I believe the reason she made it so often was because it was easy, and of course because we loved it.

Being that I was brought up on mainly ALL Portuguese dishes,I feel that when I started cooking I tried to avoid making the "traditional" Portuguese meals and branch out into different cuisines. Now that a few years have passed, I find myself wanting to return to my "roots" and cook more Portuguese dishes.

I told myself that I would try to blog at least one Portuguese dish a week. Unfortunately I have slacked on that, but I do plan on being better. So to get myself started I decided that I would blog about this dish. I hope that you enjoy this dish as much and my family and I have. If you do try this dish, I would love to get some feedback. Happy cooking!

Recipe source...My Mother!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED!

Yields 4-6 serving... I have tripled this recipe before to serve to a large crowd and it came out amazing!

2 lbs. salt cod
1 cup olive oil (Use good quality olive oil, if possible try using Portuguese oil)
4 medium sized red onions (You can use any kind of onion)
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely-chopped
6 medium-sized potatoes peeled
20 pitted black olives (I omit this because both my husband and I hate olives...in the passed I have served then on the side for guests)
6 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
2 Tbs. parsley, finely chopped

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO DO:

You will need to soak the salt cod, in water for 16 - 24 hours, changing the water 3 or 4 times. During this time you will need to keep the cod refrigerated.

After you have soaked your cod for 24 hours, drain and rinse the cod.

Place Salted Cod in a pan and fill with water to cover the fish by 1 inch.

Bring to a boil and then simmer for about 20 minutes until the fish flakes easily.

Drain cod and flake the fish coarsely. make sure that you remove any and all skin and also remove all bones. Once this is done set cod aside.

In the same pot boil the potatoes until easily pierced with a fork

Once cooked drain, and let cool.

Slice into 1/4-inch slices or cubes. Set aside.


In a frying-pan, heat a 1/2 cup of olive oil over medium high heat.

Add the sliced onion and sautée for about 6 or 7 minutes until the onions are translucent and slightly brown.

Stir in the garlic and remove from the heat.


To assemble Casserole pour about 3 tablespoons of olive oil on the bottom of casserole dish to help casserole from sticking.

Then begin by laying half the potatoes in the bottom of a casserole.

Cover them with half the cod and then half the onion and half the eggs.

Repeat above steps with the rest of ingredients, and then drizzle the rest of the olive oil over the top.

Bake for about 20 minutes in a 350ºF until the top begins to lightly browned.

Garnish with olives and sprinkle with parsley.

Serve from the casserole dish with a cruet of olive oil on the side.

Salted Cod fritters (Bolinhos de bacalhau)

If your looking for a lite hor d'oeuvre or are on a diet, this recipe is not for you. =) This is another one of my favorite Portuguese hor d'oeuvre. This is a very common starter throughout all of Portugal and is by far the one that is mostly requested at restaurants.

When I was younger my mother would always make this and shrimp cakes around the Holidays. You can't have a holiday party without having so yummy starter to go with your favorite cocktail.

This takes awhile to make so I recommended making bigger batches. The recipe below is enough for 6 to 8 servings.

FYI! If you make a large batch you do not have to fry them all, you can place formed fitters on cookie sheet place in freezer allow to firm. Remove them from cookie sheet place in bags in freezer to use at a later date. It is important to allow frozen fritters to come to room temp before placing in fryer.


WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO NEED:

1/2 pound of dried salted cod (make sure to soak for 24 hours changing the water at least 2 times)
2 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
1 small yellow onion minced
1 large garlic clove mined
4 teaspoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of minced parsley (I like to use more because I love the color and taste of parsley in the fritter)
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
Vegetable oil for deep frying.

WHAT TO DO:

In a stock pot bring cod and potatoes to a boil until both are fork tender.

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.

Drain cod and potatoes and set aside to allow everything to cool.

Once cod is cool, Use a fork to part fish a part. (Make sure to remove all bones.)

Take potatoes and put through a food mill (you can also use a potato masher).

Take cod and potatoes and combine together add egg, ground pepper, parsley, and cayenne. Mix together until it forms a paste like mixture.

Heat deep fryer to 325 and no higher or else your fritter are going to exploded.

Take mixture and shaped into "dumping shape using 2 spoons or if you like you may also shape into ball with your hands.

Once oil is hot add cod balls into oil.

Do not over crowd fryer. Fritters should flip on own in oil.

Fry until golden brown (about5 Minutes).

Serve hot or at room temp.

Fish Stew Portuguese Style

Being the daughter of first generation Portuguese immigrants fish has always played a large part in our diets. Last March (2009) my husband, son, and I went to Portugal to visit family and during those 2 weeks, my husband was on a mission to eat as much fish as possible. My mother made everything from grilled fish...to Fish stew needless to say both my husband and I were in heaven.

I have always loved fish, but my husband hates cooking it because of the lingering smell it leaves behind. Over the passed year or so I have convinced him that we could increase our fish intake if we did most of our fish outside in foil packets on the grill. He was all for it and we now have fish once if not twice a week.

Which brings me to how I ended up making Fish Stew. The last time we had a snow storm we were unable to grill outside so I had to come up with something else for dinner. Then it came to me...."why not make a fish stew for dinner?"

My mom's recipe was a hit, tasted really good and doesn't require a lot of work. The best thing about this recipe is that we had no lingering fish smell in the house. Last night was the second time I made it and it better than what I remembered. I was worried I wouldn't have enough left over to take a picture for my blog. The picture isn't the best and doesn't really do the dish justice, but at least it gives you an idea of how it should look. I hope you enjoy!

Yields about 4 main-course servings...best if served with some crunchy bead to soak up the broth.

WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO NEED:
1.5 pounds firm white fish, such as snapper, or grouper( I usually use grouper because its thinker and doesn't fall apart easy)
1 to 1.5 pound of squid cleaned and cut into big chunks.
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped onions (I put only one medium onion because my husband it's big on it)
1 medium chopped or thinning slice red bell pepper
2 mild green chilies , sliced lengthwise in half (leave seeds if you want it to be a little more spicy)
2 bay leaves
2 cloves of minced garlic
2 cups chopped peeled and seeded tomatoes (or you can use 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes)
1 cup water
1 3/4 cup chicken broth
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
red pepper flakes to taste (we like it to have a little spicy kick, but this can be omitted)
fresh chopped parsley (I actually don't chop it up just toss some in)

WHAT TO DO:

Cut the fish and your squid into 3-inch pieces. and set aside in the refrigerator.

Make a roux by combining the oil and flour in a large cast-iron or Dutch oven over medium heat.

Stir slowly with a wooden spoon for about 15 to 20 minutes,roux will become dark brown.

Add the celery, onions, bell peppers, and chilies. Cook, stirring often, for 6 to 7 minutes.

Add the bay leaves and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, water.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for about 1 hour, or until a thin oil film appears on the surface.

Stir occasionally to prevent the mixture from sticking.

Increase the heat to medium, add the broth, salt,ground pepper, red pepper flakes, and cayenne and cook for about 15 minutes.

Lay the ONLY the fish in the mixture and let cook for about 5-8 minutes. Do NOT stir until squid is added to avoid fish from breaking.

After that add squid (the squid will cook much faster than the white fish) and allow to cook another 3-5 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and squid as taken on a dark pink to purple color.

During the last 2 minutes of cooking time, and parsley.

Remove the bay leaves. Serve hot with your favorite bread.

Rissois (Portuguese Shrimp cakes)

Growing up in a large Portuguese family food was always a big part of family gathering. The amount of food during the holidays was insane. And to this day, when I host any type of gatherings I tend keep the "tradition" of going overboard in the food department. As I have gotten older, and have had a child I feel like it's important that I continue to carrying out the family traditions. With my family, you can't have a party without having the shrimp cakes. =) I hope you enjoy this recipe.

Thanks to my mother I am able to continue the family traditions and I am able to share this recipe with all of you.

This recipe should yield about 100 shrimp cakes.

A few tips before you start... To get this recipe to work for you must read this a few times before starting it. The dough is tricky and has to be just right if you want them to hold together. Also This recipe can be spicy, based on your own likes for spicy foods you might need to adjust the piri piri. Personally I like spicy food so the three piri piri are just enough heat for me. One last note, make sure you have enough time because this will take a few hours.


I would also like to say that they are freeze really well and can remain frozen up to 6 months and taste as good as if they were freshly made. (Read below on how to freeze the patties). Also make filling before making dough to allow time for filling to cool.

For the filling you are going to need

2 Lbs of large shrimp
3 cloves of garlic
3 chopped piri piri
1/2 yellow onion
1/2 stick of butter
2 cups of flour
black pepper
salt to taste
1 tsp of paprika
2 tsp creme de marisco (knorr soup)
1/2 cup fresh parsley



Directions for shrimp:

Boil shrimp in enough water to cover shrimp with 2 cloves of garlic and 1 piri piri.
Once shrimp is cooked strain and save stock. Let cool.

Chop cooled shrimp in food processor until coarse (I like to do a very coarse chop because I like to bite into chucks of shrimp) Once you have gotten the shrimp to your desired coarseness set aside.

In chopper mix finely chop 1/2 yellow onion, 3 garlic cloves saute over medium heat in 1/2 stick of butter and 2 chopped piri piri. Slowly add 2 cups flour and shrimp stock little by little making sure it thickens before adding more. Add a dash of black pepper, season with salt to desired taste and 2 tsp creme de marisco. Add shrimp and 1/2 cup fresh parsley. The filling should have the consistency oatmeal. It should not be runny nor should it be "cookie dough" stiff. Set aside and let filling cool.

For the pastry you will need

3 cup flour
3 cup water
3 TBL butter
2 tsp salt

Boil 3 TBL of butter in 3 cups water with 2 tsp salt. Once it begins to boil remove from heat and add flour. stir well. Reduce heat to medium and continue stirring until dough has formed into a ball.

Roll dough out until thin. Using the pampered chef cut and seal cut out rounds. Fill center of each round with about 1 FULL teaspoon of filling, then take one side and flip over making a half moon shape. Seal with Pampered chef cut and seal. Once you have all your patties made. Scramble 8 eggs, dip each patties into egg and then cover with seasoned bread crumbs. Fry in HOT veggie oil until golden brown. You can eat them warm or at room temperature.

The best way that I have found to store the left over shrimp cakes is to place them on a lined cookie sheet place in freezer allow patties to harden then transfer to ziplock bags. By doing this you will avoid patties from sticking together. If frozen, let patties thaw for 30 minutes before frying.