Kale Soup (Caldo Verde)

Here's the recipe for Kale Soup (Caldo Verde) and the video demonstration to go along with it. This really the most traditional Portuguese soup, and is usually served at similarly traditional events like weddings or cultural events. Like most Portuguese soup, a potato puree is used to give a creamy consistency, no milk or cream is added, and the finely sliced kale gives the soup its distinctive green (verde) colour. Hopefully with this recipe and the video, it'll feel like I'm in your kitchen helping you along with some homecooking, Portuguese style!

Ingredients

8 cups of water

6 medium sized potatoes, peeled & cut into small pieces

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 chouriço (Portuguese sausage)

8-10 leaves kale or collards, finely sliced

1 tbsp. virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and add the potatoes, chopped onion, garlic and sausage. Let boil until the potatoes are cooked through (approximately 15 minutes)
2. Remove the sausage from the pot and cut into slices. Set aside.
3. Remove the pot from heat, and using an electric hand blender (a potato masher or countertop blender works too) puree the potatoes until you have a smooth, consistent soup
4. Put the pot back on the heat, and bring back to a boil
5. Add the sliced kale to the pureed potatoes and boil, uncovered for another 5 minutes or until the kale is cooked.
6. Add the olive oil and sliced the chouriço before serving

Leftover Shepherds Pie (Empadão)

Remember how I mentioned that my brother had 2 favourite dishes? Bife a Cavalo and Shepherds Pie or Empadão, in Portuguese. I’ll have to admit this was one, and still is one of my favourite comfort foods. I can still remember distinct times when my Mom would ask us what we wanted to eat and we’d say “empadão!” 95% of the time. She wouldn’t make it all the time, and I understand why. It’s generally a long process; making the meat mixture on the stovetop, cooking and mashing the potatoes and then baking the whole thing. Well, I decided to cut out a step and used leftover chili and roasted vegetables from lunch time as the filling which left me only having to boil and mash the potatoes. Overall the results were pretty good. My family was happy with the fact that food was ready quickly and that it wasn’t just warmed up chili from lunch. My brother had his beloved empadão and no food went to waste.

Ingredients

• Leftover meat, could be BBQ, chili, stew, whatever, be as creative as you like
• Cooked vegetables, I used roasted peppers and asparagus, but you could use canned or frozen mixed vegetables too.
• Potatoes for mashing, here’s where you’ll have to eyeball it. I used about 8 medium sized potatoes which made enough mashed potatoes for a 9” square baking pan. It depends on how much filling you have. However, it’s better to make more mashed potatoes, you can use the extra as another layer in your empadão, or keep it to make some soup tomorrow
• Butter, a few tablespoons
• Milk, about a ¼ of a cup
• 1 or 2 eggs

1. Preheat your oven to 375 F.

2. Bring a pot with water to a boil and add the potatoes and some salt. Cook for 10 minutes or so, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes with a fork

3. Drain water from the potatoes and begin mashing with a potato masher. Add a tablespoon of butter and a little milk and keep mashing. Check the consistency of the mashed potatoes and taste them to see if they need more salt. Add more butter and/or milk if they’re not smooth or creamy enough for you.

4. Once the potatoes are mashed to your liking, get an appropriately sized baking pan and layer the meat mixture and vegetables on the bottom. Then smooth over the mashed potatoes.

5. Beat the eggs and apply as an egg wash on top of the potatoes before putting it in the oven.

Layering the mashed potatoes over the leftover meat and roasted veggies

The Shepherd's Pie baking in the oven...the egg wash makes it brown to a pretty colour :)

First BBQ of the Season

The one BIG thing I’m missing at my place is a BBQ. I live on the third floor of a house and don’t have a balcony so BBQ related food doesn’t happen during the week for me. As a big lover of all things grilled, this makes me sad, but on the up side, it means that I usually have BBQ all weekend when I go to visit my parents.

My parents are also big BBQ fans, although my Dad is adamant that charcoal or wood is the only ‘real’ way to grill food. My Mom is a bit more of a realist and places the need for food on the table quickly above most other things. They usually meet halfway by grilling on the propane grill during the week when things tend to be more rushed, and opting for the slow grill on the weekends.

Since my parents are such fans of grilling we, (my brother, uncle, grandparents and I) decided to buy them a really nice BBQ for Christmas. I naively thought that lots of other people must want to buy people BBQ’s for Christmas, but I soon found out otherwise. There was only one place I found that had a decent BBQ for sale, and since the plan had already been made, we stuck with it. All in all, it turned out pretty well. They loved the BBQ and it works and looks good.

My Mom started cooking on it once the snow melted, but it wasn’t until about 3 weeks ago that it really started getting warm enough to actually stand outside beside the BBQ as you cooked. That’s when I took these pictures. My good friend Milana came over too and the three of us, Mom, Milana and I, chatted and sampled as we grilled. My Mom chose the prepackaged kabobs, which is rare of her to do, but we were all tired and just wanted to eat. We cut up some peppers and mushrooms and I made some tzatziki to go with all of it. I think it’s this sort of thing that makes me love food and cooking. There are few things that make me happier than cooking while you have good people around you and just sort let time pass you by. I find it calming and settling, and when I look at these pictures again, I get a smile on my face because that’s the feeling I remember.

Do you love to BBQ? Have any ‘must haves’ at every BBQ? I’d love to hear your stories.

The road to Pad Thai…sort of

Right, have I mentioned that I am currently working in a very small town in SW Ontario? Well if I haven’t now you know. Well anything that doesn’t consist of meat and/or potatoes is hard to find here. Not that there is anything wrong with meat and potatoes, but sometimes I feel like something else. I suppose if I were to look at this in a positive light, the fact that I can’t find things like pad thai or sushi here has driven me to learn how to make them…case in point. (Stay tuned for a sushi lesson in the near future)

This is my 2nd attempt at pad thai, which was better than the first, but it’s still a work in progress. I’m not sure what’s missing, but I think I’m getting closer. What I’m trying to get at, is that this recipe isn’t exactly 100%, but I haven’t posted anything all week and really wanted to. So think of this as a base from which to begin your personal homemade pad thai experience. When I try it again, I will post a picture (I had eaten it all by the time I realized that I hadn’t taken a picture…oops!) So without further a due, the beginnings of a great pad thai recipe (one day!)

Here are the sites I went to for inspiration.

http://www.thaitable.com/Thai/recipes/Pad_Thai.htm

http://www.thaifoodandtravel.com/recipes/padthai.html

Ingredients: (Enough for (2) people or (1) very hungry person

1/2 package pad thai noodles

1/2 package firm tofu, cut into 1 cm strips

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 handful of bean sprouts

1 egg

3 or 4 tbsp. fish sauce

juice from 1/2 lime

pinch of sugar

chili powder and/or chili sauce to taste

cilantro, chopped

1. Get your noodles into a bowl of hot water from the tap. Make sure they are all nice and covered up in their bath and then leave them there for a bit.

2. If you have a wok, here’s it’s time to shine. If you’re in the same boat as me and wok-less, a big pot works too. So, heat up some oil and add the onions and garlic being sure to stir things around so nothing burns.

3. Next add the tofu. It tastes better when it’s a little crispy on all sides. Be careful when you’re mixing the tofu because it’ll break apart. So just sort of flip it on all of its sides until things are looking golden and pretty

4. Now take the noodles from their warm bath, drain them and add them to the pot. Stir things up quick to avoid the noodles from sticking to the bottom.

5. Add the fish sauce, chili powder and/or sauce, sugar and lime juice and keep things stirred

6. Here’s the tricky part. Slide all the stuff in the pot to one side so you have an empty space at the bottom of the pan. That’s where the egg is going to go and be fried. The first time I tried this, the egg jsut sort of stuck to the bottom of the pan and kind of burnt. This time, I added a little more oil and then added the egg. If you have a non-stick wok, you won’t have this problem, but I just thought I’d warn you about my experience.

So fry up the egg, and once you see the yok is pretty much cooked, gently fold in the rest of the noodles/tofu/onions/ garlic mix so that everything is well distributed

7. Add the bean sprouts and some chopped cilantro and turn off the heat.

8. Garnish with more cilantro, and some lime.

Portuguese Style Rice Pudding (Arroz Doce)

It was my grandfather’s birthday last weekend so the whole family got together at my
grandparents house on Sunday afternoon for a big meal. When I say big, I mean we had trouble fitting all of the dishes on the table. But that’s my grandma when it comes to food, ‘go big, or go home.’ Everything she made was really good, as usual, but she is known for a few dishes and makes them every time the family is together. Arroz Doce, Portuguese style rice pudding is one of them. I thought I would try my hand at making some myself and bring it to lunch for an informal taste test. So after everyone was done their main course, dessert plates were brought out and the tasting began. I should mention that this wasn’t a controlled tasting by any means. Everyone knew which version was mine and which dish was my grandma’s, and did I mention that we were in my grandparent’s house? Needless to say that I didn’t stand a chance, but I still received some accolades for my interpretation of arroz doce; better than ‘boos.’ Here’s the recipe I used and below you’ll see some key tips to making your arroz doce a success.

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
1/2 tsp. of salt
2 cups of short grain rice (like the kind for risotto)
4 cups of milk
1 cup white sugar
1 tbsp. butter
1 or 2 cinnamon sticks
zest from one lemon
cinnamon (to decorate)

1. In a large pot, add the water, lemon zest and cinnamon sticks and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Let the lemon and cinnamon infuse the water for about 10 min.

2. Meanwhile, in another pot, add the milk and warm it up so that it’s ’scalded’ not boiled.

3. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the water and bring the liquid to a rolling boil and add the rice and salt. Be sure to mix it a big so that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the
pot.

4. Cook the rice for about 15 minutes, or until it looks like most of the water is absorbed,
then add a few ladles of the scalded milk. Stir occasionally to incorporate the milk.

5. Once it looks like the rice has absorbed the milk add another few ladles of milk and
repeat until you’re left with your last few ladles of milk.

6. Before you add the last bit of milk to the rice, add the sugar to the pot.

7. Finally add the last of the milk. The rice should look very creamy and thick.

8. Pour the dessert either into a large serving platter, or you can use individual ramekins.
Decorate with cinnamon either with designs or just sprinkled on top. Let it set at room
temperature or in the fridge.

Important things to remember:

I think there are a few key things you have to remember when making this dish. One, although most recipes I found call for 1 cup of sugar or less, it tastes better if you add closer to 1 1/2 cups. I think this has to do with the fact that one usually serves this dish at room temperature or slightly chilled which tends to make it taste less sweet than when it’s on the stovetop. Two, make sure the rice is cooked all the way through or the milk and sugar won’t penetrate the the rice. Lastly, avoid stirring the pot too much or you’ll end up with a gooey mushy dessert. Low heat and occasional stirring in the key.

Sole in garlic dill sauce served with roasted vegetables and chive yogurt sauce

I really felt like having two things yesterday, a baked potatoe, you know with all of the fixings…sour cream, bacon, chives, and deep fried battered fish. The thing is that I’m also trying to stay in shape, so I opted for a compromise of sorts.

When I went grocery shopping on Monday, there was a deal to get 3 packages of herbs for $5. Since I don’t have a herb garden (I should get one though…anyone have any advice on how to start one in an apartment??) and I like using fresh herbs I bought a package of basil, bay leaves and a ‘herb medley for fish.’ The ‘medley’ included chives, dill and lemongrass. So I figured I could use dill for the fish, in this case sole, and chives for my ‘baked’ potato craving. I’ll admit, I kind of improvised with this one. I knew I wanted to use the herbs, and I knew that herbs get along well with fish which can sometimes smell and taste too much like fish. I also didn’t have any sour cream, but I did have some Balkan Style yogurt to work with. Anyways, here’s what I did.

Ingredients (Yield for 2)

Fish

2 filets of sole

2 cloves of garlic, cut in quarters

3 or 4 sprigs of fresh dill, roughly chopped

splash of white wine

salt and pepper to taste

Roasted Vegetables

2 medium sized new potatoes but into small pieces

6 sprigs of asparagus, rough stems removed and cut into thirds

a handful of baby carrots

1/4 tsp garlic powder

salt & pepper

Chive Yogurt Sauce

1/4 cup of good yogurt (i.e. NOT fat free) I used 6 % Balkan Style

juice from half of lemon

a dozen sprigs of chives, chopped

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F

2. Get some water boiling for the potatoes, and boil them for about 5 minutes. Drain, and mix with the asparagus, carrots and some oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are baked through.

3. Oil a non-stick skillet and add the garlic and dill when hot to infuse the oil. Next add the sole filets, being careful to keep them whole. Flip to other side after a minute or two, turn the heat down and put the lid on the pan.

4. Meanwhile, mix up the yogurt, lemon juice and chives.

Bife a Cavalo

Before Rachel Ray. my Mom was (and still is) the fastest cook I know. She would have my brother and I time her, just to prove that her making food at home was just as quick, if not quicker than going to a fast food place (which is what my brother and I usually wanted) This dish is as close as Portuguese cuisine gets to fast food; only tastier and I’m sure, healthier.

I’m pretty sure this is my brother’s favourite dish, second maybe only to Shepherds Pie. I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, adding sauted onions and mushrooms to the plate, since they go so well with everything else in the dish. Bife a Cavalo, literally means “Beef Steak, Horse-style,” which makes not sense to me. The only thing I can think of is that it’s a meal for someone who is as hungry as a horse. That would make sense, since it is alot of food and is a quick dish to make. I’ll go with that interpretation until I (or you) hear different.

So as a tribute to my Mom who made this, and many other dishes in 30 minutes flat, and my brother, who convinced me to start this blog in the first place, I present ” Beef steak if you’re as hungry as a horse”

Ingredients (For 2)

2 thin fast fry beef steaks

2 cloves of garlic, chopped in quarters

1 onion, coarsely chopped

6 or so mushrooms, coarsely chopped

2 potatoes, cut for fries

2 eggs

salt & pepper

1. If you want to deep fry the potatoes (the traditional way) do it closer to the end so that they stay warm. I personally do not like deep frying so I chose to bake my potatoes on a baking sheet with some oil @ 400 F for 15 minutes. You could just as easily use pre cut french fries and bake them. Your choice.

2. Heat some oil in a medium sized skillet and add the garlic to infuse it. Add the beef steaks being sure to brown each side. Season with salt and pepper. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the steak.

3. Remove beef from skillet and place one steak on its own plate and cover to keep warm.

4. There should be some juices left in the skillet to saute the onions and mushrooms in. If not, add a little more oil, then saute the onions for a minute and add the mushrooms. Saute until mushrooms have released their juices remove.

5. Divide half of the sauted onions and mushrooms and pile on top of the steak. Cover the plate again.

6. Still using the same skillet (did I mention I don’t like doing dishes!) add a little bit of oil to fry the eggs. Fry however you like it, although in this case sunny side up is perfect to dip your fries in

7. The potatoes should be ready by now, and you can arrange them around the beef piled with the mushroom onion saute.

8. Finally, add the fried egg on top of the sauted mushrooms and onion and check the clock…betcha it was less than 30 minutes!

Apple Onion Curry Soup

I was first introduced to homemade curry by my Honorary Aunt Fiona who is originally from England where I'm pretty sure curry is the national dish. A few Thanksgivings ago, Fiona, being the fabulous cook that she is, volunteered to host a full out British style turkey feast complete with Yorkshire Pudding. The next day, instead of the usual turkey soup, she made this apple onion soup. Well, I fell in love with the fact that it was yummy and that it was dead simple. I've made this soup for lots of different people and always received positive feedback. I hope you enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

To make about (4) full bowls of soup

2 or 3 apples, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 heaping teaspoons of curry powder
2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 handful of alpha bits or peppini (optional)
1/2 handful of a flat noodle (rice, fettucine, etc...)
salt
pepper

1. In a medium saucepan, saute the onions and apples with some cooking oil at medium-high heat until things look translucent and juices are being released...about 5 to 7 min.

2. Add the broth and curry powder. Bring to a boil.

3. Puree the soup. I used a hand held blender but a regular blender, or even a potato masher would work too.

4. If you're adding the alpha bits or peppini you might need to add some more broth or water so that they don't end up sticking to the bottom of the pot, but use you're own judgment.

5. Bring the soup to a slow boil and add the alpha bits/peppini/pasta.

6. Add salt, pepper or more curry powder to taste.

Thats how easy it is to make the Onion Soup!

Quiche

Thursday nights are hard days for me to cook since I usually go back home on Friday’s and don’t have a great selection of food in my fridge. But this week I decided to make ‘lemonade out of lemons’, and make something great out of what I did have: spinach, green onions and mushrooms. I remembered that I had a frozen pie shell in the freezer and voilà; I was struck with the inspiration to make quiche.
I used to think that quiche was a really complicated dish, but I’ve discovered that it really isn’t. It’s just a glorified omelet in a pie shell; that’s it. The recipe that follows is from George, a friend of a friend, and he got it from chefs at a culinary institute where he’s taking a night class, so it’s a ‘legitimate’ recipe :)
The recipe below includes the option of making the piecrust from scratch; I tried it once, and although it tasted great, it added a lot more time to the whole process. I’ve used frozen piecrusts since then, and it still tastes fabulous.

For the Pie Pastry from scratch

Ingredients

10 oz All-purpose flour
5 oz Non emulsified shortening (i.e. Crisco)
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 oz Cold Water

1. Mix flour and shortening together. Don't mash it too much; just use your fingers to break apart the chunks of shortening, until they are like small pebbles.

2. Slowly add the water. You may not need the entire 4 oz of water. Just add enough, so it's dough. The key is to keep the flour/shortening mixture cool by not mixing it too much.

3. Once you have dough, set it aside in the fridge for a while to cool down.

4. When you’re ready to make you’re quiche, roll out pastry on the counter with some flour to prevent sticking, and bake for ~10 minutes or less at 350 degrees. It's ready when the shell looks dry.

For the Quiche filling

3 eggs
6 oz Homo Milk (I used 1% and it tasted fine too)
1 cup(approx.) grated cheese (emmenthal , gruyere cheese, or whatever you want)

5 slices of bacon (pancetta or lunch meats would work too)
5 mushrooms, diced
½ medium onion, diced
nutmeg
salt
pepper

a few handfuls of whatever else you want to put in the quiche: spinach, broccoli, red and/or green peppers…be creative!

1. Saute the mushrooms, onion or any other vegetable you’re using in some butter and set aside. NB: If you’re using spinach, add it last so since it will cook quickly.

2. Chop up the bacon into little bacon bits and cook in a pan till slightly crispy

3. Break eggs in a medium bowl, beat well and season with salt and pepper

4. Scald the milk with a pinch of nutmeg and pour slowly into the beaten egg mixture. NB: By ‘scald’ I mean bring the milk to a near boil, stirring it so that no film forms.

5. Put some cheese at the bottom of the pie shell and spoon in the vegetable mixture and meat mixture.

6. Slowly pour in the egg mixture

7. Top with the rest of the cheese. The more cheese you put on, the longer it'll take to bake.

8. Bake at 375 degrees for ~ 30 minutes, or until the quiche is set and top is browned.