Coffee cups

Coffee cups, small ones, arranged in a bamboo tray ready for the women's small group that used to meet to chat and have a change in routine every week.

A basic and versatile risotto recipe with salt cod

Good friends, good times. Cooking for my family and friends... it is what I enjoy most! A good recipe for a get together? A risotto!

So Italian... I make risotto with starchy rices like arborio and carnarolli that result in a creamy and rich texture and these rices can be easily found in any grocery stores. Once you learn how to make the basic recipe for risotto, you can start playing around with ingredients you have in your kitchen like vegetables, mushrooms, aspargus, sun-dried tomatoes and meats, seafood, sausage, cheese, herbs etc.

The secret to making creamy risottos is to add the hot stock one ladleful at a time and cook slowly, stirring constantly, waiting until the liquid is almost completely absorbed before adding more. This way the stock gets absorbed and releases the arborio's starches.

 Sometimes I top the cooked risotto with grilled or sauteed shrimp. Since we eat a lot of rice here in Brazil and rice is stir-fried first, making a risotto is just like adding an elegant touch to everyday rice.

I like to use salt cod and desalt it in advance.


Salt cod risotto
2 cups arborio rice
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup white wine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon canola oil
8 cups (2 liters) stock (vegetable, chicken, fish - I prefer vegetable stock)
1/2 teaspoon saffron powder

10 oz (300 g) salt cod (bacalhau), desalted and flaked

1 tablespoon butter

Toppings:
Fresh parsley or thyme
3 oz (90 g) Parmesan, freshly grated

1) Bring 8 cups of stock to a boil - keep it in a separate boiler.

2) In a large pan (or wok) with a heavy bottom, heat olive oil and canola oil over low heat and sauté onions until translucent, not brown. Then, add garlic stirring until it releases its flavor. Add rice and stir to toast  approx. 5 minutes. Once toasted, add white wine stirring with a wooden spoon until it is absorbed. Add saffron.

3)  Start adding stock one ladle at a time, wait for the rice to absorb the liquid before adding the next ladle, stirring constantly for about 15 to 20 minutes, then add the salt cod and cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Add the butter. Stir to combine. Serve immediately with chopped parsley or thyme and grated parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

How to desalt salt cod and rehydrate it: Soak salt cod in cold water for 24 to 36 hours and change the water 6 times.

Shrimp risotto - just add shrimp instead of salt cod, or add both.

Dressing up leftovers

On Christmas Eve my family has a midnight supper every year. Before the meal we all form a circle, hold hands and each one of us tells what that year meant to us, then we say a prayer, hugs are exchanged and it is our thanks giving moment.

And on the next day we have leftovers for lunch... For this meal only the rice was fresh. I dressed up my plate with golden strings (egg noodles) that were previously trimming the turkey. The meat was pork tenderloin that my sister-in-law's mother cooked for us, also for the Christmas Eve supper. Traditionally Brazilians have pork for holiday meals.

The pork loin is so easy to make. Instead of baking in the oven, cook it! With the juices that come out you can make the gravy.

1 pork tenderloin (about 2 pounds)

Salt (use 1/2 tablespoon salt for each pound)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 small onion, cubed

3 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lime or orange

2 tablespoons oil or extra virgin olive oil + 2 for cooking

2 cups water

For the gravy:

1 tablespoon each: catchup, mustard, soy sauce

1/4 cup prosecco or dry sparkling wine (champagne)
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup mushrooms

1) Season pork loin with salt and pepper, pepper, onion, garlic, lime/orange juice and 2 tablespoons oil or olive oil. Marinate for about 2 hours or overnight.

2) Place 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Add meat and brown it well on all sides, for about 6 minutes. Reduce heat, add 2 cups of water and simmer 20 to 30 minutes, adding more if needed.

3) Remove tenderloin to a platter. Stir in gravy ingredients to pan. Cook until sauce is slightly thickened, adjust seasoning. Serve meat with sauce spooned on top and rice as a side.

Green gift wrapping

Gift wrapping you can do yourself with old envelopes and help the environment... This idea to give a personal touch to my gifts I found on Martha Stewart website.

A nice and green way to reuse the huge amount of envelopes I received and saved throughout the year. Also, I reused some old paper bags.

You can print the template here or just trace the lines of pine cones on a sheet of paper/old envelopes and cut them out. Punch some holes to add ornaments.

  

Turkey pot pie with cornbread crust

Did you know that pumpkin leaves and flowers are edible? And so are the stalks! I learned this when I was a little child and my parents had  pumpkin vines spread in the backyard. My mom used to fix delicious pumpkin omelettes with leaves and flowers all together.

Here is what I did with some leftover turkey, a pot pie! And as an accompaniment pumpkin leaves and stalks sautéed with olive oil, salt, garlic, onion, and pepper.

Turkey pot pie with cornbread crust

Filling:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups turkey gravy or water
2 cups finely chopped roasted turkey
1/2 cup frozen sweet peas
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 cup corn kernels
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste

Crust - Cornbread
1 cup flour
1/2 cup white or yellow cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For the filling:
1) Preheat oven to 400° F (205° C). Spray a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

2) In a large sauce pan, heat butter and olive oil. Add onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in  carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add flour and cook for 2 minutes. Add turkey gravy or water and heat until mixture is thickened and bubbly. Stir in turkey, corn kernels, peas, black pepper and salt if using water. Pour mixture into casserole.

For the crust: In a bowl, stir cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, oregano, and salt. Stir in milk, egg and  oil until well combined. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients stirring until mixed. Spoon the batter evenly on the turkey filling. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 22 to 25 minutes.

Cupcake pin cushions, they even smell good

I made them! One of my hobbies... needles and fabric. Quick and easy, a few leftover fabric pieces, small and large yo yos, buttons, cupcake wrappers or individual muffin tins (I reused an old can of Duncan Hines blueberry muffin mix, but tuna cans will do), a few trimmings, stuffing, some potpourri, hot glue and voilá, my pins and needles have elegant pin cushions!

Mud hens

As soon as I saw the mud hen bars on Abby's blog, Confabulations in the Kitchen, I went straight to the kitchen  and it was love at first bite! My kids, who do not like nuts, ate mud hens and asked for more! Isn't it nice to find something you were missing out and you didn’t even know about?

Mud Hens

Abby's grandma recipe from her Old Church Cookbook

1/2 cup butter
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 and a 1/2 cups sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts (I used Brazil nuts)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

1) Preheat oven to 350ºF (180º C).
2) Sift dry ingredients.
3) Beat together 1 whole egg plus the yolk of the other. (Save the egg white for later in this recipe)
4) Cream butter and sugar together, add egg mixture. Blend in sifted dry ingredients and vanilla.
5) Spread the thick mixture about 1/3 in. thick in greased shallow baking pan such as a jelly roll pan.
6) Mix unbeaten egg white with brown sugar and nuts and spread as evenly as possible over the mixture.
7) Bake in preheated oven about 20 minutes or until done. Cut into squares while still warm.

Brown butter... and mashed potatoes

I was an  exchange student and today I was chatting with my AFS host mother on facebook and I mentioned that I could never tell whether she was making real or instant mashed potatoes. My host brother liked the instant one and I of course liked the homemade. Ginny's food tasted so good that she fooled both of us and it was impossible not to eat once or twice... I put on 26 pounds when I was an exchange student... The best way to adjust to a new culture is to jump... into the kitchen, don't you think?

Like the first time I saw a salad bar... I was amazed at the variety of food... it was right after I met my host family, coming back from the airport on the way to my new home. A salad bar over 20 years ago was just impossible to imagine having over here in my small Brazilian town... now it is so common.

So many stories... I hope my kids will build strong gastronomic memories the way I did, with my own family and with friends around the world.

This mashed potato recipe is very simple, it is the brown butter that makes it special.

Brown butter mashed potatoes

3 pounds (1.5 kg) potatoes, skin on and whole
1 cup milk (you can also use soy cream or half and half)
1 stick butter
1 small carrot, grated and cooked (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1) Put the potatoes and 1 tablespoon salt in a large saucepan and add water to cover the potatoes by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes. Rinse with cold water and then peel. Return potatoes into empty pan and mash with a potato masher. Add cooked carrot.

2) Melt butter in a small saucepan. Let it foam once, cook over low heat until it begins to brown. Then take off the heat and add milk, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Pour over the potatoes and cook until desired consistency. Transfer to a serving dish. Garnish.

Two recipes

We celebrated our 15th anniversary on August 6th and when I looked at this picture I thought I'd share two recipes. Pumpkin compote (Doce de abóbora) and Fig compote (Doce de figo).

Compotes are very popular all over Brazil. Fruit compotes are made with pieces of fruits cooked on low heat in a thick syrup with spices, usually cloves and cinnamon sticks or even orange peels. You can smash the fruits at the end or not.

Serve compotes warm or chilled, with whipped cream or farmer's cheese. As you see they are easy to make and are very versatile.

Butternut squash compote
2 pounds (1kg) sweet butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into 1-inch cubes (2.5 cm)
2 cups white sugar

1 cinnamon stick
6-8 whole cloves
3 cups water


1) Over medium heat cook sugar in water with cinnamon sticks and cloves until it becomes a thick syrup.

2) Add the pumpkin cubes and cook until the squash is soft and tender, watch it as the pumpkin needs to be tender, but not breaking down into a mush. Serve warm or cold, plain, with whipped cream or soft cheeses, like farmer's cheese.


Green fig compote
2 pounds (1 kg) fresh green figs
2 cups sugar
3 cups water
6-8 whole cloves

1) Wash figs in warm water, lightly rub each one with a cloth. Cut into 4 wedges and let the edges attached. Boil in hot water for one minute.

2) Over medium heat, cook sugar in water with cloves until it becomes a thick syrup. Add figs and cook until they are soft. Serve with whipped cream or plain.

That old-time real kitchen...

The right place to have comfort food... I found this old time kitchen in a country inn when traveling with family. When my mom got married, 55 years ago, she had a kitchen with wood stove and she says it was not that fun... mainly when it rained, even though I find it so romantic. My mother-in-law's farm kitchen had a stove like that and we had such great conversations on cold Winter evenings.

Some of my friends built a wood stove in their outdoor kitchens and the best part is that you can have warm food all the time.

White, red and blue cake

This cake was posted here, and it brings me back good memories of my grandma... I am glad we lived closer and I was able to enjoy precious moments with her. Happy 4th!

A passion (fruit) trifle

Portuguese version

Valentine's day in Brazil was June 12th and this reminded me of passion fruit trifle. An elegant dessert and just perfect for any special occasion, like Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Fourth of July, Christmas, New Year's, etc. I usually fix this dessert for big crowds.

Passion fruit is widely used here in juices and desserts. The actual name of this fruit in Portuguese has nothing to do with the translation into English, passion fruit is known here as maracuja.

This dessert is usually served as a passion fruit mousse and only the custard and the topping are arranged in a dish, but this time a friend of mine, Sheila, served it as a trifle and shared her mother's recipe.

For the custard
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can heavy cream (use the condensed milk can to measure)
1/2 cup concentrated passion fruit juice

Whisk the condensed milk, the heavy cream and the passion fruit juice until smooth.

For the whipped cream
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk the cream with an electric mixer in a bowl until soft peaks form.

For the trifle

6 thick slices of sponge cake (you can also use graham crackers or cookies)
6 oz (180 g) milk or white chocolate, shaved or squares

For the passion fruit topping
1/2 cup concentrated passion fruit juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 passion fruit

1) Scrape the seeded pulp of the fruit into a saucepan, add water, sugar, cornstarch and passion fruit juice. Boil the mixture over medium heat until the sugar granules dissolve completely and the mixture is clear. Remove the pan from the heat.

2) Assemble the trifle. Arrange a layer of cake pieces in the bottom of a serving dish. Pour some of the custard evenly over the cake, sprinkle shaved chocolate and pour whipped cream. Repeat layering, ending with whipped cream.

3) Pour the passion fruit topping, sprinkle more shaved chocolate. Refrigerate.

Who let the bugs out

Breaking the ice... these fake ants can add some fun to any cookout or picnic.

Shrimp and bacon jambalaya

Rice is a staple in Brazil and many people have two portions of rice a day and... there is no minute rice available in our grocery stores, so we really make rice from scratch almost everyday. Since rice freezes well, sometimes I prepare a dish a few days ahead, even when I have combined it with other ingredients.

This month's Royal Food Joust hosted by the Leftover Queen is about rice, tomatoes and bacon and these ingredients made me think of a dish my family loves... Jambalaya!

My first experience with jambalaya wasn't a very good one though. I was in Raleigh, NC on a work assignment, so we went to a restaurant in Cary I think, but the chef must have added pepper twice! It was so hot, I could barely eat it! I did not complain to the waiter and I regret that, but you know those restaurant stories that people tell... And that jambalaya looked so good... So when I came back home I tried to replicate the dish and loved it!

Shrimp and bacon jambalaya
2 cups rice
3 tablespoons oil

1 onion, chopped

1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (250 g) smoked sausage
1/2 pound (250 g) bacon, cubed
1 red bell pepper
4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
1 can peeled tomatoes with juice
thyme or oregano to taste
500 g shrimp, deveined
2 tablespoons scallions, diced

1) In a large pot sauté onion, bell pepper, bacon and sausage in oil for 8 to 10 minutes until they are golden. Add rice and minced garlic, then stir to coat the grains with the oil, season with salt and stir-fry about 2 minutes.

2) Add the water. Add peeled tomatoes, spices, and herbs - do not add shrimp at this time. Cover and cook over low heat for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the water is absorbed.

3) While rice is cooking, season shrimp with salt and pepper in a separate bowl. Check the rice after 15 minutes, stir in seasoned shrimp. Cook, covered, about 5 minutes more or until shrimp turns pink and rice is tender. Add scallions and serve.

Frances O'Neal's fig cake

How good it is to have friends who know you so well that whenever they have a chance they send you your favorite food magazines! My friends in England and Canada are very good at this! This time Fabricia who lives in Canada sent me the April issue of Gourmet magazine. Every time I receive a food magazine I read it over and over again.

I like to read when we travel. We visit my parents who live two hours away and my in-laws who live three hours away once a month and we take turns driving, but I love it when my husband offers to drive and I can catch up with my reading. Then I make a list of the recipes to be tried and keep it inside the cover of the magazine to start working on them over the next few weeks.

Each magazine of mine has a list of must-try recipes inside...

And who gets to try my recipes? My family and the small group that meets once a week here.

This fig cake featured in the magazine is from the Back Porch Restaurant and Wine on Ocracoke Island, outer banks of North Carolina. All I needed to use some homemade figs in syrup that my sister-in-law made for my brother and they gracefully shared two jars with me.

I grew up with fig trees in our backyard and I remember that I used to help my mom to clean green figs with a cloth to make preserved figs in syrup. Food memories last forever...

I want to try this same recipe with other fruits like cranberries, blueberries, strawberries and dried fruits such as raisins, prunes, dates etc.

Frances O'Neal's fig cake
Adapted from Gourmet magazine, April 2009

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
½ cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup preserved figs in syrup, drained and chopped
1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

1) Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C) with rack in middle. Generously butter a 10 cup bundt pan (I used a tube pan).

2) Sift together flour, salt and spices.

3) Beat eggs in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until light and foamy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and beat until pale and thick, about 2 minutes. Add oil and beat 1 minute. At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour.

4) Stir together baking soda and water until dissolved, then stir into batter along with vanilla, figs and nuts.

5) Pour batter into pan and bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool completely in pan, about 2 hours. Garnish with confectioners sugar or serve with a cream cheese icing.

Green figs in syrup

Say cheese!

For an easy appetizer, I season thick provolone slices with red pepper, dried oregano and olive oil, then I wrap each round of cheese in plastic wrap for a couple of hours. When guests arrive, I place the provolone rounds on a cheese board and scatter a few cheese knives around it so they can help themselves!

I love kitchen gadgets and I don't mind receiving them as gifts on my birthday and other special dates. The cheese board and the cheese knives were all given to me a long time ago.

A fun lime pie

How do you get kids involved in the kitchen? I bring their world into my kitchen... and we have fun with the ingredients! For this recipe we used... those wonka nerds candies that kids love...

This lime pie goes to the Leftover Queen Royal Foodie Joust. Jenn came back from Italy recently with her so italian husband and the fun and creative ingredients for this joust are... well, actually they are colors! Red, green and white, the colors of the Italian flag!

Lime pie (torta de limão) is a popular dessert in Brazil made with limes (not lemons), sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and fresh lime juice (no eggs!) with a meringue topping. To please my kids even more I used the whipped cream on top, instead of the meringue... and they sprinkled the wonka candies themselves.

Lime pie

No-fail pie crust
I've made this no-fail pie crust since I was in College.
It makes two 9-inch (22 cm) crusts for savory or sweet pies.

2 to 2-1/3 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup milk
1 egg

Filling - it has a mousse consistency

1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)

1 cup heavy cream (or soy cream - not soy milk)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (or more if you like it tarter)

Garnish with:
1 teaspoon grated lime zest

2 cups whipped cream

1/2 cup wonka nerds candies or any sprinkle mix

1) Make the crust: combine all crust ingredients in a food processor and pulse untill all ingredients hold together (or blend them all in a bowl).

2) Shape dough into 2 balls. (You only need one.) Roll out one dough into 1/8 inch (0.5 cm) thick. Line bottom and sides of an ungreased pie plate. Poke small holes in the bottom with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven at 390°F (200° C) for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool.

• Wrap remaining dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 days or in the freezer for another use.

3) Make the filling: using a whisk beat the sweetened condensed milk, the heavy cream and the lime juice. Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell. Garnish with whipped cream, lime zest and the wonka nerds.

Lordy, Lordy now I'm 40!

Earth Day is also my birthday...

My Easter decor

Easy, charming and inexpensive decor. I use empty eggshells and my african violets to decorate the house and the table for Easter.

Celebrating with popcorn shrimp

To celebrate the end of the Summer in the Southern hemisphere, Saint Patrick's Day and most importantly, my husband's birthday I fixed popcorn shrimp because it was one of the dishes that our family enjoyed so much at Red Lobster when we lived in the US.

Popcorn shrimp
2 pounds (1 kg) small shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 cup flour
3 tablespoons coarse cornmeal
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon paprika
salt and black pepper
1 cup vegetable oil for frying

1) Season shrimp with salt and pepper.

2) In a plastic bag add all dry ingredients, add more salt and pepper too. Dip shrimps in beaten egg whites, drop them in bag and shake until they are fully covered with flour mixture.

3) Refrigerate prepared shrimp for about 10 minutes in freezer.

4) Fry shrimp in hot oil. Serve with tartar sauce, hot chili sauce and lime slices.

Sometimes I fix this appetizer with breadcrumbs. I coat shrimp with flour, wash them in egg mixture, then coat them with seasoned breadcrumbs, refrigerate and then fry.

A simple salt shaker turns into a lovely decor item... To my husband, whose graceful existence touches all who surround him and makes our lives more flavorful and blessed.