"Come join me! Lets' s share recipes, learn how to cook traditional Portuguese dishes, or chat about our cuisine, culture and traditions. I want to share these recipes to preserve our Portuguese passion for great food and pass them along to the next generation. So come along, Let's cook Portuguese."
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Summer party time is here and nothing beats a Portuguese style, New England Lobster Bake! Our family plans 2 bakes a year with one on Father’s Day!
Don’t worry, you don’t need to bring Dad to dig a hole on the beach for this easy recipe!
Portuguese Chourica is a traditional ingredient in the New England Clam Bake, since the Portuguese fishermen who immigrated to the area began incorporating it into the recipe many years ago. Some people also add raw eggs in the shell to the bake. Once the eggs are cooked, the bake is done.
It’s easy to prepare because all you have to do is put everything in one pot and let it cook on the grill, or even on the stove top!
No plates, needed! Just poor everything onto clean newspapers on top of your picnic table and enjoy!
Easy clean up, just wrap up the newspaper with shells and pop them in the trash!
*Note: All shellfish and vegetables in this recipe are uncooked.
Serves 8-12
Ingredients:
8 lobsters 1 1/4 pound average (1 or 1/2 per person)
4 lbs steamer clams
2 lbs mussels
2 lbs shrimp
2 Chourica sausage
1 stick of butter or margarine
8 shucked ears of corn
1 large onion cut into fourths
8 – 12 small red potatoes(1 per person)
1 tsp Salt (Only if you do not use seaweed)
2-3 cups Vinho Verde (enough to have 2 inches of liquid in pot)
*Optional – 4 cups or 2 large handfuls of seaweed (you will find it FREE at the store where you buy the lobsters. They will pack your lobsters in it.)
*Optinal – 8 raw eggs in shell
Condiments:
Lemon wedges
Melted Butter
1 large steamer pot or a large turkey roaster pan with lid *Note: (you can use 2 aluminum disposable roasting pans using 1 for cooking and 1 for the lid. This will make it easy clean up!)
Preparation:
Step 1
Wash potatoes, rinse the seaweed and set aside. Wash and clean the mussels and clams. Remove the elastic from lobster claws.
Step 2
Place 1/2 of the seaweed in bottom of the pan. Next , layer the ingredients as follows; Lobster, Onion, Potatoes, Corn, (eggs optional) Chourica, Clams, Mussels and Shrimp last.
Add the wine. Cut up the margarine into a few pieces and place on top of the seafood. Top with the remaining seaweed. Cover. (The bake cooks from bottom up so be sure to place the items that need longer cooking time on the bottom.)
Cook for 30 -45 minutes on high heat on grill or stove top. When the potatoes are cooked, the lobster bake is ready to eat!
Save some broth to serve in bowls for cleaning the steamers. Save any leftovers to make seafood chowder!
*Note: How to tell a lobster is cooked
The meat inside the lobster will be firm, white and opaque The tomalley, which fills much of the body cavity will be greenish-yellow.
The roe in female lobsters will be bright orange-red and firm. If it is a dark greenish-black, with an oily tar-like consistency, the lobster is under cooked.
Be sure to have lots of Vinho Verde, since it’s the perfect wine for seafood! Go all out and make freshPao Milho to serve with the bake!
Saute onion in olive oil until translucent. Add the rice and stir to coat with the olive oil. Let the rice stir fry for about 2 minutes on medium heat.
Bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and add to the rice. Add the tomato and salt. Turn burner on high and let it come to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium, stir, and cover. Let the rice cook on medium for 15-20 minutes stirring a few times.
Add the drained chick peas, stir, cover pan and let sit until ready to serve. Enjoy!
These classic pastries are everyone’s favorite. Once you experience just how easy they are to make at home, you’ll never buy them at a bakery again.
Unless of course, your lucky enough to be in one of the famous pastry shops in Lisbon!
Before we get started, I want to share with you the history of this famous pastry that was first created over 200 years ago!
Portuguese Egg Custard Tarts, famously known as Pastéis de Belem are famous in many countries all over the world.
The original Pastéis de Belem, were first created by nuns who lived at the Monestary of Jeronimos in Belem, Lisbon in 1837.
Casa Pasteis de Belem is located in the town of Belem in Lisbon, Portugal. The official name of the town is “Santa Maria de Belem” but its referred to as “Belem”. The name “Belem” originated from the Portuguese word for “Bethlehem”.
Many bakeries have tried to replicate the recipe to no avail. The equally famous; “Pasteis de Nata” it’s copy cat version, has become a famous substitute for the original at every Portuguese bakery throughout Portugal and many other countries around the world.
The famous recipe is kept a secret. “The secret can only be memorized, it can’t be written down”, says the pastry chef who was carefully selected among 80 co-workers.
The pastry’s name was trademarked in 1911, which means the company is the only one that can call the famous sweets by that name. Visit this dessert site; desserteater.com for more on the history of one of the world’s most popular desserts!
In, December 2011, Pasteis de Belem was listed by Lonely Planet # 2 of 583 things to do in Lisbon, #5 of 12718 restaurants in Europe and # 42 of 382 restaurants in Portugal. (desserteater.com)
Watch this video of the famous bakery of Pasteis de Belem.
*I recommend that you try making this recipe a few times to adjust for your own oven temperature and baking time. Happy Baking!
Pastel de Nata Recipe: Makes 18 – 24 depending on size of your tins
The celebrations of “Dia de Portugal” will once again have a special flavor this year.
Featuring Chef David Santos from Louro, Chef Rui Correia from Douro, Chef Luisa Fernandes from Robert and Chef José Meirelles.
The e event will be an unique opportunity to see these renowned Chefs working together, celebrating their roots and passion for cooking.
They will be preparing an exquisite 5 course dinner based on the theme:
“Portuguese Flavors Around the World”, which will include dishes from Goa, Mozambique, Brazil, and of course, Portugal.
The meal will be paired with wines from Esporão, Kopke, and Quinta do Azevedo.
Beer will be provided by Super Bock, sparkling water by Água das Pedras and codfish (bacalhau) by Riberalves.Event Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Louro Restaurant 142 W 10th Street New York, NY 10014 (212) 206-0606Contact: info@portuguesecircle.com Presented by Portuguese Circle
The main seating will take place at 8pm, however the “Portuguese Flavors Around the World”menu will be served from 5:30pm until 11pm. Seating is limited and reservations are required.
Portuguese cuisine has influenced the foods of countries around the world from Asia, to India to North America. This post is for the Portuguese Foodie and the Portuguese Historian in all of us!
Many of you may not know much about Macau, which was the former colony of Portugal off the southeastern coast of China for over 400 years. It was the first and last European colony in Asia until it was given back to China in 1999.
The tiny region is less than the size of Manhattan and home to nearly a half million people. The architecture is European. “Portuguese” is the official language spoken there.
My cousin lived in Macau for over 20 years and I remember receiving post cards and Christmas cards written in both Portuguese and Macanese and I found it so interesting that Portuguese was the main language of a country in Asia. Watch the video at the end of this post to listen to the Macanese Portuguese language and see if you can understand it!
Portuguese cuisine plays a main role in the foods of Macau which has a unique fusion of Asian and Portuguese flavor.
There are hundreds of Portuguese restaurants, bakeries and even the 5 star resort casino’s which all have Portuguese dishes on the menu.
This Spring, award winning Portuguese chefs from Portugal; Marco Gomes and Luís Américo, traveled to Macau to open a Portuguese restaurant, “Fado” at the Royal Hotel Casino in Macau. The chefs were featured in Journal Tribuna de Macau a Portuguese Journal Magazine, a few months ago.
Photo credit: Chefs Marco Gomes and Luis Americo (Center)
Chef Luis Americo Chef Marco Gomes
Royal Hotel, Macau
Portuguese restaurants Antonio and Miramar can be found at Portuguese named streets such as; Rua do Cunha and Rua Fernando Mendes, and Rua Central.
Chef Antonio Coelho – Antonio’s restaurant is listed in the Michelin Guide Macau.
Visit this link for some amazing images and top 10 things to do in Macau.
“Macau offers a delicious fusion of Chinese and Portuguese cooking. The two have blended into a local style known as Macanese cuisine with an emphasis on baked goods and grilled and roasted meats. Some popular Macanese dishes are Portuguese or African chicken, codfish (bacalhau), gray chicken or rabbit (pato de cabidela), spicy chili shrimps, minced beef or pork (minchi), stir-fried curry crab, steamed pork buns, and egg tarts. Macau has many fine Macanese, Portuguese, and Chinese restaurants. Dine at one recommended by a local or the concierge at your hotel. We dined at Antonio (259 rua dos Negociantes Taipa), a Michelin 3-star Portuguese restaurant owned by renowned chef Antonio Coelho widely known as one of the best purveyors of Portuguese cuisine in Macau. The meal was delicious, and the ambiance was wonderful.”
Michelin Star Chef Joel Robuchon’s – Michelin 3 star restaurant; Robuchon au Dôme, is Macau’s most impressive and exclusive restaurant is on the 43rd floor Dome of the Grand Lisboa casino and has one of the best views of Macau.
Famous Pasteis de Nata:Lord Stow’s Bakery
This legendary bakery is best known for its world-famous egg tarts. Many other egg tart bakeries have popped up around Macau, but none can compare to Lord Stow’s. It has 4 shops including one at the Venetian Macau.
“China gave Portugal the right to settle in Macau in the 16th Century, in exchange for clearing the area of pirates under strict Chinese administration. It became Portuguese colony after the treaty signed by Qing and Portuguese Government in 1887. Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 20 December 1999, ending over 400 years of Portuguese administration.”
Macau, is like Hong Kong which has a business-friendly environment and a lot of foreign investment. Capitalism is thriving here and if Hong Kong were China’s New York, then Macau would positively be its Las Vegas. Gamblers spent 8 Billion dollars here, more than in Vegas.
Due to it’s proximity to over 1 Billion people, Macau’s casino industry and colonial attractions make it China’s top tourists destinations.
According to an article in Forbes Magazine; “Macau’s casino industry earned close to $38 billion in total revenues in 2012. This figure is not just substantially higher than that for Las Vegas, but also higher than the figure for the total U.S. casino industry. Macau’s casino gaming revenues grew by 13.5% in 2012.
Since most of us can’t make the long trip to visit this unique city where old world Portuguese Colonial influence meets modern say fine dining and tourism here’s a video for your enjoyment. Listen to the language that’s called Macanese – Portuguese!
I’ve also shared 2 great video diaries of travel to Macau which feature Portuguese architecture and cuisine.
Credits photo and recipe: https://www.facebook.com/theportuguesekitchen
TARTE DE AMENDOA / ALMOND TART
Filling:
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup of flour
Topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1 stick of butter
6 tbs of milk
1 cup of sliced or slivered almonds
Filling:
Grease a tart tin with nonstick spray and sprinkle with flour. Cream the butter with the sugar. To this, add the eggs and flour and mix well. Spread the mixture into the tart tin and bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center looks spongy and is golden. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Topping:
Mix the sugar, butter, milk and almond slices in a sauce pan. Heat the mixture up until it starts to boil and turns into an opaque tan color. Spread the topping over the cooked dough and return to the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for at least 10 minutes or until it turns a golden brown color and the topping is no longer bubbling. Allow to cool before serving.
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 stick of butter
3 eggs
3 cups of flour
2 tsp baking soda
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Melt the butter and allow to cool a little. In a bowl, mix the sugar and melted butter together well with a fork. Add the eggs and blend well with fork or whisk.
In a separate bowl, add the flour and baking soda and blend well.
Add the flour/ baking soda to the egg, sugar mixture and mix with a wooden spoon. With your hands work the dough so that it is well blended. The dough should not stick to your hands, if it does you may need to add just a little more flour.
On the counter top or cutting board, knead the dough a little and then scoop out 1 heaping tablespoon of the dough. Using your hands or countertop, roll each tablespoon of dough into a snake-like shape approximately 6-7 inches long and 1/2 wide. Make a circle shape with the dough, overlap the ends and pinch the two ends together.
Place the biscuits on the cookie sheet. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until they start to turn a golden color.
This recipe makes approximately 12 medium-sized biscuits. You can make larger biscuits by doubling the recipe and scooping out two tablespoons instead of one.
The Portuguese in California Documentary is a premier showcase of the Portuguese Diaspora experience in the rich history of the development of California offers the viewer a comprehensive historical overview of this unique and vibrant ethnic population. Each episode presents a complete subject area as a standalone program. The series captures the full essence of the Portuguese contribution to the California of today. (http://www.portugueseincalifornia.com/)
Order your copy at this link so you learn about and share the history of the Portuguese community in California.
In the early 15th century the first European set foot in California. He was Portuguese. Three centuries later, in the early 1800’s, immigrants from the Azores Islands faced the oceans for months looking for a better life in this new world. These are their stories.
EP2. The Early Days Part 1
In the early 1900’s Whaling, Gold Mining and Homesteading brought the Portuguese to California. Driven by their sense of community, fierce work ethic and strong family values these were the immigrants that formed the first Portuguese Organizations in America.
Ep3.The Early Days Part 2
Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and the appeal of a better life spawned the largest wave of Portuguese to California. Travel with us through the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s and experience the “Glory days” of this unique ethnic group.
Ep4. The South
Actors, artists and musicians. Whalers, fisherman and entrepreneurs.
From Hollywood hills to San Diego beaches. Discover their impressive history, success and the importance of the Portuguese culture in their lives.
Ep 5. The San Francisco Bay Area
The Silicon Valley is home to world leading technology and innovation. It’s also home to one of the largest concentration of Portuguese and Luso Descendants. Learn how the Portuguese community influenced culture, society and technology.
Ep 6. The San Joaquin Valley
The Portuguese are pioneers in California’s Agro business. Meet the leaders in the industry and their success stories. From sweet potatoes, and dairy’s to bullfighting. Portuguese have been the backbone of California’s small agricultural communities for over a century.
Ep 7. The North
From the Capital of California to the Napa Valley, the Portuguese have always had a strong presence in the Golden State. This episode presents California’s most relevant Portuguese winemakers and powerful political and civic leaders.
Ep 8. Culture/The Future
Tradition, culture, food, education and the arts are an integral part of the Portuguese spirit. In this final episode we reflect on the past witness the present and look into the future Portuguese diaspora of nearly one million.
Big……..A$$……I mean the meatballs of course!…This recipe’s name is a family – running joke every time I make them!
These meatballs are low in fat since they’re made with Turkey and a small amount of cheese instead of ground beef.
Sometimes cooking meatballs is a chore because they stick to the pan, burn, or are under cooked, but you’ll love this cooking technique.
They’re baked in your oven, not on the stove top, like the conventional way so they come out moist and juicy!
They’re perfect for a lazy Sunday, or a company diner because you can make them ahead of time, store them in the refrigerator and continue the cooking process one hour before your ready to serve your meal.
Enjoy!
Ingredients:
Meatballs
3 lbs ground Turkey
3/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs
1 slice wheat bread (shred with a cheese shredder)
3 eggs
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried oregeno
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp any tomato sauce
1/4 cup shredded Pecorino cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
RECIPE TIP: Never buy pre- shredded Parmesan or Pecorino cheese in the cans. Go to the cheese section at your grocery store and buy it by the whole chunk and keep it wrapped in your refrigerator. It’s much cheaper and much fresher because you can shred it as you need.
Sauce ingredients:
2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (preferably with basil or garlic)
1 medium chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp dried Basil
1/2 cup Shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
Instructions:
Saute 1 onion in 1/4 cup of the Olive Oil until golden in a small skillet and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, place all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl.
I use a cheese crater to shred the slice of bread but you can dice it into very small cubes. (Using fresh bread crumbs makes the meatballs moister). Mix all ingredients until all incorporated but not too mushy. Form the meatballs using the insides of your palms to size between golf balls and baseballs.
Brown the meatballs in the remaining Olive Oil in large skillet until golden brown.
Place the meatballs in a large deep dish baking pan. Add all of the sauce ingredients except the cheese to the meatball pan. Stir the sauce to mix all the ingredients well. Top the meatballs with the cheese.
Cover with foil leaving a small opening for steam to escape and let them cook at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the meatballs. *Note: After 30 minutes remove from oven and stir the sauce well.
Return to oven and let cook for another 15-30 minutes. *Note: Take one meatball out of the oven after 45 minutes and check to see if it’s cooked through. Let them rest in the pan for about 5-10 minutes so the sauce thickens.
P.S. They’re even better the next day so make a double batch!
I had always heard that California’s climate, the rich abundance of fresh seafood and locally grown produce made it similar to Portugal.
Perhaps that’s why the wave of Portuguese immigrant fisherman, whalers, and farmers who arrived there, soon made it their home for many generations to come.
Today, California has a large and thriving Portuguese community that embraces their culture and heritage.
On our second trip to California, my wife and I visited Napa Valley, toured the vineyards that truly reminded us Portugal and visited many other sights.
We ended our last night in Sonoma, California, with a wonderful cultural dinning experience atLaSalette Restaurant.
Owner/Chef Manuel Azevedo offers his own interpretation of modern Portuguese cuisine, which celebrates the immense flavors and dishes of Portugal while encouraging the use of fresh local, seasonal ingredients.
LasSalette’s old world ambiance, with it’s open hearth kitchen, generates home style comfort and appeal.The gracious Portuguese hospitality provided by the attentive staff as well as the familiar “Gallo de Borcellos” the LaSalette mascot, a national symbol of Portugal adorning the staff uniforms said to us; “Welcome to Portugal” as soon as we walked in the door!
The taste tempting menu with it’s quintessential Portuguese flavors, the home made breads, and tempting aromas in the air, left our pallets craving and anticipating our planned Summer trip to Portugal in August!
Our first bite of the amuse bouche (first bite) of Chourica with melted Sao Jorge Cheese with olives temped us with it’s spicy yet creamy taste. The appetizer of Scallops, chourico crusted Japanese sweet potato puree, with leek confit and Portuguese molho was superb.
We dived into the appetizer combination platter of succulent baby octopus, sweet tripe stew, fried goat cheese with compote jam, homemade bread and almonds all complemented by our Portuguese Douro valley wine selection; Vale de Bomfim.
For my entree, I ordered the classic “Fisherman’s Stew” made fresh California coastal seafood of; juicy clams, mussels, shrimp and fish prepared in a rich broth with Portuguese chourica and spices.
My wife’s Wood Fired Branzino was simply the best she’s ever had!
Chocolate Fetish – Chocolate mousse with almond tuile, chocolate soufflé with ruby port geléeand bitter chocolate sorbet with caramelized banana
We smiled at each other as we overheard the couple at the next table who had never tasted tripe or Portuguese cuisine before, rave on and on about it’s goodness! We knew they would become adoring fans of Portuguese food just like many others before them.
The Chocolate Fetish dessert created a perfectly sweet ending to our diner that lasted during the taxi drive back to our hotel. We had a great experience dining at LaSalette and we plan on re-creating it again next year!
You don’t have to fly to California to taste the amazing dishes that Chef Azevedo has created for his guests, just visit the LaSalette website and order the LaSalette’s cook book because most of the dishes served at the restaurant are in it!
This book is not an ordinary cook book. It is meant to be used, shared and then passed down in the family.
It contains 360 pages, over 270 recipes, and the beautiful photographs by Portuguese photographer Henrigue Bagulho will leave you craving the flavor of Portugal, and inspire you to try the recipes.
What a perfect gift for the special Portuguese foodie in your life!
*Free Shipping on cook book only – available in Continental USA-May only
*If purchasing book with other products you must order items separately to receive FREE SHIPPING on The Cook Book*
Here’s the video from the cook book!
“My personal mission is to do whatever I can to put Portuguese cuisine in its rightful place alongside other great cuisines in the United States. Because the truth is, if we want to survive and prosper as a culture, we need to make an impact, not merely be present.” Chef Azevedo/Owner – LaSalette
Chef Manuel Azevedo
Grilled Sardines, Pickled Sea Beans and Azorean Green Sauce – LaSalette Cook Book
Olive Oil Poached Salt Cod Fish
Alentejana Style Pork & Clams – LaSalette Cook Book
Chef Azevedo has recently opened a new restaurant in Healdsburg, CA, called Cafe Lucia!
LaSalette Restaurant Cookbook by Chef Manuel Azevedo
Gaspar’s Sausage Co
