Happy Mardi Gras - Feliz Dia de Carnaval

Here in Wisconsin, not much is celebrated apart from a few restaurants and / or bars that will have something special for Mardi Gras. Back home in Portugal everyone has been celebrating it since the weekend, with parties all over the place, parades and lots of food, drinks and dancing.

Also even though far from the other side of the pond my parents are celebrating their 50th anniversary and on the East Coast my Mother-in-Law's birthday. A day filled with joy I am sure yet wished so much I could be celebrating it with them.

So apart from our normal work / school / after school activities day I will be making a new recipe for Gumbo. A few years ago and after reading MANY Gumbo recipes I came up with my own version which was a success as I served it for Superbowl party as I was rooting for the Saints to win.

Temple of Thai - a great site full of Thai recipes and grocery

The other night our international Thai student decided to make dinner for us and two of her friends as a little celebration for the end of her first semester here at our local high school. As she was looking through her Thai cookbook I was trying to find the same version online and in English to simplify the conversions. That is when we found the site Temple of Thai which had the same recipes (or at least very similar) but of course in English.

She decided to try to make two things. The first was a Spicy Papaya Salad - Som Tum, which is a salad that has an amazing amount of flavor, and truthfully I would advice anyone to try it as it is fabulous and a great side dish for any meal especially grilled meats. Now as you all know Thai food can be pretty spicy, therefore we decided just to use two Thai chillies. One thing you can do though, is not to add all of the sauce to the salad and add a few more chillies to the side sauce for those who like it really spicy.

Along with the salad we had Thai Barbecue Chicken - Gai Yang and this one was a HUGE hit amongst everyone. Even two days latter the leftover chicken was still amazingly moist, tender and juicy. It has a little bite to it, but even my toddler devoured it without any problem.  We did however not grilled it but instead broiled it.

With the leftover of the lemongrass we had, she did what she calls "Lemongrass juice" more like a tea that is extremely refreshing and cannot wait to make it again once the weather starts warming up. All you need to do is boil lemongrass in water for a while then add sugar, make sure it dissolves well then pour it in a jar with lots of ice.

Here are some photos our our Thai "daughter cooking then enjoying her masterpiece with us and her friends. Just in case you are wondering the reason for the "fire hat" is that our younger daughter decided to make her wear it! Not quite sure why though!

What an awesome Mac & Cheese

This is an awesome and easy recipe to make for a weeknight. Everyone absolutely loved it and the best part is that you can use this as a base then add whatever pleases your heart.

Stewed Cow Tongue - Lingua de Vaca Estufada

Am I kidding? Actually... not I am not. BUT what is important is to know where this tongue comes from. This is the second year that we get 1/8 to 1/4 of a cow from a local farm, so I feel comfortable with other less typical parts such as a cow tongue. What is the end result taste of cow tongue? Depending on how you cook it, as long as it boils for a while, it is a very tender meat that easily grabs the sauce it cooks in. Actually this would be perfect to use as pulled beef, but in this recipe I am creating it with a tomato based sauce.

INGREDIENTS

1 cow tongue
water
salt

FOR THE STEW
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 chopped onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
10 diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
1 bunch of parsley
1 diced carrot
2 cups of beef stock
cooked cow tongue sliced

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the cow tongue with cold water
2. In a pressure cooker add the tongue and cover it with water and add salt
3. Close the pressure cooker tightly and let it cook for at least 30 minutes
4. Remove from heat and wait until the .... stops prior to removing it
5. Let it cool then remove the tongue and clean it all until you see nothing but the meat
6. Meanwhile heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and garlic until golden
7. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for a good 40 minutes
8. Add the sliced tongue, cover it a let it simmer for 20 more minutes
9. Serve immediately with some rice, pasta or mashed potatoes

Thursday testing: roasted cherry tomatoes

Yum yum yum... A perfect addition to your grilled steak. Sweet, caramelized tomatoes made to perfection. Try this recipe next time you buy some cherry tomatoes.

Are you in the Milwaukee area?

MKEfoodies is Co-Sponsoring a Cherry Recipe Contest. So if you have an absolutely amazing recipe that uses tart cherries or want to try to come up with one, head over to #MKEfoodies to learn all about it.

Fondue Bourguignone

Every winter we enjoy making this dish or meal should I say, especially when we have family staying over. This one of course is a hit with kids whatever age, even though of course the older ones have more fun with it as they actually interact and cook their own meats, while toddlers still need our help. The tough one here was to cook the beef pieces fast enough for our little toddler girl not to get bummed out as when she wants something she wants it NOW! It is also fun to see who likes what sauces and how each person decided to mix them together. Of course for such a meal fries are a must!

INGREDIENTS

Lots of Mayo
curry powder
finely chopped off pickles
finely minced garlic
mustard
hot sauce and extra chopped red hot chili pepper
ketchup
salt
beef cut into 1 inch squares (always assume about 1.5lbs per person)
Oil for the fondue set
1 cork

DIRECTIONS

1. Add mayo to 6 small cup and fill it to 3/4
2. On each cup add the condiment you want, so one with curry powder, another with pickles, another with garlic and so on
3. Add a small pinch of salt in each cup and mix well
4. Place the fondu set in the middle of the table
5. Heat the oil in the fondue set and add the cork (this will help prevent from splatter too much)
6. Add each cup around the table with small spoons
7. Once the oil is hot each person with fry their own meat and use whatever sauces they want or even mix some of them together in their own plates

Cauliflower au gratin

This is a recipe I grew up with and absolutely love making it as soon as the weather gets colder. Kids love it as it is cheesy and has lots of ham. You can easily substitute the cauliflower for brocoli if your kids prefer that. Or even better add both of them.

INGREDIENTS for the béchamel

1 stick of salt butter
2 cups of flour
6 cups of milk
salt and pepper to taste

INGREDIENTS for the gratin

Béchamel
3 cups of shredded cheese
5 cups of diced ham
1 cauliflower cut into small pieces

Extra cheese to use over the the top

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large pot add water with a bit of salt and cook the cauliflower for about 15 to 20 minutes
2. In a medium size pot melt the butter then add the flour and consistently mix to create a nice doughy well blended paste
3. Slowly add the milk and keep on incorporating it until forming a creamy sauce
4. Preheat the oven to 375
5. Strain the cauliflower and add it to the béchamel along with the ham and cheese and mix it all together
6. Pour the whole thing into an oven-safe deep dish and place it in the oven for 25 minutes
7. Change the oven temperature from 375 to high boil (or about 475) for about 5 minutes then remove from the oven, let it rest 5 minutes and serve

2011 top recipes and Happy New Year

I know I know it has been a while since I last posted and am sure some will be.... wow.. she's actually blogging again? Indeed I am and hope this to be a new year resolution to keep on going. Please feel free to be on my case if I fall off the wagon again.

I was going through the stats and was surprised to see that the top 5 recipes of 2011 were mostly desserts and seafood. And here they are:
Bolo Bolacha Maria - Maria Cookie Cake
Frozen Sardines from Portugal
Pão de Ló - Portuguese Sponge Cake
Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole
Açorda de Marisco - Shellfish Bread Stew

Why did these surprise me? Well I would have expected to see more meat than seafood I guess. But as I was going through the stats I realized that a lot may have to do with Portuguese descents looking for those traditional recipes they grew up with and do not have the actual recipe, checking different methods of making it OR they have their family recipe but are unsure of the ingredients in the English language or the measurements. Whatever the case I hope by my posting it helped everyone who found and read the posts and hopefully at least some of you actually tried to make the recipe.

This year my main focus with the blog will actually going back to trying every recipe my GrandMother wrote in her various books and of course most likely change a few things here and there as people's tastes evolve.

Happy New Year to all and hope all of your wishes and resolutions will succeed. If you have a second to comment on what those are and / or what was your favorite recipe of 2011 feel free to do so.

Fall for Soups

There is something to be said about Fall and starting to eat nice soups to warm your soul. Portuguese certainly are well known for their soups, some are meals in themselves. I must say I prefer the lighter type of soups but also enjoy hearty soups especially for those hectic weekdays evenings there is no time to cook a meal on time.

Here is a list of soups I absolutely love:
Lettuce Soup - a nice delicate cream which oddly enough does not taste like lettuce!
Cream of Cauliflower - a smooth cream kids will love.
Portuguese Cilantro Soup - a hearty soup that makes a meal complete.
Chick Peas and Spinach Soup - Another hearty soup especially if you add pasta to it.
Carrot and Lentil Soup - I tested this soup not that long ago and right away became a favorite. Light, a tad spicy and so very good!
Hot and Sour Thai Soup - Another recipe I tested a little while ago and was praised by all at home. As this can be pretty spicy, I decided to remove a little of the broth into a different small pot and added the spiciness to it, this way my daughters were able to enjoy the soup with just a tad of spice and the rest of us  had it the way it was meant to be.

What are some of your favorite soups?