dim sum é amor. { hosting a dumpling dinner: pork and chive dumplings }

I will not lie to you: making dumplings is not for the faint of heart. If shaping them requires some dexterous steady fingers, to get through the whole batch one must possess otherworldly perseverance and patience. The silverlining: it gets easier after the first couple of them, plus making the filling is a no-brainer! One thing you'll need is help: call your friends and family over to the kitchen, hand a different filling to each person in case you're making several sorts and let them choose their own dumpling design. And what's better than gathering everybody at the table and feasting on warm delectable homemade dumplings in the end? They are so worth the mess!

ouvi dizer que há por aí abóboras... { ginger saffron pumpkin soup }

Let's not go in denial here. October is World's Pumpkin Month and that the way it is. After accepting it and finally resigning - with an unexpectedly fierce enthusiasm! - to the ongoing 'pumpkin rush', we may find ourselves burried in stocked with excessive amounts of pumpkin leftovers. This soup is the perfect excuse for either getting rid of them... or to buy more pumpkin! The addition of potato brings substance to the cream, while zucchini plays along its squash counterpart for freshness. Infused with real saffron and a hint of ginger, this soup hits a sweet spot between the traditional and the exotic, the savoury and the sweet, and is hence sure to please even the pickiest palate. True flavourful comfort food.

impressive party recipes, the easy way. { garlic herb butter pull-apart brioche }

'Pão de alho' - or garlic herb butter bread - has long taken its place as staple party appetizer back in Portugal, greatly owing to two facts: first, everybody loves it; second, even the laziest and messiest cook can pull it off, as you can easily buy it frozen and pop it into the oven right before your guests arrive. However, if you're looking to step up your 'pão de alho' game a little bit and impress your guests - without getting way too adventurous for starters - I've got just the thing for you.

pastries party - part I { danish pastry dough and two handpies to use it in }

oh decisions, decisions...
i've been saving them all for the weekends and when they finally arrive time just seems to slip through my fingers. and at the same time i need to get some rest and inspiration too!
i have a lot ot things to thing through - indeed. but i'll get there and i'll make the right call - because there is no right or wrong when it comes to the questions which have been bugging my mind.

meanwhile, i've been baking - what would you expect!? - but i still have some goodies from Portugal to share with you. and as i promised, today is double recipe day!

cherry booze will make you smile ;) { sparkling cherry sangria }

I confess... I'm on a cherry inebrity these days.

Champanhada de Cereja

750ml de espumante, frio

300ml de sumo de cerejas ácidas, frio

1/2 a 2/3 de chávena de açúcar

1 colher de sopa de sumo de limão

meia dúzia de cubos de gelo

uma dúzia de cerejas doces descaroçadas e cortadas em metades e mirtilhos para decorar

Num jarro, misturar as cerejas, os mirtilhos, o açúcar e o sumo de limão,

Juntar o sumo de cereja, misturar tudo bem,

Por fim, juntar o espumante e o gelo e servir.

Cherry Champanhada

750ml sparkling wine, cold

300ml sour cherry juice, cold

1/2 to 2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

half a dozen ice cubes

a dozen sweet cherries, pitted and cut into halves, and blueberries to garnish

In a jar, mix cherries, blueberries, sugar and lemon juice,

Add cherry juice and stir until dissolved,

Finally, add sparkling wine and ice and serve.

it's a snap. { savoury ham and cheese muffins }

Oh how I missed the rain and thunderstorms (heart)

These muffins were based in a recipe I found here during one of my many strolls through the world of cooking blogs. Made them last tuesday for an alternative São João party here in Munich ;)

Easy and quick to whip up... (they seem actually perfect for a lazy sunday evening) you should eat them while still warm!

Muffins Mistos
(alguém disse que sabiam a tosta mista... mas eu acho que é mais a lanche misto ;) )

- 3 + 1/2 chávena de farinha

- 2 colheres de chá de fermento

- 1 colher de chá de sal

- 3 chalotas picadas

- pimenta

- orégãos e ervas de provence

- 2 ovos

- 1 chávena de leite

- 1/2 chávena de vinho branco

- 1/3 de chávena de azeite

- 4 colheres de sopa de creme fraiche

- 200g de fiambre, cortado em pedacinhos ou tirinhas

- 200g de queijo emmental e mozzarella ralado

- 200g de queijo gouda, cortado em cubinhos ou tiras

1) Refogar as chalotas em azeite,

2) Misturar a farinha, o fermento, o sal e os temperos,

3) Bater os ovos com o leite, o vinho branco, o azeite e o creme fraiche; juntar as chalotas,

4) Misturar o queijo e o fiambre na farinha,

5) Incorporar os ingredientes líquidos nos sólidos, sem bater demasiado

6) Dividir a mistura por formas metálicas de muffins previamente untadas com azeite e levar ao forno a 170ºC durante cerca de 10-15 minutos, ou até os topos estarem dourados.

Savoury Ham and Cheese Muffins

- 3 + 1/2 cup flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1 tsp salt

- 3 shallots, chopped

- pepper

- oregano and provence herbs

- 2 eggs

- 1 cup milk

- 1/2 cup white wine

- 1/3 cup olive oil

- 4 tbsp sour cream

- 200g sliced ham, chopped

- 200g emmental and mozzarella cheese, grated

- 200g gouda cheese, diced

1) Sautée the shallots in some olive oil,

2) Mix flour, baking powder, salt and seasonings

3) Beat eggs with milk, wine, olive oil and sour cream; mix in shallots,

4) Mix cheese and ham into the flour,

5) Mix liquid ingredients into the flour mixture,

6) Divide the batter between previously greased muffin moulds and bake at 170ºC for about 10-15 minutes or until tops are golden.

raw and ravishing. { salmon tartare with balsamic strawberries and yogurt sauce }

Thesis on hold... for now I have an headache on fire.

Hi! I would like to welcome all the people who just recently started visiting my page ;) And thank all those who keep me going!

Talking about that... Sometimes people really inspire me without even knowing it. And this post is a bit about it.

I put a hold on the party recipes series to present this dinner I made at home back before Easter for me and my lovely brothers.

You know... I thought they would really hate it.

I had just arrived in Aveiro from Munich and both my parents were travelling to different corners of the world. There was some salmon in the fridge that was somehow meant to be grilled.

Of course it didn't turn that way. Thing is: I prefer raw salmon 1000x over the cooked one. And it's always impossible to try daring - read unconventional upon sight - recipes when I'm cooking for my parents, so I shortly convinced my brothers we would try something different ;)

Back to where I started... on the people who really inspire me without noticing... This was the recipe that made me come back after months of desertion. I mean, there was this guy who really talked me into coming back because he thought this dish looked nice. Today, I want to thank him :)

Tártaro de Salmão

- 2 lombos de salmão, sem pele ou espinhas e cortados em pequenos cubinhos

- 2 dentes de alho, picados

- 1/2 cebola pequena, picada

- coentros, picados

- 3 colheres de sopa de sumo de limão

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- 1 colher de café de massa de alho

- sal

- 6 morangos

- 1 colher de sobremesa de vinagre balsâmico

- 1 colher de sobremesa rasa de açúcar

- 1 iogurte grego

- 1 iogurte natural

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- sal

- sementes de sésamo q.b.

Numa taça alta, misturar gentilmente o salmão, o alho, a cebola, os coentros, o sumo de limão, a pimenta, a massa de alho e o sal. Reservar.

À parte, misturar os morangos, o vinagre balsâmico e o açúcar. Reservar.

Noutra taça, misturar os iogurtes, a pimenta e o sal,

Escorrer bem os morangos,

Montar o tártaro em aros metalizados (usei um copo de iogurte com o fundo cortado. Começar com uma camada de morangos, seguida de uma camada de salmão,

Finalizar com o molho de iogurte e as sementes de sésamo.

Salmon Tartare

- 2 salmon fillets, no bones or skin, chopped into small pieces

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1/2 onion, chopped

- cilantro, chopped

- 3 tbsp lemon juice

- pepper mix, freshly ground

- 1/3 tsp garlic paste

- salt

- 6 strawberries

- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar

- 2 tsp sugar

- 1 greek yogurt

- 1 regular yogurt

- pepper mix, freshly ground

- salt

- sesame seeds

Mix the salmon, garlic, onion, cilantro, lemon juice, pepper, garlic paste and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, mix strawberries, balsamic and salt,

Drain the strawberries completely,

Mix the yogurt, pepper and salt

Set the layers inside a steel ring for plating: first strawberries, then salmon,

Finish with the yogurt sauce and sesame seeds.

pull it! { wholewheat pull-apart bread with pesto and cheese }

Had been dreaming of baking this for ages. A party is a great excuse. A free afternoon makes it even better. So I had to give it a try ;)

Pull-Apart Bread de Cereais com Pesto e Queijo

- 2 chávenas de farinha para pão de cereais

- 1 chávena de farinha normal

- 1 chávena de água morna

- 1 saqueta de fermento para pão

- 3 colheres de sopa de açúcar

- sal

- molho pesto com bastante azeite

- queijo mozzarella ralado

1) Numa taça, juntar a água, o açúcar e o fermento,

2) Juntar as primeiras duas chávenas de farinha; bater em velocidade baixa com a batedeira com as espirais acopladas até obter uma mistura homogénea, tendo o cuidado de ir juntando a massa das paredes à mistura,

3) Juntar a restante farinha e amassar novamente, durante cerca de 5-10 minutos, até obter uma massa macia e elástica, que se descole das paredes da taça,

4) Moldar uma bola com a massa, reservar numa taça ligeiramente untada e coberta com um pano durante cerca de 2 horas, até ter crescido para o dobro do tamanho,

5) Deitar a massa sobre uma superfície limpa e ligeiramente enfarinhada, deixar repousar 5 minutos,

6) Estender a massa num rectângulo,

7) Espalhar sobre a massa o pesto e o queijo ralado,

8) Cortar quadrados do tamanho da secção de uma forma de bolo inglês,

9) Untar a forma de bolo inglês,

10) Empilhar os quadrados de massa e colocá-los dentro da forma, como fatias de pão,

11) Cobrir com um pano e deixar repousar mais 40 minutos,

12) Levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 180ºC durante cerca de 40 minutos, se necessário coberto com papel de alumínio,

13) Retirar do forno, deixar arrefecer e desenformar.

Wholewheat Pull-apart Bread with Pesto and Cheese

- 2 cups wholewheat bread flour

- 1 cup regular flour

- 1 cup warm water

- 1 pckg dried yeast

- 3 tbsp sugar

- salt

- pesto sauce with a lot of olive oil

- shredded mozzarella cheese

1) In a cup, mix water, sugar and the yeast,

2) Add the first two cups of flour; beat at low speed with a mixer with spiral wires plugged until obtaining an homogeneous mixture, being careful to remove the batter from the sides of the bowl constantly,

3) Add the remaining flour and beat again, for abou 5-10 minutes, until reaching a soft and pliable dough, that sticks out of the sides of the bowl,

4) Shape it into a ball and set aside in a slightly greased bowl, covered with a clean cloth for about 2 hours, until it reaches double the size,

5) Place it over a clean and slightly flour-dusted surface for 5 minutes,

6) Spread it into a rectangle,

7) Spread over pesto and cheese,

8) Cut it down to squares the size of the section of an english cake pan,

9) Grease an english cake pan,

10) Stock the squares and place them as slices inside the pan,

11) Cover with a cloth and let rest for another 40 minutes,

12) Bake at 180ºC for about 40 minutes, if necessary covered with aluminium foil,

13) Take out of the oven, let cool and unmould.

let the spring in: make it green! { spinach, quark and olive roulade }

This is one of those things you can make as an appetizer for a dinner at home with friends - as was the case - or for a picnic outside - I actually think it was cut out for it! Love how much green it still turned out in the end - do not allow the spinach to get brown on the hot water!

Rolo de Espinafre, Quark e Azeitonas
(inspirado numa receita do livro 'Homemade Summer')

- 400g de espinafres, lavados

- 5 ovos

- 4 colheres de sopa de farinha com fermento

- 500g de queijo quark

- 250g de philadelphia

- uma mão cheia de azeitonas pretas descaroçadas

- ervas a gosto, frescas, picadas

- pimenta

- garam masala

- sal

1) Escaldar os espinafres em água quente com sal, até estarem tenros; escorrer bem,

2) Bater as claras dos ovos em castelo com uma pitada de sal,

3) Processar os espinafres com as gemas, a farinha, uma colher de quark, pimenta, garam masala e sal

4) Incorporar as claras na mistura de espinafres,

5) Verter num tabuleiro (30x40 cm) forrado com papel vegetal e levar ao forno pré-aquecido a 180ºC cerca de 15 minutos,

6) Entretanto, bater os queijos com as ervas, pimenta e sal,

7) Retirar a torta do forno, estender uma folha de papel vegetal sobre uma superfície lisa e voltar a torta sobre ela; retirar o papel vegetal da cozedura e deixar arrefecer um pouco,

8) Espalhar a mistura de queijo sobre a torta; espalhar as azeitonas por cima, pressionando ligeiramente sobre o queijo,

9) Enrolar com a ajuda do papel vegetal e reservar no frigorífico pelo menos uma hora para ganhar solidez.

Spinach, Quark and Olives Roulade
(inspired in a recipe from 'Homemade Summer')

- 400g spinach, rinsen

- 5 eggs

- 4 tbsp self-raising flour

- 500g quark cheese

- 250g cream cheese

- a handful of pitted black olives

- freshly chopped herbs

- pepper

- garam masala

- salt

1) Soak the spinach in hot water until tender; drain well,
2) Beat egg whites until stiff, with a pinch of salt,
3) Blend the spinach, flour, 1 tbsp of quark, pepper, garam masala and salt,
4) Fold the egg whites in the spinach mixture,
5) Pour in a parchment paper lined baking tray (30z40 cm) and bake at 180ºC (pre-heated oven) for about 15 min,
6) Meanwhile, beat the cheese with herbs, pepper and salt,
7) Take the cake out of the oven, spread parchment paper over a clean surface and fold it over; remove the baking parchment paper, let cool down,
8) Spread the cheese over the cake, sprinkle with the olives, lightly pressing them into the cheese,
9) Wrap up with the help of the paper and keep in the fridge for at least one hour.

on no-dinner dinners { hummus }

A quarter past seven in the afternoon and we've just ran away from work for one hour or so to drink a beer and laugh all together. No one feels like having dinner yet - for we are all used to late night dinners - but it's been quite a while since coffee... So here my version of the perfect thing to have along with a cold beer or, as I would rather have, a radler. Spread some on your favourite bread - most likely also good for a lazy home alone dinner ;)

Hummus

- uma lata (850g) de grão de bico

- 5 dentes de alho

- 1 colher de chá de cominhos

- 2 colheres de sopa de azeite

- água

- sal e pimenta

- pão, cortado em fatias, para servir

Num blender, misturar todos os ingredientes com a excepção da água,

Juntar água aos poucos até obter a consistência desejada, misturando entre adições,

Servir numa taça com um fio de azeite e uma pitada de pimenta moída na hora e pão.

 Hummus

- 1 can (850g) chickpeas

- 5 garlic cloves

- 1 tsp cummin

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- water

- salt and pepper

- bread, sliced, to serve

In a blender, process all ingredients but water,

Add water bit by bit, mixing between additions, until reaching the desired thickness,

Serve topped with a little olive oil and freshly ground pepper, with the bread on the side.

there's something in my bread { goat cheese and olive loaf }

Meanwhile, inspired on the latter post's cookbook...

Bola de Queijo de Cabra e Azeitonas

- 225g de farinha

- 2 colheres de chá de fermento

- 100ml de azeite

- 100ml de vinho branco

- 3 ovos

- 50g de queijo parmesão ralado

- 150g de queijo de cabra saloio, em cubos

- 150g de azeitonas sem caroço

- 75g de sultanas douradas
- sal e pimenta

Misturar a farinha, o azeite, o vinho, os ovos, o parmesão, o sal e a pimenta até obter uma massa homogénea,

Incorporar o queijo de cabra, as azeitonas e as sultanas,

Levar ao forno a 160ºC numa forma de bolo inglês forrada com papel vegetal, durante cerca de 45 minutos.

Goat Cheese and Olive Loaf

- 225g flour

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 100ml olive oil

- 100ml white wine

- 3 eggs

- 50g grated parmesan cheese

- 150g goat cheese, diced

- 150g pitted olives

- 75g golden raisins
- salt and pepper

Whisk the flour, olive oil, wine, eggs, parmesan, salt and pepper until obtaining a smooth batter,

Mix in the goat cheese, olives and raisins,

Bake for about 45 minutes at 160ºC in a parchment paper lined loaf pan.

Not (yet) ready { pãezinhos de queijo }

Thank you for bothering about me :) Everything is good in Munich, but I still don't have time/patience/things to keep up the blog regular rhythm. I hope I will be back to normal soon! This is something very easy I made for an international dinner. And to make for the time I wasn't here I also leave a picture of the new Between Kitchen's kitchen! It's small but it is a kitchen with a view ;)

Pãezinhos de Queijo
Ingredientes:

- 1 embalagem (500g) de polvilho azedo

- uma pitada de sal

- 100 ml de óleo vegetal

- 125 ml de leite

- 3 ovos

- 125 g de queijo ralado

Preparação:

1) Ligar o forno no gás 7,

2) Sovar o polvilho com o sal,

3) Aquecer o óleo com o leite,

4) Entretanto, bater os ovos,

5) Incorporar bem o óleo e leite no polvilho, mexendo sempre com a mão ou a colher de pau,

6) Juntar os ovos e misturar bem da mesma forma,

7) Por fim, incorporar o queijo ralado,

8) Formar bolinhas (uso duas colheres) e colocar sobre um tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal,

9) Levar ao forno cerca de meia hora, ou até estarem dourados e estaladiços.

Cheese Breads

Ingredients:

- 1 package (500g) sour starch

- pinch of salt

- 100 ml vegetable oil

- 125 ml milk

- 3 eggs

- 125g grated cheese

Preparation:

1) Pre-heat oven, gas 7,

2) Punch starch with the salt,

3) Heat oil with milk,

4) Beat eggs,

5) Incorporate oil and milk into the starch, mixing with hands or a wooden spoon,

6) Mix in eggs,

7) Finally, mix in grated cheese,

8) Mould small balls (I use two spoons) and place on a tray lined with parchment paper,

9) Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes or until golden and crispy.