Showing posts with label pepper. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pepper. Show all posts

7.06.2015

on superfoods, reconnecting and why summer is the perfect time to feel healthy.

{ mushroom quinoa with lemon-salt-pepper drenched avocado }


Quinoa and mushrooms blend great together, both in terms of flavour and texture, somehow inducing a sort of nostalgia for that good old mushroom risotto. The topping, like an unfinished guacamole, is absolutely perfect: the chopped onion and garlic give it an extraordinary kick and the poweful zest of lemon, as always, goes great with avocado.

I remember completely underrating those big summer holidays as a kid. In middle school, we had some two or three months of holidays, but all I could think of was getting back to school and seeing my friends again. This attitude sounds more reasonable, though, if I tell you that my parents would roughly have a month of holidays, and that, until they were free, all my brothers and I could do was to hang around the house. Once in a while, I'ld go out with them or some friends, but we would mostly just stay home until August. To tell the truth, being somehow held at home during half of the summer is in part how my passion for cooking developed.


4.03.2015

fish and chips?

{ codfish burger with cilantro and red saffron }


Are you up for something different this time?

As you may have read on my 'about' page, I have always been fonder of cooking than of baking. But ever since I've started this project, baking has been earning its way into my heart, up to the point that in less than two years living in Germany I have felt the need to buy over half a dozen different cake pans, two pie pans, two dozens muffin tins, a candy thermometer, a couple of baking trays and deep dishes and my (several) pantries have seen countless amounts of flour, sugar and parchment paper. I always keep eggs, butter and milk on the fridge, different sorts of flour and sugar in the kitchen cabinets and I don't feel good knowing that I'm running out of baking powder or yeast. Oh yeah, I've become a baker. Some of you even know me as "the baker" already!

Yet here I am, trying to bring back the foregone notion that I go the extra mile when it comes to cooking - I do... more than ever!

1.07.2015

food is sexy.

{ beef wellington }


yesterday, while scrolling down my facebook feed, i read something that made me feel home at heart.

it was the title of an article about an upcoming book by Nelson Carvalheiro - a portuguese blogger, - about Portugal, food and travelling. as one could there read, the author believes that, especially in the north of the country, the portuguese say 'i love you' by setting food on the table and inviting you to eat it.'

this couldn't have been said better.

-

8.09.2014

one brownie with a twist.

{ malibú fudgy brownies }

I know you haven't seen them all...

But I've seen them raising in the oven...
and I have this feeling I've been baking way too many chocolate cakes.

These brownies were made by request.

I was actually not even going to do them, because I kept postponing it and ended up being too busy with other stuff that day... but I was feeling bad for the whole afternoon, until I finally gave in and decided to go chop some chocolate.

I took the liberty of improvising a bit lot (the request was quite specific for this brownie batter), but I guess I was able to still meet the wishes of my friend ;) They travelled to a barbecue early this week and no one has seen them ever since!


Brownies Malibú Fudge

- 200g de chocolate 70% de cacau
- 120g de manteiga
- 120 ml de café frio
- 3 ovos M
- 120g de açúcar
- 50g de farinha
- uma pitada de pimenta, piri-piri e gengibre em pó
- 200g de doce de laranja com raspas
- 2 colheres de sopa de coco ralado
- 1 colher de sopa de gin

1) Derreter o chocolate com a manteiga em banho maria; deixar arrefecer,
2) Bater os ovos com o açúcar até obter uma mistura cremosa e esbranquiçada,
3) Envolver suavemente a farinha peneirada,
4) Incorporar o chocolate derretido e o café,
5) À parte, misturar bem o doce, o coco e o gin,
6) Verter a massa numa forma rectangular forrada com papel vegetal, distribuir pequenas colheradas de doce por cima e levar ao forno a 160ºC durante cerca de 15 minutos,
7) Deixar arrefecer e cortar em pequenos quadrados.

Malibú Fudgy Brownies
- 200g 70% cocoa chocolate
- 120g butter
- 120 ml cold coffee
- 3 medium eggs
- 120g sugar
- 50g flour
- pepper, chili and ginger powder
- 200g orange marmalade
- 2 shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp gin

1) Melt chocolate with butter in a pan placed over another pan with simmering water; let cool,
2) Cream eggs and sugar,
3) Carefully mix in flour,
4) Mix in melted chocolate and coffee,
5) In a bowl, mix well the marmalade, coconut and gin,
6) Pour the batter over a rectangular cake pan, lined with parchment paper; spread the jam over and bake at 160ºC for about 15 minutes,
7) Let cool and cut into small squares.

6.12.2014

tomato stands for summer.

{ tomato and black olive sauce chicken }

Bringing you a very simple yet delicious meal.





Frango com Tomate e Azeitonas
- 400g de peitos de frango
- 3 dentes de alho, picados
- sal
- pimenta moída na hora
- ervas a gosto
- azeite
- 1 cebola, cortada em gomos
- 4 tomates frescos, cortados em gomos
- 6 tomates secos de frasco, em pedaços
- uma mão cheia de azeitonas
- garam masala
- tempero de pasta arrabiatta
- sal e pimenta
- polpa de tomate

1) Refogar o frango com o alho, sal, ervas e pimenta em azeite; reservar,
2) Refogar a cebola com o tomate seco e os temperos até ficar transparente; juntar o tomate fresco e deixar cozinhar,
3) Juntar um pouco de polpa de tomate e rectificar os temperos.

Tomato and Olive Chicken
- 400g chicken breasts
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- salt
- freshly ground pepper
- chopped herbs
- olive oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 4 fresh tomatoes, sliced
- 6 jar dried tomatoes, chopped
- a handful of olives
- garam masala
- pasta arrabiatta seasoning
- salt e pepper
- tomato paste

1) Sautée chicken in olive oil with garlic, salt, herbs and pepper; set aside,
2) Sautée onion with dried tomato and seasonings until tender, add fresh tomato and let cook,
3) Add a bit of tomato paste and check the seasoning.

10.05.2013

Some more finger food.

{ spinach chili gressini }

Thank you so much for all the comments and all the support!
As many of you already know I am in Munich with a friend for ERASMUS :) We haven't yet managed to get a home of our own (but I feel like we are closer!), hence I haven't had much time for the blog. And I have also been having intensive german classes, so I have little free time and lots of things to do and to visit!




Gressinos de Espinafre e Malagueta
Ingredientes:
- 180g de espinafres frescos
- 225g de farinha
- 1 colher de café de massa de alho
- ½ colher de chá de bicarbonato de sódio
- coentros moídos
- cominhos
- piri-piri moído
- açafrão da índia
- pimenta moída

- 1 colher de chá de sal

Preparação:
1) Pré-aquecer o forno a 180ªC,
2) Escaldar os espinafres num tacho com água a ferver durante meio minuto, escoar bem para retirar o excesso de água,
3) Picar os restantes ingredientes num robô de cozinha até obter migalhas, reservar,
4) Picar os espinafres e amassar com os restantes ingredientes
5) Transferir para uma superfície polvilhada com farinha e estender com um rolo da massa até ter cerca de meio cm de altura,
6) Cortar a massa em tiras com 1 cm de largura,
7) Torcer as tiras e espalhar num tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal,
8) Cozinhar no forno durante cerca de 20 minutos.

Spinach and Chilli Gressini
Ingredients:
- 180g fresh spinach
- 225g flour
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- powdered coriander
- saffron
- freshly crushed black pepper
- 1 tsp salt

Preparation:
1) Heat oven at 180ºC,
2) Soak the spinach in boiling water for half minute, drain well,
3) Blend all the other ingredients in a blender, put aside,
4) Chop the spinach and hand mix with the other ingredients, in a bowl, until obtaining an homogeneous batter,
5) Spread over a flour-dusted surface until obtaining an half centimeter thick rectangle,
6) Cut the batter in 1 cm stripes,
7) Twist the stripes and spread in a baking tray, lined with parchment paper,
8) Bake for around 20 minutes.

9.29.2013

Pizza pies

{ pepper, cheese and herbs tarteletes }

Still not in a German kitchen, but closer! These are the best salty pies I have ever tasted. Still Popina inspired and still fail-proof ;) You must try these, they combine pizza crust and hot creamy filling. I'll give you some advice: double the recipe - at least!


Tarteletes de Pimento, Queijo da Ilha e Ervas Aromáticas
Ingredientes:
Massa da Base:
- 220g de farinha
- 1 colher de chá de fermento seco
- 1/3 de colher de chá de sal
- 2 colheres de sopa de azeite
- 1 ovo
- 80ml de água quente
Recheio:
- 1 pimento vermelho, sem sementes e cortado em tiras finas
- 1 pimento verde, sem sementes e cortado em tiras finas
- 1 cebola, cortada em gomos finos
- 2 colheres de sopa de azeite
- ½ colher de chá de sal
- pimenta preta
- moinho de sal e alecrim e limão
- 1 colher de café de massa de alho,
- um pé de salsa, picado,
- 100g de queijo da ilha ralado

- um iogurte grego

Preparação:
1) Misturar a farinha, o fermento e o sal numa tigela,
2) Formar um buraco no centro e deitar o ovo, o óleo e a água,
3) Amassar à mão até obter uma massa macia,
4) Deitar numa superfície polvilhada com farinha e trabalhar com as mãos durante alguns minutos, a massa deve continuar mole mas não pegajosa,
5) Dividir em 6 a 8 pedaços e estender cada um com o rolo da massa,
6) Forrar formas de tartelete com a massa, reservar,
7) Aquecer o forno a 190ºC,
8) Misturar os pimentos e a cebola com azeite, sal e pimenta e levar a assar coberto com uma folha de alumínio durante 20 minutos, escorrer e reservar,
9) Juntar o alho, as ervas e metade do queijo ralado aos pimentos, mexendo sempre, reservar,
10) Misturar o iogurte e quase todo o restante queijo e espalhe no fundo das tarteletes,
11) Espalhar os pimentos no interior das tartes e polvilhar com o restante queijo,
12) Levar ao forno a 170ªC durante 25 minutos.

Pepper, Cheese and Herbs Tarteletes
Ingredients:
Pizza crust:
- 220g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 egg
- 80ml warm water
Filling:
- 1 red pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 1 green pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- black pepper
- salt, thyme and lemon lidl spices
- ½ tsp garlic paste
- parsley, chopped
- 100g strong flavoured cheese

- 1 greek yogurt

Preparation:
1) Mix flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl,
2) Make a hole in the middle and pour the egg, the oil and the water,
3) Knead until obtaining a soft dough,
4) Work with the hands over a slightly flour-dusted surface, the batter must remain soft but not sticky,
5) Divide in 6 or 8 parts and roll to thin circles,
6) Put each circle inside a tartelete mould, put aside,
7) Heat oven to 190ºC,
8) Mix peppers and onion with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes, covered. Drain and put aside,
9) Add garlic, herbs and half the cheese to the peppers, mix well,
10) Mix yogurt and almost all remaining cheese and put a spoon inside each tartelete,
11) Spoon the pepper mixture over and sprinkle some cheese on the top,
12) Place in the oven at 170ºC for 25 minutes.