tastes just like the 90's.{ bolo de arroz: portuguese rice cake }

Bolos de Arroz, literally "rice cakes", are traditional Portuguese cupcakes, widely acknowledged as  a snack and not as a dessert. In Portugal, coffee is a formality after each and every single meal and it is drunk like a shot. The actual portuguese expression for drinking coffee is even - literally - 'taking coffee'. Yet the portuguese have a thing for coveting pastry trays while ordering their coffees, and when they lend more than two minutes to the act of washing them down, they might very well lower their voice a notch, gulp the guilt and order a Pastel de Nata or a Bolo de Arroz.

Usually served at breakfast and any time in the morning, while going out for an espresso after lunch, as an afternoon snack after school, but mostly appropriate for any occasion when hunger or a sweet tooth strike, these are nowadays probably one of the most simple, common and underrated cakes in the whole country.

I was curious to see if the batter would do well as a normal cake for slicing, so I decided to pour it into a loaf pan - and I have to say it worked just perfect. It is so simple to make it like this, that if you love Bolos de Arroz, or if you have never had one, you must try this recipe!

have a christmassy tea time treat! { gluten-free mini cinnamon rice gugels }

'Bolo de Arroz', the portuguese rice muffin, ocasional replacement for a Pastel de Nata as a side for an espresso or a meia-de-leite, was the inspiration behind these mini gugels. I have spiced up the original recipe up and made it totally gluten and lactose free! Mini lemony cakes, with a texture similar to that of madeleines, they are the perfect as a coffee or tea-time treat and for sharing with friends!

ouro negro. { black rice risotto with codfish, dried tomato and red pesto }

there is this line from a song that came to explain how i sense this world.

'she moves with shameless wonder.'

well, i wonder about the actual meaning of this verse.

maybe Hozier wrote it purely to romanticize a woman's assured and graceful gestures...

yet, i take it differently.

to me, it describes someone who senses this world with constant and unhibited curiosity and - consequently - fascination, a characteristic that keeps them wandering decisively, looking for answers.

maybe i've read too much into it, but i guess that's what poems are made for.

i wish i could discuss that with him one day.

this characteristic allows me to find inspiration in the most odd circunstances, particularly during the time i'm on my own. it also keeps me excited about discovering new things, either in my thoughts - i do think a lot - or palpable stuff.

a bit due to it, i love finding products that i would not even imagine could exist.

that was the case of this black rice.

orange is the new plum. { rice pound cake with caramelized oranges }

I've had this plum streusel cake in my mind for over one week.

But for some reason that I cannot grasp, I never buy plums.

So yesterday I couldn't take the cooking cravings anymore, and the only fruit I had was oranges.

(I must recall that the supermarket is closed on Sunday here in Germany)

I really wanted to make a fruity dessert, but...

Oranges!?

Please...

Here I was, still dreaming of plums, raspberries, bluberries, and so on - even the ordinariness of apples! - to be left with oranges - which, unnervingly, are the faintest flavoured oranges I've ever bought.

Well... there is nothing like googling "orange dessert recipes" for inspiration, or so thought I.

I couldn't decide on a cake, still drooling over "berry streusel" pictures instead. Finally, I came to realize that it had to be what it had to be, and held my chin up facing the tennis-ball-shaped spheres on the counter.

 I think I'm going through a bad kitchen karma period.

After a first attempt to follow a recipe I found online (which I could already tell wouldn't work - why in the world did I even use it!?) and ending up with a butter-egg float batter... (really -.- this has got to be bad kitchen karma), already mad, but not quite to throw in the towel (after all, I already had the perfect caramelized oranges), I decided to do things my own way, and the cake finally came out pretty nice :)

The best part is... the first bite of this cake instantly reminded me of crêpes suzette, my ever favourite among my father's few staple dessert recipes (though he would do them without alcohol - we were three kids at home!). They still are one of my favourite desserts, maybe even top five - and, oddly enough, they have got orange.

um risotto herege... { an heretic mushroom risotto }

(finally back from the thesis ermitage!)

There is something that I really like to cook but rarely take pictures of.

Usually I have no time to take nice pictures of it, because I really want it to be served right away.
And, truth to be told, you just need the perfect plating and light to shoot this - and this is something quite not attainable when you are just in a hurry to put it on the table.

I'm talking about risotto.

Today the sunlight was just right, so I had to shoot it and bring the recipe here. This is a recipe that changes all the time... I usually use white wine, preferably sparkling one, and I usually use other kinds of cheese, I change the seasonings and herbs all the time, so I just brought the exact (odd) recipe I came up with today - it is really odd, you'll see...

Because today was a lazy holiday day, sleeping in, doing nothing, and eating a bowl of this in a sunny balcony suited it just perfectly.

the italian job { mushroom, dried tomato and mozzarella risotto }

I guess I was blessed with some great friends over here.
Thank you guys for making me feel so lucky :)

I don't know if the owners are aware of this yet - well... they should, considering the amount of times I've been sticking around, over pots and pans - but I really like this kitchen! It is really cozy and it's quite nice to cook there. Who knows, maybe it's the Italian aura - yes, the owners are quite nice too!
So yesterday I decided to make a surprise dinner there and I ended up choosing all Italian food. This meant whipping up risotto and pannacotta for three Italian - plus one canadian ;) - and very demanding judges. Quite demanding. Call me wary, but didn't you know how italian guys are harsh on "pseudo-italian food" made by non-italians? Worth hearing. Anyway... somehow, maybe because I was being nice and well-intentioned, I was told it was good...

Risotto de Cogumelos, Tomate Seco e Mozzarella
- 500g de arroz arbóreo

- 3 dentes de alho, picados

- 300g de cogumelos frescos, finamente laminados

- 8 tomates secos de frasco, cortados em tiras

- 1 embalagem de bolinhas de mozzarella fresco

- 70g de queijo maasdammer, em pequenos pedaços

- 1 cubo de caldo de galinha

- 200ml de vinho branco

- 2 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate

- água fervente

- azeite

- orégãos e manjericão

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- sal

Refogar os cogumelos e o alho em azeite com os temperos e o caldo de galinha até estarem tenros; escorrer e reservar o caldo resultante e os cogumelos separadamente,

Levar um tacho anti-aderente a lume brando com o arroz e o caldo dos cogumelos, mexendo até este ter sido completamente absorvido,

Juntar aos poucos o vinho, mexendo e deixando absorver,

Juntar aos poucos a água quente e a polpa de tomate e ir mexendo, até o arroz estar praticamente cozinhado e ainda ter um pouco de água,

Incorporar os cogumelos e o tomate seco,

Juntar o maasdammer e misturar bem,

Por fim, juntar o mozzarella fresco e misturar novamente,

Servir imediatamente.

Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato and Mozzarella Risotto

- 500g arborio rice

- 3 garlic cloves, chopped

- 300g mushrooms, thinly sliced

- 8 sun-dried tomatoes, jar kind, sliced

- 1 pckg small mozzarella balls

- 70g maasdammer cheese, chopped

- 1 cube dried chicken stock

- 200ml white wine

- 2 tbsp tomato paste

- boiling water

- olive oil

- oregano and basil

- mix of peppers, freshly ground

- salt

Sautée the mushrooms with the garlic in olive oil with the seasonings and the chicken stock until tender, drain and set aside the resulting stock and the mushrooms, separately,

Heat a non-sticking pan over medium heat and mix the rice with the stock until absorved,

Pour the wine bit by bit, mixing and letting the rice absorb it,

Follow with the hot water and the tomato paste, until the rice is practically cooked and there is still some water left,

Mix in the mushrooms and the tomato,

Add the maasdammer and mix well,

At last, mix in the fresh mozzarella,

Serve imediately.

Fill it up { tuna stuffed aubergines }

Tenho uma novidade para vocês :) Amanhã conto tudo!
Por agora fiquem com estas beringelas... ou como-fazer-o-jantar-rapidamente-e-de-forma-indolor-num-dia-que-não-apetece-mesmo-cozinhar-com-ingredientes-que-não-é-preciso-descongelar-enquanto-o-irmão-faz-waffles-para-o-lanche. E como juntar atum de lata e beringela, um duo que está na minha lista negra.

Beringelas Recheadas com Atum
Ingredientes:

- 3 beringelas

- 2 latas de atum à algarvia + 1 lata de atum normal

- azeite

- 1 cebola

- 2 dentes de alho

- 1 tomate

- moinho de sal com alecrim e limão do lidl

- 1 chávena de arroz

- 2 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate

- sal

- 6 fatias de queijo

- 1 pé de coentros frescos

Preparação:

1) Retirar a polpa às beringelas com a ajuda de uma colher, deixando só a casca e uma camada com cerca de 0.5 cm,

2) Colocar a parte exterior num tabuleiro untado com azeite, com a concavidade voltada para cima, polvilhar com sal grosso e água e levar ao forno a 180º durante cerca de 20 min,

3) Cozer o arroz no mesmo volume de água com um pouco de sal, sem destapar o tacho,

4) Deitar ¾ do óleo das latas de atum à algarvia numa frigideira e descartar o óleo da outra lata. Reservar o atum,

5) Refogar a cebola e o alho bem picados no óleo, juntar a polpa da beringela e o tomate também bem picados, juntar a polpa de tomate e deixar cozinhar tapado até todos os legumes estarem bem tenros,

6) Juntar o atum, o arroz cozinhado, uma colherada de água e os coentros picados e mexer bem,

7) Deitar a mistura nas beringelas,

8) Cobrir com o queijo e levar ao forno a 200º para gratinar,

9) Servir imediatamente com uma salada.

My english-reader friends, I am so sorry, but I am in a hurry today, so the recipe will only be translated late in the night!

It tastes so good... { squid curry }

Caril de Lulas
Ingredientes:

- 400g de lulas

- ½ cebola

- 3 dentes de alho

- azeite

- caril, açafrão, pimenta, sal

- tabasco

- 3 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate

- 3 colheres de sopa de leite de côco

- ½ chávena de vinho branco

- 1 colher de chá de maizena dissolvida em água

Preparação:

1) Refogar a cebola e o alho em azeite, com os temperos secos e o sal, até a cebola estar tenra,

2) Cortar as lulas em rodelas,

3) Juntar as lulas e refogar até estarem opacas,

4) Juntar o leite de côco, mexer bem, deixar evaporar um pouco,

5) Juntar a polpa de tomate, mexer e deixar cozinhar,

6) Por fim, juntar o vinho branco e deixar evaporar,

7) Juntar a maizena e mexer bem, deixar cozinhar só um pouco,

8) Servir com arroz basmati.

Squid Curry
Ingredients:

- 400g squid

- ½ onion

- 3 garlic cloves

- olive oil

- curry, saffron, pepper, salt

- tabasco

- 3 tbsp tomato paste

- 3 tbsp coconut milk

- ½ cup white wine

- 1 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in water

Preparation:

1) Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil, with dried seasonings and salt, until tender and fragrant,

2) Cut the squid in rings,

3) Add the squid and sauté until opaque,

4) Add the coconut milk, mix well and let evaporate,

5) Add tomato paste, mix, let cook,

6) Add white wine, let evaporate,

7) Lower the heat, add the cornstarch, mix well and let cook a little,

8) Serve with basmati rice.