A month in Portugal, and Christmas is here!
In this podcast, we catch up about Portugal and Thanksgiving and start talking about Christmas foods and traditions.
Angela’s month-long trip to Portugal was a mix of work and play (and handling an energetic 3 year old). She spent time in Lisbon, Porto & Braga. :) Do you know of any kids who like peixinho com vinagre (what a savory palate!)? Shout-out to listener Danielle Pimentel for recommending Maria Catita in Lisboa’s Baixa. One of this trip’s foodie discoveries happened was one of Campo Pequeno's petiscos – scrambled eggs & alheira. She also tried Bacalhau à Zé do Pipo.
Angela and her cousin Maria Joao dine at Maria Catita in Lisboa with family. Thanks to Danielle Pimentel for the recommendation!
We also talk about Thanksgiving – Maria’s was a quiet affair with her daughters out of town. Angela, on the other hand, spent the holiday with 200 family members. There must be a lot of Maria’s in there. ;) But it's one of those Portuguese-esque holidays with lots of food and family, not that we don't do that EVERY weekend.
And last, but not least, the conversation turned to Christmas! Maria talks about the presépio her mom used to make growing up – not just a small nativity scene but a nativity village. And what’s on the Christmas table? Check out the Christmas menus for both Maria and Angela below.
What about you? What are you favorite Christmas traditions (food or otherwise)? Let us know in the comments!
Boas Festas!
P.S.: Ever wondered where Bolo Rei came from? Take a peek at this post to learn more about it.
http://catavino.net/bolo-rei-bolo-rainha-portuguese-christmas-cake/
Maria Catita Restaurant - https://www.facebook.com/restaurantemariacatita/
Bacalhau a Ze do Pipo - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacalhau_%C3%A0_Z%C3%A9_do_Pipo
Angela’s Christmas Eve and Day Menus
Azeitonas
Queijo Casteloes with crackers - http://www.lactogal.pt/content.aspx?menuid=119
Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (see below for Maria’s recipe, which I’ll be using!)
Papo Secos - https://easyportugueserecipes.com/portuguese-rolls-papo-secos/
Pasteis de nata (homemade by my husband, but here’s another recipe!) - http://leitesculinaria.com/7759/recipes-portuguese-custard-tarts-pasteis-de-nata.html
Café Nespresso (Ristretto and Ciocattino are our favs!)
Assorted liquors
Brunch eggs made with Alheira instead of bacon! http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/dishes/breakfast-bake-recipes/brunch-egg-bake-recipes
Linguica bites (just cut up pieces of linguica)
French toast strips made with sweet bread - http://www.marthastewart.com/1110525/emerils-portuguese-sweet-bread-french-toast
Fresh fruit
Lamb a moda da minha sogra (My mother-in-law’s lamb recipe – if you’d like the recipe, message me and I’ll share it!)
Mashed potatoes
Green Salad
Pasteis de nata
Café Nespresso
Assorted liquors
Maria’s Christmas Menu
Rice Pudding... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2015/12/arroz-doce-sweet-rice/
Chocolate Tart... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2014/06/chocolate-tart-maria-biscuit-crust-recipe/
Lemon Liquore .... http://azoreangreenbean.com/2014/06/lemon-liqueur-recipe/
Last but not least pictures of my Prespio with pieces that belonged to my mom... very precious to me!!
http://azoreangreenbean.com/2015/12/presepio/
Maria's presepio!
Also... we would always have a codfish dish at our Christmas table...
This Year I'm making the very easy and traditional Cod Fish à Gomes Sá / Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá. This codfish recipe is the most traditional dish. As far as I can remember, my mom would make this dish for us.
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs dried salted cod, soaked overnight and rinsed several times (I prefer skinless and boneless cod )
6 medium potatoes, peeled and kept whole
2 large onion, sliced thin
3 cloves of garlic, sliced
6 Tablespoons olive oil
3 eggs, boiled
Black olives
I small bunch of parsley, chopped Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Prepare the cod the day before by using the soaking method described on page 38.
In a large pot, boil the cod then remove it. If you didn’t buy it skinless and boneless you can now remove the bones and skin and splinter it crudely and leave to the side.
Add the potatoes to the boiled water and par-boil them. You don’t want to overcook the potatoes or else you’ll have a hard time cutting them in slices after. Once the potatoes are parboiled and sliced, and leave them aside.
In a separate saucepan hard-boil the eggs, peel them and cut them into slices and leave aside.
In a frying pan, sauté the onions in olive oil until they are a golden color. Add the garlic and cook together for a few minutes.
Preheat the oven at 350° F. In a baking or casserole dish, alternate layers of potato slices, cod and onions until you use it all up. Make sure to drizzle a little olive oil on every layer.
Place in the oven and bake until golden on top.
Finally, garnish with olives, sliced eggs and chopped parsley.
