Dates with Cheese and Almonds

My friend Thais brought this dish for an end of the year party a long time ago. I made it again for Christmas this year. It is very simple and doesn't need heat.

Ingredients:

pitted dates
Roquefort or Gorgonzola cheese
toasted almonds, unsalted

Preparation:

Open dates, spread a little cheese with a knife. Place an almond inside each date. Serve as an appetizer.

Note: If you can't find unsalted roasted almonds, buy raw almonds. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for a few minutes. Wait for them to cool before using in the recipe.

 

Sangria

There are a thousand ways to prepare Sangria, the famous beverage from Spain. This is one of them.
My friend Lucia made for my birthday party. I loved it.

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine
500 ml of Sprite or another lemon soda
1 orange
1 apple
1 lemon
50 ml Port wine
ice cubes
sugar to taste

Preparation:

Pour the wine and Sprite in a large container.
Cut orange, apple and lemon in large pieces. Add them to the bowl with the wine and Sprite. Add the Port wine. Add ice cubes, stir well and taste, if desired, add sugar to taste.
Serve.

Eggplant and Roasted Peppers Bruschetta

I was looking for recipes for crostini toppings. I checked on Food Network and found one with eggplant, which I changed a little bit and adapted it for my taste.
It is best made one day ahead, so that the flavors are enhanced.
Here it is.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant, diced (no need to peel)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons for sauteing
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1/2 cup pitted and diced kalamata olives
1/4 cup capers
3/4 roasted red peppers, cut in small strips
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves


Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
In a large bowl, toss the eggplant with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange the eggplant on a half sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Put it in the oven and bake until nicely charred, about 15 to 20 minutes.
In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic. Cook until the garlic browns, about 1 to 2 minutes, then add the onion. Cook until the onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Remove the eggplant from the oven and transfer it to a bowl. Add the onion mixture, the olives, capers, and roasted red peppers. Toss to combine. Add the wine vinegar, fresh parsley and oregano and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to cool and improve the flavors.

Serve over toasted baguette slices.

Note: To enhance the flavors, this dish is best if prepared one day ahead. Keep refrigerated in that period.

Happy Holidays

This is what I've been working on lately. Before it's too late and I forget, here is my electronic Happy Holidays wish to everyone that reads me on Around the World. May peace be around everyone of us in the coming year. And I hope all our dreams come true.

I gotta go, I'm starving...

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce

Some months ago I went to an Afghan cooking workshop, I liked it very much. Since then, I have made this Eggplant dish many times. Some colleagues of my husband came from India, I served this, they loved it. They said it is very much like the food in India from where they came.

Sweet and Savory Eggplant with Yogurt Sauce
(Borani bademjan)
Ingredients:

2 onions, chopped
¼ cup oil
2 medium sized eggplants
3 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
yogurt sauce (see recipe below)
1 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 450 ºF. Wrap the eggplants in foil and place in oven on a baking sheet. Bake for about 45 minutes.
In a large skillet, heat the oil. Fry the chopped onions until golden. Add garlic, tomatoes, black pepper and turmeric. Stir and let boil a little. When the eggplants are cooked, cut them in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.

Add this pulp to the skillet with the onions and tomatoes. Reduce heat to the pan and keep cooking the mixture, stirring occasionally. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Serve with yogurt sauce.

Yogurt sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 ½ teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon salt
juice of 1 lemon

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients in a bowl.


To serve with the eggplant, arrange a layer with half the yogurt sauce, add all the eggplant mixture, and finish with the rest of the yogurt sauce.

Note: When tasting the eggplant mixture by itself, we notice there isn't any salt. Adding the yogurt sauce changes the taste completely. But if you want, you can add a 1/2 teaspoon of salt at the time you add the pepper, while cooking the eggplant.

Frozen "Waltz Dream" Candy Dessert

"Sonho de Valsa" can be literally translated to "Waltz Dream". This is the name of the famous Brazilian candy used in this recipe. It is composed of a cashew paste filling, covered with a crunchy crust that tastes like ice-cream cone, then covered with another layer of milk chocolate. There is another version of the candy with white chocolate as the external layer, called "Ouro Branco" ("White Gold"), which is the one I found in the Brazilian/international supermarket close to where I live.
If you don't find this candy, I suggest you try with Ferrero Rocher or other not very hard candy (because it will be frozen). Another idea is to use Kit Kat and Reese's Peanut Cups (break them in pieces).

Ingredients:
Bottom layer:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
The same amount of milk as the can of condensed milk (use empty can)
3 egg yolks
2 teaspoons (10 ml) corn starch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar

Middle Layer:
12 Brazilian candies of "Sonho de Valsa," "Ouro Branco" or "Serenata de Amor" (you may substitute with Ferrero Rocher, or Kit Kat and Reese's Peanut Cups, for a more economic option)
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 tablespoon (15 ml) corn starch
2 tablespoons (30 ml) sugar
4 tablespoons (60 ml) cocoa powder (unsweetened)

Top layer:
3 egg whites
6 tablespoons (90 ml) sugar
1 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation:
Bottom layer:
In a medium saucepan, bring the condensed milk, milk, egg yolks, cornstarch and sugar to medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Turn heat off when you get a creamy consistency.
Pour the cream into a Pyrex-type dish approximately 9" X 13" and let it cool.

Chop the candy and spread it over the cream (bottom layer).

Middle layer:
In a small saucepan, bring the ingredients of the intermediate layer (milk, cornstarch, sugar, cocoa) to medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour over into the dish over the chopped candy.

Top layer:
Beat the egg whites with 6 tablespoons of sugar until fluffy. Add the heavy cream and slowly incorporate it to the egg white mixture.
Pour the mixture of egg whites and cream over the chocolate on the dish.
* Suggestion to decorate the top (optional): In the same pan used to make the chocolate cream, add a tablespoon of milk and a little cocoa powder. Take it to a medium heat and bring it to a boil. Using a small spoon, pour some drops of this liquid over the dessert. Then, using the same spoon or preferably a knife, carefully "drag" each drop of chocolate liquid on the top, making curved drawings.

Bring to the freezer for several hours until firm. Remove from freezer 20 minutes before serving so it is easy to scoop from the dish.

Chicken Breast Fillets with Thyme

I invented this one myself, but it is so simple, that it probably already exists. Anyway, here it is, for the days you feel lazy, but hungry. Serve with rice (if you are in a hurry and very lazy, I suggest 5 minute rice. Not so tasty as "real" rice, but...it works).

Ingredients:

2 chicken breast fillets
juice of 1/2 lemon
salt
pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme *
butter or margarine for frying

Preparation:

Mix lemon juice with the chicken. Leave for 5 minutes, then wash the chicken. Season chicken with salt and pepper.Mix the flour with the thyme in a shallow dish.
Dip the chicken fillets in the flour and thyme mixture to cover. Fry in a skillet with margarine or butter.

* If you don't  have fresh thyme, use dry thyme instead

Best Crunchy Chocolate Popcorn

This is a memory of my childhood, I guess it was the third thing I learned to make in the kitchen (after  Brigadeiro and 123 Cookies).

Ingredients:

3 cups of freshly made popcorn (microwave is fine)
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons Nesquick chocolate powder

Preparation:

In a large deep saucepan, mix sugar and water. Cook in medium-high heat. When the mixture comes to a boil, place the Nesquick and mix quickly, turning the heat to medium.

Immediately add the popcorn, stirring all the time. When the popcorn is all covered with the chocolate sauce, continue mixing for 1 more minute and turn off the heat.Continue mixing until the chocolate popcorn is dry and crispy.

Notes:

It looks easy, but:
From the moment you place the popcorn in the pan with the chocolate-sugar syrup, you should stir all the time, and the process is very fast. If it takes too long, the popcorn gets burned.
If the popcorn gets "soaked" it is because the mixture of water, sugar and chocolate was not correct. There was probably more water than it should. In this case, the popcorn shrinks and does not dry (thus, it does not get crunchy).
You will get the hang of it after making the popcorn a few times.

Polish Cauliflower

I was browsing one of my old cooking books, when I stumbled upon the perfect recipe for the situation I was in. I called it the "post-Thanksgiving syndrome": full fridge, a lot of ingredients telling me they would soon get rotten if I didn't use them, and also a lot of leftovers from my huge Thanksgiving dinner from Whole Foods. Actually, it was supposed to be a "Petite" holiday dinner. But, believe me, we were 4 people and we'd been eating from it for 3 days.
The recipe was so simple I couldn't believe, and it contained 2 of the ingredients I was going to dump in the bin that same day: an almost whole cauliflower (not from Thanksgiving) and the stuffing. So I made the Cauliflower and we loved it!!!  

Ingredients:

1 whole cauliflower, leaves removed
Salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup leftover stuffing/dressing or coarsely chopped breadcrumbs*
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)*
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation:

In a pan that fits the whole cauliflower and has a lid, add water to around 1 inch in height and have it boil. When boiling, add salt and place the cauliflower inside to cook. When it starts boiling again, cover, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Don't turn around the cauliflower, its top side cooks by steaming.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the stuffing or breadcrumbs and fry until golden brown **. Add the egg, parsley (if using) and lemon juice, stir.
Place the cooked cauliflower on a platter or bowl, cover with stuffing mixture. Serve immediately.

Notes:

* My suggestion is to use parsley only if using breadcrumbs. If using stuffing/dressing, it already has some herbs and seasoning, so there is no need to add more.

** At this point, I removed it from the pan and spreaded it in a baking sheet. Then took it to a preheated oven at 300 F and baked for a while, turning twice. I particularly like it crunchy. After that, I put it back to the pan and added the egg and lemon juice.

Japanese Noodles with Bulgogi

Having some leftover Bulgogi, the Korean marinated meat (I will publish the recipe later), I decided to make my own version of Ramen. I assembled with some Japanese noodles and chopped vegetables, and here it is, whatever we can call it (maybe not Ramen).

Ingredients:

Bulgogi meat, ready to eat. If you are in a hurry and can't wait for the recipe, you can check it in my other blog and click on the flag to translate. You may also find Bulgogi in Costco. It is similar to mine, only it is a bit sweeter. 

Japanese noodles or other Asian quick cooking noodles, cooked according to instructions in its package, and drained. You can use instant noodles.

Meat or vegetable broth (Optional: add bonito flakes to the broth (which gives a flavor of fish broth). Add some soy sauce, too.

Sliced grilled mushrooms
Grilled asparagus
Firm tofu

1 tablespoon olive or sunflower oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 clove chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped ginger
1 cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons corn kernels (frozen or canned, drained)

Chopped green onions

Preparation:

While making the beef bulgogi, prepare the carrots: In a skillet, heat the two types of oil (olive/sunflower and sesame). Add garlic and ginger and fry for 2 minutes. Add the carrot, fry for about 3 minutes, it should be still slightly crunchy. Add corn, stir. Add soy sauce and stir. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assembling: in each plate:

Put a little pasta. Add a little of its broth on top. Add the cooked bulgogi, mushrooms, asparagus, tofu, carrot and corn mixture, and sprinkle with a little of the chopped green onions.

Note: You can use other vegetables instead of those. There is no tofu in my picture, I didn't have then.  But I have eaten meals like this at restaurants which came with tofu.

Brazilian Truffles in the Microwave (Brigadeiro)

Brigadeiro is the name of the famous Brazilian sweet that we have in children's parties. It is a chocolate and condensed milk mixture rolled with nonpareil sprinkles. The recipe is easy. The difficult part is to know when the cooking is done. While hot, the dough will always be soft. When cooled, it has to be hard enough to be able to be rolled into little balls, if it is too soft, it's a lot of trouble to roll, it will stick to our hand. If it is too hard, then the taste is not the same....

I am sorry about all the talk for one of the simplest Brazilian treats. But people who have not grown with them are not used to the process, I thought it would be useful to describe it in detail.

Ingredients:

1 can sweetened condensed milk 
4 tablespoons chocolate powder (Nesquick)
1 tablespoon butter

Equipment: deep refractory glass bowl for use in microwave oven.
WARNING: Do not use plastic. The sweet gets very hot. Be careful when handling the container with its hot content. It can break if there is a sudden variation of temperature.

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients with a spoon directly in the bowl. Place in microwave at HIGH power for 2 minutes. Wait 1 minute. Remove, stir until smooth (the butter is melted on top).

Place in microwave HIGH power again, for 1 minute. Wait 1 minute. Stir.
Repeat the process until it totals 6 minutes or by testing consistency: using a teaspoon, get a little bit of the sweet and drop it in a shallow plate containing some cold water. If mixture is soft but not very liquid, it is good to roll the sweets.

Wait until it cools down. If it is still a bit soft, you can take it again to the microwave, but the rolling will have to be delayed, since you will have a hot mixture again. It is better to make it one day ahead.

Rolling the sweets:
In a large, shallow plate, drop some nonpareil sprinkles.
Apply a little butter or margarine in your hands. With a teaspoon, get a little of the sweet mixture and put it in your hands. Shape the balls, rolling. When the ball is shaped, drop it in the plate with the nonpareil. Move the little ball around the plate, so that the sprinkles stick to the dough. Put the decorated balls in candy cups.
Notes:

If you want to eat the sweet with a spoon, cook the dough only for a total of 4 minutes only. It is softer this way, and easier to serve. You only need little plastic cups and a very little spoon that fits inside it.

For larger amounts of the candy, double the ingredients. But time is not always double, although it takes longer to cook to the right consistency. For example, for 3 cans of condensed milk (3 times the recipe), I usually cook for 3 minutes in the beginning, wait 1 minute, stir. Cook for 3 more minutes, wait 1 minute, stir again. From then on I cook for 2 minutes at a time, stirring always in the end. In my microwave it takes about 15 minutes. 

The amount of cooking time also depends on the condensed milk. If the can of condensed milk is sitting in the pantry for a long time, it is almost turning into "dulce de leche", and it is more consistent. Therefore, less cooking time is needed. 

Personal opinion: I prefer the taste of  "Brigadeiro" made in a saucepan, although after sprinkling the nonpareils, only a few people notice the difference between the 2 versions.

* I had an Anchor glass dish that got broken into thousands of pieces while I was stirring the hot mixture. The cause may have been that he was placed on the counter a little wet, or perhaps the container could not stand high temperatures. I'm using a Pyrex for a long time now, it is "doing well". But now I always wait for a minute before removing container from microwave and stirring its content.

Another presentation (spiders for Halloween):

Bananas with Melting Cheese and Chocolate or Cinnamon

This is a very simple dish that we make in the Northeast of Brazil. We call it "Cartola", whose ipsis litteris translation would be  "Top Hat". We usually eat it for dinner, together with some other things (bread, milk, coffee), or as a snack. 
The traditional version has cinnamon, but I am not very fond of cinnamon, so I use chocolate powder instead (this is chocolate in my photos). The amount of cinnamon to be used should be just a little sprinkle.

Ingredients:

2 bananas
1 tablespoon butter, or less in a non-stick pan
cheese slices: cheddar, mozzarella or another that will melt easily (shredded cheese is fine)
chocolate powder (Nesquick) or cinnamon
sugar to taste

Preparation:

Cut bananas in half lengthwise. Melt butter in skillet. Place half bananas side by side, let them fry until golden in lower side.

Flip carefully, they will be so soft they may break apart.

 

Place the cheese on top of bananas so it covers all of them. Fry a little bit more. If the cheese slices are too thick, cover the pan, turn off the heat and wait for the cheese to melt.

Transfer to a plate, sprinkle with chocolate powder or cinnamon, and sugar.

Here I used a Mexican blend of shredded cheeses (cheddar, Monterrey jack and colby), the taste was great.

Turkey Pot Pie Brazilian Style

Turkey leftover usage, first chapter.
Since I had so much turkey leftover after thanksgiving, I have already made 2 different dishes. This version of the classic chicken pot pie has a Brazilian accent: hearts of palm and olives. Everybody in Brazil uses olives in their chicken pot pies. The taste is a bit different from the American version. If you don't have hearts of palm, don't worry. You can replace them by a little bit more turkey.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of baking pie dough, ready to bake (I used Pillsbury, the box comes with the 2 sheets)

For the filling:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups cooked turkey, diced
3 tablespoons chopped onions
2 tablespoons chopped green olives
3 tablespoons cooked corn (canned or frozen)
3 tablespoons chopped hearts of palm (optional) 
3 tomatoes, peeled and seeded, chopped (you can use canned tomatoes, or prepared tomato sauce)
5 oz cream cheese
pepper to taste
2 boiled eggs, chopped (optional)
salt, if needed
egg yolk (optional)

Preparation:

Pre-heat oven to 400 F.

Heat oil in large skillet (that fits all the filling), add the onion and fry until golden. Add the turkey, mix. Add the olives, corn, hearts of palm and tomatoes. Mix well and cook for 5-10 minutes. Add the cheese and mix until well dissolved. Add pepper. Finally, add the chopped eggs, mixing again. Taste and add salt, if needed. Turn off the heat. Fill a round pie baking dish with one of the dough sheets, pressing the inside and the borders. Add the filling. Cover with the other dough sheet. Tighten the edges with a fork or with your fingers. Make 4 small slits on top. For a golden look on the pie top, brush with egg yolk.
Place in the middle of the preheated oven and bake for about 35 minutes or until the crust turns golden brown.

Tip:

Cut some strips of aluminum foil to cover the edge in the last 15 minutes of cooking, so it does not burn.
Or use a special disc like the one in the photo, available in cooking stores.

Variations:

Replace the corn with green peas, or use both.
Omit the hearts of palm.
Replace the turkey with chicken, shrimp, ground beef or ham.

123 Cookies

This is a classical cookie from my childhood. We would help my grandma shape the dough, a bunch of kids, cousins, together... Later I got the recipe and started making them at home, I was still a child then.
Now I make them with my daughter. They are so easy. 
They are called 1-2-3 because the recipe is: 1 part of sugar, 2 parts of butter, 3 parts of flour. In Brazil we use metric system, so it's easy to memorize: 100g sugar, 200g butter, 300g flour.

Ingredients:

4 oz sugar
8 oz butter
12 oz flour
sugar to sprinkle

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 oF.
Mix sugar, butter and flour until smooth.
Shape dough to little balls and arrange them in a cookie sheet. If you wish, press a fork on the dough to flatten the cookies.
Bake until just starting to get golden.
Sprinkle with sugar right out of the oven.

Leek and Pear Soup

This was made by my friend Celia. Her soups are wonderful, this one is no exception. I loved it. Then she sent me the recipe, so that some more people can enjoy it. Besides, it is very easy to make.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 lb leek (remove the dark outer leaves), chopped in big chunks

1 1/2 lb pears (peeled)

1 tablespoon pear liquor

1/3 cup dry white wine

3 cups chicken broth

¾ teaspoon salt

Pepper (optional)

Freshly chopped parsley to garnish

Preparation:

In a saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the leek until soft (10-15 min).

Add pears, pear liquor, and wine. Bring to a boil.

Pour the chicken broth, bring to boil, and simmer for approximately 15 min, until the pears are tender.

Puree in a blender until smooth.

Reheat in the saucepan, and then add pepper (if using.)

Serve with freshly chopped parsley.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Fried Sage

And what did I do with what was left of the two pumpkins I used to make the Shrimp in a Pumpkin? I washed the inside, scraped the content, cut into pieces and used some of it to make the recipe below. My friend Julia had made something like this many years ago, one day I did my version and I liked it, so I never asked for the recipe ...

Ingredients:

pasta cooked al dente
3 tablespoons butter
a bunch of fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 cup cooked pumpkin (still firm), cut in 1/2 " cubes
Parmesan cheese shavings

Preparation:

While the pasta is cooking, fry the sage in 2 tablespoons of butter on low heat. It will be done when the butter turns a little dark (do not let it burn) and the sage is crisp. Reserve.
In the same pan where you fried the sage, heat 1 tablespoon of butter, fry the onion until it gets golden. Add the diced pumpkin. Stir and fry for a few minutes.
Serve the pasta with the pumpkin pieces and the fried sage, together with the browned butter (used to fry the sage). Sprinkle some parmesan on top. Serve immediately.

Fresh Sage

Fried Sage

Shrimp in a Pumpkin

Hi. I have a recipe blog in my native language (Portuguese) for almost a year. I live in the U.S. and some people have been asking me to publish the recipes in English. I have to say that I am already so busy maintaining the original site that I barely have time to work on the English version. But here it is, the first one I am proposing for this week, since we are approaching Thanksgiving and everybody wants to see recipes with pumpkin.

It is a very easy recipe, indeed. It's from my country, Brazil. And the good thing is, even if you don't have a pumpkin, you can still make the recipe, it just won't look as nice.

Ingredients:

1 medium sized pumpkin *
1/2 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped into tiny squares
6 large tomatoes, chopped, or the same amount of tomatoes taken from a can of tomatoes (preferably Italian) 
2 lb. jumbo shrimp shelled and clean, raw (no tails on)
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley, to garnish

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 ºF.
Wash the pumpkin. Cut a lid out of it, and scrape the seeds out. Brush the outside of the pumpkin with a little olive oil. Put the pumpkin on a baking sheet, take it to the oven for roasting, for approximately 20 minutes. The meat inside should be soft but the pumpkin should still be firm.
In a large saucepan, fry the onion in olive oil. When the onion has a golden color, add chopped tomatoes (and their juices). Cook for about 5-8 minutes. Add the shrimp, stir well and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and mix well. Adjust salt and sprinkle some pepper. Stir once more. Remove and place this mixture into the pumpkin. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley. Bake for a few minutes.

When serving, scrape chunks of the pumpkin so that they come together with the shrimp cream.

Serve with white rice. 

* If you don't have a whole pumpkin, you can serve it in a baking plate.