Sweet Potato and White Bean Soup with Chourico

Recipe by Paula.

This soup is a complete meal in a bowl with the nutrient rich sweet potatoes and spinach and protein from the beans and chourico. You can easily convert this to a vegetarian soup by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock and eliminating the chourico. 

The texture of this hearty soup is divine and I like the thickness that the while beans provide. If you'd like a thinner consistency, add a little water or more stock to get your version of perfection.  Enjoy!

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
8 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large onions, quartered
3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
1 19oz can white beans
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil plus more for garnish
8 oz chourico (whole)

2 bay leafs
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (or more if desired)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or more if desired)
5 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. In a large soup pan, combine all the ingredients except for the spinach. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

2. Remove the chourico and let it cool. Chop the chourico into cubes and fry them in a dry pan until they are crispy. Reserve.

3. Remove the bay leafs from the soup. Transfer soup to a food processor or blender and puree in batches until smooth. Transfer soup back to the pot and add the spinach. Cook spinach until it’s wilted. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, nutmeg and smoked paprika.

4. To serve, ladle soup into bowls and garnish each serving with a few chourico cubes and a drop of extra virgin olive oil.

 

Olive Tapenade

Recipe by Paula.
 
Olives awaken the appetite and go really well with a glass of wine. I rarely start a dinner party without serving olives in some way. My secret to making this bold and richly flavoured tapenade is anchovy. Don't skip the anchovy. Your guests will never guess they are in there and they add such great flavour to the tapenade. If you can't find Kalamata olives use any other strong tasting olives. Enjoy!

Makes 2 cups

Ingredients:

400 grams Kalamata olives, pitted
100 grams black olives, pitted
2 anchovy fillets
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried piri piri or red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brandy (or more to taste)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine all the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarsely pureed.

2. Taste the tapenade and adjust it with more vinegar, piri piri or olive oil, if needed.

3. Keep the tapenade refrigerated until needed then bring it to room temperature before serving. Serve with fresh bread or crackers.

Vinho Verde Citrus Sangria

Recipe by Paula

Vinho verde literally means 'green wine' in Portuguese and is produced in my family's home province of Minho. It's a young wine that is not meant to age and is best consumed the year it was bottled. I love this refreshing and effervescent wine. I especially love it in this sparkling citrus sangria.

The lemon, lime and orange flavours pair well with the citrus notes of this wine. I guarantee this will become your new favourite summer sangria. I like the refreshing tartness of this sangria but if you want it a little sweeter, increase the amount cointreau, orange juice or ginger ale. Enjoy!

Serves: 9-10

Ingredients:

6 cups vinho verde wine

1 1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup Cointreau or Triple Sec

1/3 cup fresh lemon juice

2 or 3 limes, thinly sliced

2 or 3 oranges, thinly sliced

2 or 3 lemons, thinly sliced

3 cups ginger ale

Directions:

 1. In a large pitcher, combine all the ingredients except for the ginger ale and ice cubes. Refrigerate for a couple of hours or overnight.

 2. Just before serving, stir in the ginger ale.

 3. Serve over ice.

   

Portuguese Supper Club - February 2014 Recap

On February 23, 2014, I hosted my first Portuguese Supper Club in Toronto at the Aphrodite Cooks Studio.  24 guests joined me for a night of delicious Portuguese food and wine. It was a fun and emotional night as friends (new and old) helped me celebrate my heritage through food. I'm already planning my next supper club! I couldn't have done this on my own and I'm grateful for my partner Peter's support and help in the kitchen. I also want to thank Peter and Sid Friedman for taking such great photos.

I wanted to share with you the evening's menu and some photos. I've added links to the recipes on my blog.

The Menu

Petiscos ~ Appetizers

Warm Citrus & Herb Olives and Lupini Beans
Sardine Pate on a Crostini with Quail Egg
Rissois de Camarao “Shrimp Turnovers”
Piri Piri Chicken Lolipops

Primeiro ~ First Course
Salt Cod Salad

Segundo ~ Second Course
Caldo Verde “Green Soup”  (Portugal’s national dish)

Prato Principal ~ Main Course
Drunken Pork with Madeira Sauce
Herb & Garlic Green Beans
Potato Puree

Sobremesa ~ Dessert
Natas do Ceu “Cream from Heaven”

Enjoy some of the photos from the night. The music is by Amalia Rodrigues, one of Portugal's best Fado singers.

Portuguese Supper Club - Feburary, 2014 by Slidely Slideshow

Spicy Chicken Meatballs

Recipe by Paula

If you're looking for killer meatballs, look no further. These little darlings are a hit every time I serve them. I even had a husband and wife fight over leftovers. ;) This recipe makes a lot of meatballs, so use what you need and freeze the rest of the meatball mixture in small bags so they are ready anytime you need to make some. Use your favourite hot sauce in the recipe and add as much or as little as you like. I serve these with a creamy Lemon, Garlic & Parsley Aioli (recipe below) but they are also great on their own. Enjoy!

Serves 8-12

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon
2 slices white bread
2 tablespoons white wine or beer
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons piri piri sauce or your favourite hot sauce (to taste)

2 lbs ground chicken
1 large egg
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
Oil for frying

Directions:

1. Fry the bacon in a frying pan until it is half cooked. Allow the bacon to cool then chop into small pieces.

2. In a food processor, combine bread, wine, onion, garlic, parsley, oil and hot sauce. Process until smooth and combined.

3. In a large bowl, combine chicken, egg, salt, pepper, oregano, chopped bacon and the mixture from the food processor. Thoroughly combine the meatball mix. Test the seasoning of the mixture by cooking a small amount (microwave for 20-30 seconds). Adjust the seasoning if needed and refrigerate the meatball mix until needed.

4. Form the meat into 1 inch round balls. You can make them bigger but they will take longer to cook.

5. In a deep frying pan over medium high heat, add 2 inches of oil. Bring the oil temperature up to 350°F. Adjust the heat to keep the temperature at 350°F while frying. Fry the meatballs (in batches), until they are golden brown and cooked through (about 1 - 1 1/2 minutes per side depending on the size of the meatballs). Cut one open to check doneness. Place meatballs on a paper towel lined tray to soak up any excess oil.
    

Lemon Garlic & Parsley Aioli
Recipe by Paula

Makes: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 egg
1 teaspoon Dijon
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup sunflower oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In blender combine egg, Dijon, garlic, parsley and lemon juice.

2. Process at high speed until completely combined.

3. With bender still on, add the oil in a slow stream and blend until mixture is fluffy and creamy. (If the aioli gets too thick, add a little cold water and continue blending)

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sardine Pate

Recipe by Paula 

Sardines are as synonymous with Portuguese cuisine as salt cod. Enjoying grilled sardines with a glass of wine while sitting at a Portuguese seaside restaurant is something everyone should try in their lifetime. But if you can't get to sunny Portugal just yet, you can always try this way of enjoying sardines. There are many different versions of this recipe but this is my favourite. I love this quick and easy appetizer simply smeared on toasted bread but you can also top it with chopped olives, pickles, pickled onions and hard boiled egg. Enjoy!


Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients:
120 grams sardines, canned in olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2-3 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
1-2 teaspoons oil from sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
zest of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
Pinch of crushed dried piri piri or chili flakes
Splash of Brandy
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Drain the sardines but reserve about half of the packing oil.  

2. In a food processor combine and process, shallot, parsley, sun-dried tomatoes and sun-dried tomato oil. Add remaining ingredients (including reserved sardine packing oil) and process until smooth.

3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or chill until needed then bring to room temperature (spreadable) before serving.

Pao de Milho "Corn Bread"

 Adapted from Carla Azevedo and many Portuguese Moms.

This is the traditional bread of northern Portugal but it is enjoyed all over. This richly dense bread has a fantastic crusty shell. It is traditionally served with Portugal's national dish, Caldo Verde (Creamy Potato and Kale Soup), but I enjoy it on its own with butter or dipped in olive oil. Enjoy!

Note: This recipe calls for corn flour which shouldn't be confused with cornstarch. You can find corn flour in most grocery, bulk or health food stores.

Makes: 2 small loaves

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups fine yellow cornmeal

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 cup lukewarm water, divided

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup white corn flour

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal and salt. Add the boiling water and stir until smooth. Let cool for 10 minutes until lukewarm.

2. Meanwhile, in a measuring cup, dissolve the sugar in a 1/2 cup lukewarm water. Sprinkle in the yeast and let stand for 10 minutes to active and get frothy. Stir the yeast vigorously with a fork and then stir it into the cornmeal mixture.

3. Gradually mix in the all-purpose flour, alternating with the remaining 1/2 cup lukewarm water until well combined.

4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until the dough is smooth and elastic.

5. Gather the dough into a ball and place it in a large bowl, lightly greased with the olive oil. Turn the dough in the bowl to grease the entire surface of the dough. Cover bowl with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise in a draft free and warm place for 1 1/2 hours or until it doubles in bulk.

6. Punch the dough down. Split the dough in half and shape each piece into a round loaf. Roll each loaf in the white corn flour until well covered. Place the loaves on a parchment paper lined baking sheet that is large enough for both loaves to rise again and bake. Cover sheet with a clean tea towel and let the dough rise in a draft free and warm place for 45 minutes or until double in bulk.

7. At a half hour before baking, preheat the oven to 450F. Slash the top of each loaf to 1/4 inch deep. Bake the loaves in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until the loaves are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Cool on a wire rack and serve.