Raisin cookies / Biscoitos com passa de uva

Hello, weekend!

My week was pretty good, but there's nothing quite like coming home and back to the "need something to relax" routine. Late in the afternoon, I was watering the plants, looking at the lavender, the lemon balm... my mind peacefully empty... "Ah, you made a lemon balm tea," I hear you thinking. Of course. Not. Well, not exactly. But it did make me think of baking something. It was about midnight when I stood up and headed for the kitchen. The result? raisin cookies.

Boil some water and add a tea bag. I used lemon balm from my urban herb garden. 3 minutes later, add 60g of raisins and take the lemon balm leaves out.

In a bowl, mix 125g of softened butter with 125g of sugar. Add 2 eggs. While you are whisking, slowly add 150g of flour.

Take the raisins out of the infused water, dry them with kitchen paper and add them to the bowl. Mix again.

You can make the cookies with the help of a spoon, transferring them onto a tray with greaseproof paper. Just make sure you have 2 or 3 raisins per cookie: I don't know about you, but I feel so disappointed when I take a cookie without any raisins; or hazelnuts; or chocolate; or... you get the idea.

Bake the cookies in the oven, for 15 minutes at 180ºC. When the contour is golden, it means they're done. 

Enjoy!

***

Olá, fim de semana!

A minha semana foi bastante boa, mas não há nada como chegar a casa e regressar à rotina do "preciso de qualquer coisa para relaxar". Ao fim da tarde, estava eu a regar as plantas, a olhar para a lavanda, para a cidreira... a minha mente calmamente vazia... "Ah, fizeste um chá de cidreira," oiço-vos a adivinhar. Claro. Que não. Bem, não exactamente.  Mas fez-me pensar em cozinhar qualquer coisa. Era cerca da meia-noite quando me levantei e me dirigi à cozinha. O resultado? Biscoitos de passa de uva.

Ferve água e junta-lhe uma saqueta de chá. Usei cidreira do meu jardim de ervas aromáticas. 3 minutos depois, adiciona 60g de passas de uva e retira as folhas de cidreira.

Numa taça, bate 125g de manteiga amolecida com 125g de açúcar. Junta 2 ovos. Enquanto estás a bater, lentamente adiciona 150g de farinha.

Tira as passas de uva da infusão, seca-as com papel de cozinha e junta-as à taça. Mexe de novo.

Podes fazer os biscoitos com a ajuda de uma colher, transferindo-as para um tabuleiro com papel vegetal. Certifica-te apenas que tens 2 ou 3 passas de uva por biscoito: não sei quanto a vocês, mas sinto-me tão desiludida quando tiro um biscoito sem passas de uva; ou avelãs; ou chocolate; ou... já têm uma ideia.

Cozinha os biscoitos no forno, durante 15 minutos a 180ºC. Quando o contorno estiver dourado, significa que estão prontos. 

Enjoy!

Having an urban herb garden / Ter um jardim de ervas urbano

Plant mix sided by lemon thyme [left] and lemon balm [right] / Mix de plantas ladeado por tomilho limão [esquerda] e cidreira [direita]

I've been building an urban herb garden, which gives me the possibility to use my own fresh herbs, instead of having the shelves full of jars and ending up not using half of them. It also makes a balcony or a section of a garden prettier. Besides, the mix of fragrances brings a cozy sense of homeness which brings me back in time and inevitably makes me smile.

And I find the whole process entertaining: watering, watching everything grow, using it, giving some to the family, despairing when the herbs look more dead than alive...

The ones in the photos are just an example of herbs I find useful to have at hand. Lemon balm is a classic for tea, but I also love it in ice cream. Lemon thyme and roasted potatoes, for instance, are wonderful together. Funnily enough, I still don't have one of my must-haves: parsley. I need to fix that this weekend.

Herbs I most definitely will NOT grow in my garden? Easy: coriander. Is it the heavy smell? Is it the taste? In my case, it's absolutely everything. So if you're planning to invite me down for dinner, now you know.

Which plants/herbs can't you live without? And which do you avoid at all costs?

***

Tenho vindo a construir um jardim de ervas aromáticas urbano, o que me permite usar as minhas próprias ervas aromáticas, em vez de ter as prateleiras cheias de frascos e de acabar por não usar nem metade. Também torna uma varanda ou uma secção de jardim mais bonita. Para além disso, a mistura de fragrâncias traz uma sensação aconchegante de lar que me leva atrás no tempo e inevitavelmente me faz sorrir.

E acho que todo o processo é uma fonte de entretenimento: regar, ver tudo a crescer, usar, dar à família, desesperar quando as ervas parecem mais mortas que vivas...

As das fotos são apenas um exemplo de ervas que acho úteis ter à mão. A cidreira é um clássico para o chá, mas também adoro em gelado. Já o tomilho limão e batatas assadas, por exemplo, são maravilhosos juntos. Curiosamente, ainda não tenho um dos meus must-haves: salsa. Preciso de tratar disso neste fim de semana.

Ervas que decididamente NÃO vou cultivar no meu jardim? Fácil: coentros. Será o cheiro intenso? Será o sabor? No meu caso é absolutamente tudo. Por isso se estás a planear convidar-me para jantar, agora já sabes.

Que plantas/ervas é que são indispensáveis para ti? E quais evitas a todo o custo?

Bacon and tomato macaroni / Macarrão com bacon e tomate

Yesterday, the idea was to have something light for lunch, because later I would be going out to a Francesinha festival with my friends, in Porto. A festival dedicated to one of my favourite dishes? Better go with an empty healthy stomach, right? 

The fist challenge was to add the right amount of macaroni to boiling water [seasoned with sea salt]: I like pasta so much that I tend to overdo it. 

Then I added 2 small garlic cloves - roughly chopped - and about 2 teaspoons of margarine to a heated frying pan. I don't usually use any fat to fry bacon, but I like the flavour and texture of the margarine combined with the garlic and the bacon on the macaroni.

As soon as I was happy with the colour of the bacon, I drained the macaroni and added it to the frying pan. 

Finally, I added frozen tomato and gave it a quick stir.

And here it is, on the table, with some refreshing parsley on top. 

It turned out the festival was so disappointing we all left the venue and went to look for a decent place to eat. Completely starved, we eventually managed to find a place that was not closed or dangerous... at 10pm. I think I should consider taking an SOS snack with me next time we're trying out a place for the first time.

***

Ontem, a ideia era comer qualquer coisa leve ao almoço, porque mais tarde ia sair para um festival da Francesinha festival com os meus amigos, no Porto. Um festival dedicado a um dos meus pratos preferidos? Melhor ir com o estômago vazio saudável, certo? 

O primeiro desafio foi juntar a quantidade certa de macarrão à água a ferver [temperada com sal]: gosto tanto de massa que tenho tendência a exagerar na dose. 

Depois juntei 2 dentes de alho pequenos - picados grosseiramente - e cerca de 2 colheres de chá de margarina a uma frigideira aquecida. Normalmente não uso gordura para fritar bacon, mas gosto do sabor e textura da margarina em combinação com o alho e o bacon no macarrão.

Assim que fiquei satisfeita com a cor do bacon, escorri o macarrão e acrescentei-o à frigideira. 

Finalmente, adicionei tomate congelado e mexi.

E aqui está, na mesa, com psalsa refrescante por cima. 

Acabámos por ficar tão desiludidos com o festival que saímos de lá e fomos procurar um sítio decente onde comer. Completamente famintos, lá conseguimos encontrar um sítio que não estivesse fechado ou fosse perigoso... às 10 da noite. Acho que devia considerar levar comigo um petisco SOS na próxima vez que formos experimentar um sítio pela primeira vez.

Sweet potato biscuits / Broas de batata doce

In many Portuguese households it is traditional to bake small biscuits for All Saints Day. Small children then go from house to house asking for "Pão por Deus", and are given some of these cookies, small cakes or biscuits, often made of pumpkin, fennel or sweet potato [although nowadays many also get candy or money]. One of my favourite biscuits during this season has always been broa de batata doce [a small sweet potato biscuit]. 

Yesterday night was a bit colder than usual, which immediately reminded me of those cold November days. I couldn't get my mind off those biscuits so... [you guessed it]

Boil 0,5 kg of sweet potatoes. When their done, wait until their cool and peel them. Mash them with a fork.

In a tupperware, mix the mashed potatoes with about 30g of margarine, 1 egg, 200g of sugar, 1 teaspoon of fennel and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. 

Slowly incorporate 250g of flour [until the mixture no longer sticks to your fingers]. Let it sit for about 4 hours.

With the help of two spoons [or with your hands] make small oval biscuits and place them in an ovenproof dish over greaseproof paper. Brush them with egg yolk so they will get a seductive golden colour.

Let them cook in the oven for 15 minutes at 200ºC.

They're perfect with tea or coffee. And don't be surprised if everyone says they love them. 

Enjoy!

***

Em muitos lares portugueses é tradicional confecionar pequenos biscoitos ou broas para o Dia de Todos os Santos. As crianças vão então de casa em casa, a pedir por "Pão por Deus", e recebem algumas destas bolachas, bolos ou biscoitos, frequentemente feitos de abóbora, erva-doce ou batata doce [embora hoje em dia muitas recebam também  doces ou dinheiro]. Um dos meus biscoitos preferidos nesta época sempre foi a broa de batata doce. 

A noite de ontem esteve mais fria que o habitual, o que imediatamente me fez lembrar daqueles dias frios de Novembro. Não conseguia tirar aquelas broas da minha cabeça e por isso... [adivinharam]

Coze 0,5 kg de batata doce. Quando estão cozidas, espera até que arrefeçam e retira-lhes a pele. Esmaga-as com a ajuda de um garfo. 

Num tupperware, envolve as batatas esmagadas, 30g de margarina, 1 ovo, 200g de açúcar, 1 colher de chá de erva-doce e 1 colher de chá de canela. 

Lentamente incorpora 250g de farinha [até que a mistura já não se cole aos dedos]. Deixa-a repousar durante cerca de 4 horas.

Com a ajuda de duas colheres [ou com as mãos] faz pequenos biscoitos em forma oval e coloca-os numa travessa forrada com papel vegetal. Pincela-os com gema de ovo para que obtenham uma cor dourada sedutora.

Deixa-os cozinhar no forno a 200ºC durante 15 minutos.

São perfeitos com chá ou café. E não te admires se todos dizem que os adoram. 

Bom proveito!

Black beans, sausage and white rice / Feijão preto com salsicha e arroz branco

What have I done to diserve this?

Today I spent the whole afternoon getting a new digital tv and internet package for my parents [I can't believe that they'll have more download and upload speed than I have at home! Hmm... That's definitely a reason for visiting them more often], then we had to fix my car's headlight, and after that... oh well, it didn't leave me any time to cook something more complex for dinner.

But no worries: I always have a couple of meals as a back-up plan when this happens. Do you have some as well?

So tonight we had black beans with sausage and white rice.

Pour olive oil in a pan and add half an onion and 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped. When they're soft, add a can of black beans - with the sauce. Season it with salt and hot sauce, add sliced sausages and let it cook for about 10 minutes, until the sauce starts reducing [but not too much - you'll want that juice over the rice!]

Serve with white rice [boil 1 cup of rice in 2 cups of water seasoned with salt] and a tomato and lettuce salad.

***

O que é que eu fiz para merecer isto?

Hoje passei a tarde inteira a tratar de um novo pacote digital de tv e internet para os meus pais [Não acredito que vão ter mais velocidade de download e upload do que eu tenho em casa! Hmm... É definitivamente uma razão para os visitar mais vezes], depois tivemos de arranjar um farol do meu carro, e depois disso... bem, não me deixou tempo nenhum para fazer qualquer coisa mais complexa para o jantar.

Mas sem stress: tenho sempre algumas refeições como plano B quando isto acontece. Também tens?

Por isso esta noite jantámos feijão preto com salsicha e arroz branco.

Verte azeite numa caçarola e adiciona meia cebola e 2 dentes de alho, picados grosseiramente. Quando tiverem amolecido, adiciona uma lata de feijão preto - com o molho. Tempera com sal e picante, junta as salsichas às rodelas e deixa cozinhar durante 10 minutos, até o molho começar a reduzir [mas não demasiado - vais querer esse sumo por cima do arroz!]

Serve com arroz branco [coze 1 chávena de arroz em 2 chávenas de água temperada com sal] e uma salada de tomate e alface.

Prunes in a blanket and tropical spicy mix

I love it when a meal offers little explosions of flavour: salty BOOM! spicy BOOM! sweet BOOM! fresh BOOM! soft BOOM! crunchy BOOM!

This was my dinner. I admit it: I needed something like this tonight (if the previous post wasn't a good hint), especially because I only had a sandwich for lunch (Sunday, lazy Sunday).

Here are some of the main ingredients for this meal.

First, prepare the Prunes in a Blanket. Select the prunes you want to use [I recommend 2 per person, since the whole meal will have a wide variety of flavours] and wrap each of them in a thin slice of bacon. Use a toothpick to close the wrap. 

Heat some olive oil in a pan and add half an onion and 2 garlic cloves [chopped]. After 2 minutes, add minced meat [previously seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper]. Stir a little until it develops a golden colour and finally add 1 dessert spoon of hot sauce and about 100g of tomato sauce. Let it cook in mininum heat until everything is finished [about 12 to 15 minutes].

You can do pretty much everything else at the same time now.

- Cook basmati rice [again, the amount depends on one's taste and the number of people the meal is for] in boiling water seasoned with salt for about 8 to 10 minutes. Just before that, have a taste. When it's no longer hard [but not mushy yet] it's time you take it off the stove. Run it under cold water to stop it from boiling.

- Fry the blankets in a frying-pan - no oil or grease, please! Turn them from time to time.

- Grill asparagus [3 per person] and when they're done sprinkle some salt over them.

Finally, just before plating everything, add a mix of tropical fruit pieces in syrup (papaya, guava, pineapple) to the minced meat. Stir. This will add a sweet extra layer to the spicy and salty meat.

Enjoy!

Banana-milkshaking off bad vibes

This is my last Sunday before work starts again. And no, this is not a post about how these holidays will be missed: I'm one of those who love my job and couldn't wait to get back [of course: weekends of 3 to 4 days would be greatly appreciated, but I guess that's asking for too much, isn't it?]. 

But I'm half-expecting the first conversations to be something like "Oh... I was so well in bed... I wish I were still on holidays...". From me, all everyone is getting is "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH." From the heart.

... or maybe this is just because I spent the whole afternoon ironing. So after I was done I felt I needed something refreshing and sweet at the same time to compensate for the things-I-can't-escape-from time. As some of you might have noticed, my tag menu on the sidebar is rather loooong. But it does fit a purpose. One of my biggest mistakes is the way I manage the ingredients I buy: sometimes I end up not using half of the items I have before time has a "not suitable for use anymore" effect on them. So I often google for recipes that might help me use up those ingredients. Today I had a couple of bananas that were too ripe for my liking. Perfect timing! I gave half of one (in small portions) to my dog as a treat [saw it in Dog Whisperer - love the show - and I don't know why I hadn't come up with that one before] and used the other one and a half to make a classic banana milkshake.

Simply pour 6 ice cubes, 2 cups of milk, 1 or 2 bananas, and 1/4 cup of sugar (I used a lot less - 3 tablespoons - because the bananas, being so ripe, were sweet enough) into a blender.

Mix for 20 seconds and pour in a glass. 

You can have some fun decorating it as well. I used some mint leaves today.

Enjoy!