Oatcakes for breakfast / Oatcakes para o pequeno-almoço

When I was a child, there was a popular drink in many households: a type of currant concentrate, which you would mix with water to create a sweet currant drink. So sweet, many of us who grew drinking it always smile when we think of it.

That's what happened to me when I brought home some lovely Portuguese currants for breakfast. Once I decided they were an interesting match to the oatcakes Lynsey sent me through the Foodie Penpals programme, other ideas started popping and I literally went with the flow. So here's the result of my first attempt at combining oatcakes with other elements to make it as rich a meal as possible, without being too much:

On an oatcake, place one or two dessert spoons of strawberry greek yogurt. I'm a fan of Danone's, but this was the first time I've used Continente's [a Portuguese supermarket chain]. It came in a pack of 8 [2 pineapple, 2 strawberry, 2 pear and 2 lemon]: so brilliant all 8 yogurts disappeared. Decorate it with some currants.

Spread some jelly on another oatcake. I've used Keeley's quince jelly. Place a "Laughing Cow" cheese wedge on top.

On these colder Autumn days, serve it with tea. Enjoy!

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Quando eu era pequena, havia uma bebida popular em muitos lares: uma espécie de concentrado de groselha, que se misturava com água para criar uma bebida doce de groselha. Tão doce, que muitos de nós que crescemos a bebê-la sorrimos sempre que pensamos nela.

Foi o que aconteceu quando trouxe para casa algumas belas groselhas portuguesas para o pequeno almoço. Assim que decidi que eram o par perfeito para os oatcakes que a Lynsey me enviou através do programa Foodie Penpals, outras ideias começaram a surgir e deixei-me ir literalmente na corrente. Por isso aqui está o resultado da minha primeira tentativa em combinar oatcakes com outros elementos para fazer uma refeição o mais rica possível, sem ser demasiado:

Num oatcake, coloca uma ou duas colheres de sobremesa de iogurte grego de morango. Sou fã do da Danone, mas esta foi a primeira vez que usei o do Continente [uma cadeia de supermercados portuguesa]. Vinha num pack de 8 [2 de ananás, 2 de morango, 2 de pera e 2 de limão]: tão brilhante que os 8 iogurtes desapareceram. Decora com algumas groselhas.

Espalha alguma geleia noutro oatcake. Usei a geleia de marmelo da Keeley. Coloca um triângulo de queijo da "Vaca que Ri" em cima.

Nestes dias mais frescos de outono, serve com chá. Bom proveito!

October Foodie Penpals Reveal

I'm having so much fun with Foodie Penpals! What a great way to brighten this Autumn. Deciding what to send, getting a "present"... It's as if it's our birthday every month, but even better because all gifts are great and filled with positive vibes. 

This month my Foodie Penpal was Lynsey [Thank you Thank you Thank you] - and her boyfriend. ;) When I opened the parcel - really! - I could hardly believe so many treats could fit in there!

I have 50% chances of opening it the right way. I always manage to open it from the bottom side. 

Gingerbread
WHY? WHY ISN'T IT SOLD IN PORTUGAL? WHY? [The honeyish touch reminds me of Madeira's honey cake]

Oatcakes
These have been my company for breakfast. With Keeley's quince jelly, for instance.
I have to find a similar brand here, because I've become quite addicted to them.

Wasabi bean mix
It reminded me of the first time I tried wasabi, not knowing how it would taste like. 2 glasses of water, if you're wondering.

Dark chocolate with chilli
No words needed.

Nick Nairn's All butter Shortbread Rounds
I want the pleasure of having him cooking for me every week. Too much? Ok, every month then.

Parma Violets
I'm madly in love with the fragrance, let alone the taste. I'd definitely buy them and take them with me everywhere if they sold them here. 

Marmite
Had heard so much of it, but had never tasted it. Four words: THANK YOU, LYNSEY'S BOYFRIEND!

Cute.

As last month, ideas started coming over what to do with the treats. I've used quite a few and will be using them over the next weeks, so expect some recipes with these ingredients later!

My feelings while I was taking this photo: "Is this real life?"

Tuna curry snack / Snack de atum e caril

I think you'll all agree with me when I say food is just the perfect motive to bring people together.

This is just a little snack I often make to enjoy while I'm watching TV. But it's also nice when you have your family or friends over, because you can prepare it in advance.

You'll need these (and some parsley).

Boil an egg. Blend the canned tuna, 2 dessert spoons of mustard, 2 dessert spoons of curry mix, the boiled egg and some parsley. Roughly spread the mixture on some pringles. 

Try it with a glass of red wine, or an iced red fruits, orange and chocolate drink. 

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Julgo que todos irão concordar comigo se disser que a comida é o motivo perfeito para reunir as pessoas.

Este é um pequeno aperitivo que costumo fazer para petiscar enquanto estou a ver TV. Mas também é bom quando recebem a vossa família ou os vossos amigos, porque o podem preparar antecipadamente.

Coze um ovo. Mistura o atum em lata, 2 colheres de sobremesa de mostarda, 2 colheres de sobremesa de mistura de caril, o ovo cozido e alguma salsa. Espalha grosseiramente a mistura em algumas pringles. 

Experimenta com um copo de vinho tinto, ou uma bebida gelada de frutos vermelhos, laranja e chocolate. 

Happy Halloween week! / Boa Semana de Halloween!

Ah... There's nothing quite like coming home at 7pm after being away for 13 hours and having a
Dulsao Nespresso [in a plastic cup; yes; the only way I enjoy it]
with one of the chocolate ghosts I made yesterday.

Pepper crepes / Crepes de pimento

Hello, everyone!

I already started my second job, which meant a lot of initial paperwork, leaving home early and coming back almost straight to bed, and getting used to new people and routines. 

I have to admit: I adapt easily, except to new names. In recent years, I've developed a technique to overcome my little problem: as soon as people aren't watching, I note down the names of the people I've just met or heard about whom I think I will need to talk to later. I know, it sounds silly, but when you have to talk to a lot of people at work all the time, it's awkward when you still don't know their names or their job functions [have you ever talked to someone only to find out later it was your boss's wife? well, I have]. And it gets even worse as time goes by. It's not the first time I've worked in a place for 6 months and am too shy to ask someone their name, when I talk to them every single day...

Anyway, I really needed this weekend break to memorize everything I've been absorbing. 

And today we had to change the clocks. Yes, WINTER IS COMING! So I decided to make a colourful brunch to attract positive vibes for next week. To make these pepper crepes, simply

grill an orange and a yellow pepper. When they're done, wash them, take away their skin, and slice them.

Fry some thin bacon strips and 3 minutes later add the mushrooms. Fry them for a couple of minutes.

Les ingredients

Mix the ingredients and serve them on crepes.

I LOST myself in sweet tooth heaven. As Locke says, "I've looked into the eye of this island, and what I saw was beautiful."

I'll tell you all about the SECOND part of brunch later this week, after Foodie Penpals October Reveal day, since I used some of the ingredients I got.

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Olá a todos!

Já comecei no meu segundo emprego, o que implicou uma série de papelada inicial, sair de casa cedo e regressar praticamente direitinha à cama, e habituar-me a pessoas e rotinas novas. 

Tenho de admitir: adapto-me facilmente, excepto a nomes novos. Nos últimos anos, desenvolvi uma técnica para superar este pequeno problema: assim que dou conta que as pessoas não estão a olhar, aponto os nomes das pessoas que acabei de conhecer ou de quem ouvi falar com quem possa vir a precisar de falar mais tarde. Eu sei, parece tonto, mas quando têm de falar com muitas pessoas no trabalho a toda a hora, é estranho quando ainda não sabem os seus nomes ou as suas funções [já falaram com alguém que mais tarde vieram a descobrir tratar-se afinal da mulher do patrão? bem, eu já]. E ainda piora com o tempo. Não é a primeira vez que trabalho num sítio há 6 meses e me sinto demasiado envergonhada para perguntar o nome de alguém, quando falo com ele/ela todos os dias...

De qualquer forma, estava mesmo a precisar do intervalo proporcionado por este fim de semana para memorizar tudo o que tenho vindo a absorver. 

E hoje tivemos de mudar os relógios. Yes!, "WINTER IS COMING!" Por isso decidi fazer um brunch colorido para atrair vibrações positivas para a próxima semana. Para fazeres estes crepes de pimento, simplesmente

grelha um pimento amarelo e outro laranja. Quando estiverem prontos, lava-os, retira-lhes a pele, e corta-os em tiras.
Frita algumas fatias de bacon finas e 3 minutos mais tarde adiciona os cogumelos. Frita-os durante alguns minutos.

Mistura os ingredientes e serve-os em crepes.

Mais no fim da semana conto-vos tudo sobre a SEGUNDA parte do brunch, depois do dia de revelação de Outubro do programa Foodie Penpals, já que usei alguns dos ingredientes que recebi.

Aletria

Great news: I finally got a second job, working part-time in a building opposite the one where my first job is. 

These past few days have been hectic as you might imagine, but in a good way. I didn't even have any time to celebrate, so tonight I did "aletria". Aletria is a really thin type of spaghetti - I've seen it mentioned in some places as vermicelli, in others as capelinni, and in others as angel's hair. The recipe was brought to Portugal by the moors, and is traditionally done during Christmas time.

Boil 100g of "aletria" in water for 5 minutes. Drain it. Then add it to a pot with 400ml of milk, lemon peel and 150g of sugar. 

When it is boiled, add 50g of butter. Take the pot out of the heat and add 3 yolks, previously beaten. Heat the mixture so the yolks will boil slightly.

Serve the aletria in individual bowls, sprinkled with some cinnamon on top. Garnish with hibiscus flower confit: its tangy flavour is the just perfect match to give this dessert some balance.

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Grandes notícias: arranjei finalmente um segundo emprego, a trabalhar em part-time num edifício em frente ao edifício onde fica o meu primeiro emprego. 

Estes últimos dias têm sido de loucos como podes imaginar, mas no bom sentido. Nem tive tempo para celebrar, por isso hoje fiz "aletria". A receita foi trazida para Portugal pelos mouros e é feita tradicionalmente durante o Natal.

Coze 100g de aletria em água durante 5 minutos. Escorre-a. Junta-a a um tacho com 400ml de leite, casca de limão e 150g de açúcar. Quando estiver cozida, adiciona 50g de manteiga. Tira o tacho do lume e adiciona 3 gemas, batidas previamente. Aquece a mistura de modo a que as gemas cozam ligeiramente.

Serve a aletria em taças individuais, polvilhadas com canela. Decora com flor de hibisco confitada: o seu sabor ácido é o par perfeito para dar equilíbrio a esta sobremesa.

It's World Food Day, so this time I've brought you food for thought. / É o Dia Mundial da Alimentação, por isso desta vez dou-vos o que pensar.

In my opinion, one of Margaret Atwood's most touching texts:
Na minha opinião, um dos textos mais tocantes de Margaret Atwood [em versão original. "Bread" = Pão]:

BREAD

Imagine a piece of bread. You don’t have to imagine it, it’s right here in the kitchen, on the breadboard, in its plastic bag, lying beside the bread knife. The bread knife is an old one you picked up at an auction; it has the word BREAD carved into the wooden handle. You open the bag, pull back the wrapper, cut yourself a slice. You put butter on it, then peanut butter, then honey, and you fold it over. Some of the honey runs out onto your fingers and you lick it off. It takes you about a minute to eat the bread. This bread happens to be brown, but there is also white bread, in the refrigerator, and a heel of rye you got last week, round as a full stomach then, now going moldy.Occasionally you make bread. You think of it as something relaxing to do with your hands.

Imagine a famine. Now imagine a piece of bread. Both of these things are real but you happen to be in the same room with only one of them. Put yourself into a different room, that’s what the mind is for. You are now lying on a thin mattress in a hot room. The walls are made of dried earth, and your sister, who is younger than you, is in the room with you. She is starving, her belly is bloated, flies land on her eyes; you brush them off with your hand. You have a cloth too, filthy but damp, and you press it to her lips and forehead. The piece of bread is the bread you’ve been saving, for days it seems. You are as hungry as she is, but not yet as weak. How long does this take? When will someone come with more bread? You think of going out to see if you might find something that could be eaten, but outside the streets are infested with scavengers and the stink of corpses is everywhere.
Should you share the bread or give the whole piece to your sister? Should you eat the piece of bread yourself? After all, you have a better chance of living, you’re stronger.How long does it take to decide?

Imagine a prison. There is something you know that you have not yet told. Those in control of the prison know that you know. So do those not in control. If you tell, thirty or forty or a hundred of your friends, your comrades, will be caught and will die. If you refuse to tell, tonight will be like last night. They always choose the night. You don’t think about the night however, but about the piece of bread they offered you. How long does it take? The piece of bread was brown and fresh and reminded you of sunlight falling across a wooden floor. It reminded you of a bowl, a yellow bowl that was once in your home. It held apples and pears; it stood on a table you can also remember. It’s not the hunger or the pain that is killing you but the absence of the yellow bowl. If you could only hold the bowl in your hands, right here, you could withstand anything, you tell yourself. The bread they offered you is subversive, it’s treacherous, it does not mean life.

There were once two sisters. One was rich and had no children, the other had five children and was a widow, so poor that she no longer had any food left. She went to her sister and asked her for a mouthful of bread. “My children are dying,” she said. The rich sister said, “I do not have enough for myself,” and drove her away from the door.Then the husband of the rich sister came home and wanted to cut himself a piece of bread, but when he made the first cut, out flowed red blood.
Everyone knew what that meant.
This is a traditional German fairy tale.

The loaf of bread I have conjured for you floats about a foot above your kitchen table.The table is normal, there are no trap doors in it. A blue tea towel floats beneath the bread, and there are no strings attaching the cloth to the bread or the bread to the ceiling or the table to the cloth, you’ve proved it by passing your hand above and below. You didn’t touch the bread though. What stopped you? You don’t want to know whether the bread is real or whether it’s just a hallucination I’ve somehow duped you into seeing. There’s no doubt that you can see the bread, you can even smell it, it smells like yeast, and it looks solid enough, solid as your own arm. But can you trust it?Can you eat it? You don’t want to know, imagine that.