Tomatada com ovos

This is a recipe my mother used to do frequently in the summer, when peppers and tomatoes abounded in her garden!

You will need (for 2 persons):

• 2 eggs
• 3 peppers sliced
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 garlic glove finely chopped
• 3 medium/4 small tomatoes peeled and chopped
  
• 100 gr bacon (in cubes)
• 1 tbspoon olive oil
• 1 laurier leaf
• salt and pepper q.b.

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. In a large frying pan or a wok, heat the olive oil, in medium fire.
3. Add the bacon and let it cook until it is slightly crispy.
4. Add the onion, the garlic and the peppers.
5. Allow to cook for 3/4 min, until the onion becomes translucid.
6. Add the tomatoes and let it cook for 5 more minutes (or until the tomatoes are soft).
7. Season with salt and pepper.
   
8. Transfer the vegetables to a oven proof dish.
9. Using a table spoon open two small holes in the vegetable mixture and deposit the eggs there.
10. Take to the oven for 10/15 min (until the eggs are done).
11. Serve with toasted bread or white rice.

Bom apetite :)

Frango Jardineira

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

• 8 chicken legs
  
• 2 carrots
• 200g peas
• 3 tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 garlic gloves finely chopped
• 1 medium size onion finely chopped
  
• 3 tbspoons olive oil
• 2 laurel leaves
• 100ml white wine
  
• pepper and salt q.b.

How to:

1. Season the chicken legs with salt.
   
2. In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
   
3. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned outside, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and onion and let cook for 2/3 mins.
5. Add the wine and let cook for 2/3 min.
6. Add the carrots (sliced), the peas, the tomatoes and the laurel leaves.
7. Let cook for 10/15min (until the chicken is done).
8. In the end, season with pepper (I like to use a mixture of white/black pepper)
   

I usually serve this dish with white rice or mashed potatoes.

Bom apetite! :)

Moqueca de Camarão

I have just arrived from Brazil, where I had lots of nice food! One I specially enjoyed was Moqueca de Camarão, a traditional Brazilian seafood stew.

Following some tips from a Brazilian friend and after reading some recipes on the web, here goes my version of the recipe!

You will need:

• 1 can of coconut milk (400 ml)
• 1 red pepper
• 1 green pepper
• 1 tomato
• 1 onion
  
• 2 garlic gloves
• Shrimps (500-600 g medium size)
  
• 3 table spoons dende oil (Brazilian palm oil)
• lemon and persil q.b.

And now the how to:

1. Finely chop the onion and the garlic (I like to do it in the electric chopper).
2. Put one table spoon of dende oil in a pan, add the onion, the garlic and the peppers chopped in cubes. Sweat the vegetables together in low/medium fire for five minutes or until softened.
3. Meanwhile, peel the tomato and chop it very finely. Add it to the pepper/onion mixture and let it cook for 3 or 4 minutes.
4. Add the coconut milk, plus 2 tablespoons of dende oil and stir well.
5. Let cook for 10 minutes, stirring ocasionally.
6. Add the shrimps and let it cook for ten minutes.
7. In the end add lemon juice (I used half of a lemon) and chopped parsley.

I like to serve this dish with (white) rice. As you may have noticed I have not added any salt/pepper. Before serving you should try to make sure is according you taste!

Bom apetite :)

Feijoada de Marisco (seafood with white beans)

The first time I heard of this plate I was a bit suspicious, mainly due to the fact that the typical portuguese feijoada is not made with seafood and because some how it didn't seem like the right combination... But I've tried it in a nice restaurant in Viana do Castelo (Portugal) and since then that I tried to figure out the recipe :) Next, I present the best I got until now!

You will need (for 2-3 persons):

• Seafood q.b. (Just choose the kinds you like the most). I use: 150 gr of unpeeled shrimps + a few mussels + 150gr of a seafood mixture (which also contains some shrimps and mussels, but also squid and small clams)
• Crab sticks q.b.
• 250-300gr white baked beans
  
• olive oil (2 tablespoons)
• 2 Laurel leaves
  
• salt and water q.b.
  

And finely chopped:

• 2 tomatoes
  
• 2 garlic cloves
• a small onion
  
• 1 carrot

Now, the preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil, add the onion and the garlic and stir. Leave it for one minute or so, until the onion is becoming golden brown.
   
2. At this point, add the carrots, the tomatoes and the Laurel leaves and let it cook (in medium fire) for 2-3min.
   
3. Add the seafod (except the crab sticks) and let it cook until the squid is done (add water if necessary).
   
4. Then, add the white beans and water (+- 100ml). Add salt (and pepper if you like) and let it cook until the beans are very tender (20-30min), adding water if needed. Before turning off the heat just add the crab sticks chopped in cubes. In the end it should be quite moist (like a stew). The sauce is particularly important if you decide to eat it with white rice, as most portuguese people do.
   

Pasta a la Marinera

You will need (for 2 persons):

• 250 gr pasta (I like to use tagiatelli or spaghetti, but can be done with any pasta)
• 3 tomatoes (finely chopped)
  
• Provencal herbs q.b.
• shrimps (150gr, peeled)
• crab sticks (±150gr)
• garlic (3 smashed garlic cloves)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt

How to:

1. Cook the pasta al dente. While the pasta is cooking:
   
2. Add the olive oil, the shrimps and the garlic in a non-stick pan and cook until the shrimps are close to crispy.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes and salt, stir well, cover and sweat for 5 minutes or until softened.
4. Add the Provencal herbs and the crab sticks and let cook for another minute.
5. Add the sauce to the drained pasta and cook for a minute in low temperature while mixing them gently.

If you are a cheese fan you can add it in the plate after serving the pasta. I usually use a mixture of Emmental and Mozarella.