Everyday life is the special occasion!

March 31, 2016

Pork & Bacon Pastries

These rich and super savory pastries are great for a quick meal accompanied by a nice salad on the side or interesting enough to be serve as an appetizer for a small crowd. This is a fabulous budget recipe, whether you're entertaining or cooking for family, that though simple, looks elegant and exquisite at your table. The crusty,  slightly sinful, yet heavenly pastry  together with the dense filling is just too good to pass up.  Just forget about how inappropriate it will be to hide a few so you can have them the next day, because I garantee you there won't  be any leftovers. ;)

Ingredients:
  • 4 chops
  • 1 onion 
  • 1 clove garlic
  •  tomato paste
  •  red wine
  •  water
  •  bacon cut into cubes
  •  peas
  •  carrots
  •  olive oil
  •  q.s. salt
  •  ground chili qs
  • eggwash to brush
Start by browning the onion and garlic in olive oil, add the tomato paste and let cook. Add the chops and season with salt and chili, add 1 glass of red wine and 1/2 cup of water and cook well. Halfway through cooking add the bacon in small cubes, sliced ​​carrots and peas and let it cook until it loses almost all the sauce. Remove the chops to a plate, Debone them and crush them in the food processor.  Stir again the minced meat in the previous mixture and mix all well. Cut the square puff pastry dough into 6 equal pieces and press the edges of each rectangle  with a fork to close well so that the filling does not come out and give a few cuts at the top in order for the pastry to bake well. Place the pastries on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, brush over with eggwash and bake in preheated oven at 180 ° C until golden.


Ingredientes:
  • 4 costeletas
  • 1 cebola
  • 1 dente de alho
  • massa de tomate
  • vinho tinto
  • água
  • bacon aos cubos
  • ervilhas
  • cenouras 
  • azeite
  • sal q.b
  • piri piri q.b.
  • 1 ovo + 1 colher de leite para pincelar
Comece por alourar a cebola e o alho em azeite, adicione depois a massa de tomate e deixe apurar. Junte as costeletas e tempere com o sal e o piri piri, Junte 1 copo de vinho tinto e 1/2 copo de água e deixe cozinhar bem. A meio da cozedura junte o bacon aos cubinhos,as cenouras cortadas e as ervilhas e deixe apurar até perder a quase todo o molho. Retire as costeletas para um prato, desosse-as e triture-as na picadora.  Junte de novo a carne picada ao preparado anterior e envolva bem tudo. Corte a massa folhada quadrada em 6 partes iguais e pique cada retângulo nas pontas com um garfo para fechar bem e o recheio não sair e dê uns golpes no topo para que asse bem. Coloque os bolinhos num tabuleiro forrado com papel vegetal, pincele por cima com o eggwash e leve ao forno pré aquecido a 180ºc até alourarem. 


Too Good Not To Post It Right Away


March 30, 2016

Folar da Páscoa

Folar da Páscoa is a traditional Portuguese Easter bread and contains hard-boiled eggs. The eggs apparently stem from the Pagan festival Oestre (egg) where eggs were used to symbolize rebirth. Despite regional variations such as including lemon zest or orange juice or cinnamon, they sometimes contain hard-boiled eggs held in place by a cross of bread dough. Ours were made simpler, without the boiled eggs but were no less delicious.They have been my favourite Easter treat since I was a child and they wee also my most expected gift from my godparents each year. I love it simple with a nice steaming cup of tea or spread with butter, as was the case

 
Ingredients: [it made 4 medium "Easter folares"]
  • 1.800g flour
  • 80g of baker's yeast
  • 360g Sugar
  • 6 eggs
  • 250g butter
  • juice of 2 large oranges
  • 400 ml of warm milk
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons ground fennel
  • fine salt qs
  • 1 beaten egg + 1 tablespoon milk sfor brushing
  • Jelly to glaze qs
  • Flour for dusting qs

In a bowl, undo the yeast in the warm milk.Add flour, eggs, a pinch of fine salt, sugar, butter, orange juice, the fennel and cinnamon. Knead well for 10 minutes with the wands in spiral.Cover the bowl with a cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour and a half.After the dough has leavened well enough, sprinkle a sheet of parchment paper with enough flour. Pour the mixture on it, sprinkle with flour and knead well until it does not stick to the hands anymore.If necessary, add more flour.Form a ball with the dough and remove 1/3.With the most part, form a flat ball. Place on a greased baking tray with butter and sprinkled with flour and slightly flatten the dough. Brush the dough with the eggwash.Take it to the preheated oven at 180°C for about 45-55 minutes. After baked, remove from oven and brush with jam.



Ingredientes:[ deu para 4 folares médios]
  • 1,800g de farinha
  • 80g de fermento de padeiro
  • 360g de açúcar
  • 6 ovos
  • 250g de manteiga
  • Sumo de 2 laranjas grande
  • 400 ml de leite morno
  • 2 colheres de café de canela em pó
  • 2 colheres de café de erva doce
  • Sal fino q.b.
  • 1 ovo batido + 1 colher de sopa de leite para pincelar
  • Geleia para pincelar q.b.
  • Farinha para polvilhar q.b.
Num alguidar, desfaça o fermento no leite morno.Junte a farinha, os ovos, uma pitada de sal fino, o açúcar, a manteiga, o sumo de laranja, a erva doce e a canela em pó. Amasse muito bem durante 10 minutos com as varinhas em espiral.Cubra o alguidar com um pano e deixe levedar em local quente durante 1 hora e meia.Depois da massa bem levedada, polvilhe uma folha de papel vegetal com bastante farinha. Deite a massa sobre ela, polvilhe com farinha e amasse muito bem até deixar de colar nas mãos.Se necessário, acrescente mais farinha.Forme uma bola com a massa e retire 1/3.
Com a parte maior, forme uma bola achatada. Coloque num tabuleiro untado com manteiga e polvilhado com farinha e achate ligeiramente a massa. Pincele a massa com o ovo batido.Leve ao forno pré-aquecido nos 180º C cerca de 45 - 55 minutos. Depois da massa cozida, retire do forno e pincele com geleia.