Portuguese Migas

My new favourite side dish.  Apparently the word 'migas' (pronounced with a bit of an 'sh' sound at the end) means crumbs, and, the dish is comprised of mainly that...crumbs.  Crumbs of Broa, a bread made with cornmeal.  Crumbs and kale.  They grow lots of kale in Portugal... it's so plentiful... and ...totally different from the stuff we get here.  Some of the gypsy ladies at the markets there were trying to give it away.... along with lovely broccolini, for which I pay $4.99 a tiny tray.  Oh, man.... I want fresh stuff for cheap!!!  But...I did use a leaf or two of the kale I bought...which wasn't cheap.  I think next time I must make some soup too... another favourite of the Portuguese.  Caldo Verde, or green soup.  I only learned food words while there.  At least I wouldn't starve if I got dropped into Portugal at some later time.....

Onward with the "migas" .... Supposedly meant to use up leftover bread .... but, hey..it's home made bread; how could there ever be much in the way of leftovers?  Of course, first I had to make cornbread... which took a bit of surfing around to find some decent sounding recipes to try.  Not easy to know where to begin after being in Portugal..and tasting the real and 'bestest' breads I've ever had in my life (other than some of the ones I've been making around here the past few years).

It seems there are at least 1001 (or thereabouts) ways to make migas.  And, it's not only popular in Portugal..but, many other countries as well.  Who knew?  Boy, have I lived a sheltered life.

It's one of those like Ratatouille from the look of things.  Began as a peasant dish...and now, all of a sudden has become popular in restaurants and homes all over...even some of the high class restaurants  ..and, in all sorts of variations.  Apparently, it used to be that you even knew which area of the country you were in just by tasting the migas recipe common to the region ... but, things have changed a lot since then.

As I mentioned, we just returned from holidaying in Portugal ...  where several restaurants served migas with our meal.  My friend Maria seemed surprised that I enjoyed it.... and I really did.  One restaurant in particular... just along the road and across from the Almourol castle, the last great restaurant at which we ate at before leaving for home, served the most delicious Migas (see, I even capitalized theirs!) with my equally amazing skewer of buttery soft Veal.  (every single restaurant we chose was amazing!! and I'm pretty darn picky. )  Actually Joe and Maria chose them...and they did a great job!

I absolutely have to make some migas now.  Not so often that it becomes old hat or anything...but definitely often enough that I can enjoy a flash back to our wonderful holiday every so often.  It'll be instead of spuds or some other starch for us..... or a simple side dish..or ... well, I'd be happy with it for my little meal.  You can add sausage as some recipes call for... chorizo if in Portugal.   I could use some spicy Italian from a local shop called Spolombo.

So..... .. first ...make some Broa .. or cornbread.  Maybe you can find some in a shop near you...so far no luck with that here. It's a yeasted version with cornmeal... typical to Portugal...
This second attempt of mine was not as dark, nor as sweet as the best one we found in Portugal at one of the markets.  Theirs was, and probably always will be, the best.. mmmmmyum....... but, I shall soldier on in hopes of making one that comes a close second.

here is mine... looks great.  Wonderful crumb...but... nyeh....just not as tasty as I wanted it to be.

Always on the lookout for less salty stuff, me....and I found some half salt bacon.  woohooo... it's still pretty salty for us because we prefer to eat less salt.  But... much better than the regular stuff.  This brand claimed to be smoked in a traditional way, but, it seemed to have a bit of a sweet sort of Maple smoked-ness to it.  Pretty tasty.

I used the browned bacon to set us up with some tasty little appetizers in the Portuguese manner, which seemed to appear at the table as if by magic within some 30 seconds or so of us being seated.  Wonderful to snack on while making our choices from the menu.  It sometimes took a while...what with translating and such.  Even the appetizers can transport me right back to any of the wonderful restaurants we tried.  Some olives, some cheeses... salads with olive oil and newly dried Portuguese oregano....Ahhhh...I guess I could just holiday the rest of my life if I had the money.... come on lucky Lotto!!!

Here is my version.  Yes, I know...it looks like scrambled eggs..but it isn't.  Check out several sites if you decide to make it.  There are so many to choose from and all would probably be pretty tasty.

Migas
Sorry, I don't have any particular measurements.... just crumble up some day old cornbread... fry a couple strips of bacon..... take out bacon and add the crumbs to the pan. Stir around till all bacon fat is absorbed ... add a bit of pepper and a few spices if you like.... stir and cook slowly on low heat for a bit.  Add some finely chopped kale.  I used a julienne method of rolling the leaves and slicing and then.. finely chopping it some more.  I didn't want it long and stringy.  Stir in the kale and let simmer slowly for a bit longer.  Several of the recipes called for soaking the bread in milk or water and most of the ones I had in Portugal were soft (some even had mashed potatoes in them).... so I decided to add a bit of whole milk to give it some softness and a bit more body..not to mention more calcium.  We can always use more of that.  I then let things simmer with a lid on for a bit longer... tasted, ... added a bit more milk and.... .... wayhey!...pretty darn good.

Hope you look at some of the migas recipes online and give this a try.

Easy Salmon Pie

...that's what Sunny Anderson calls it.  If you want to search for similar recipes... just type in Salmon En Croute and you will find several...with various fillings...and each seems just as yummy.

Perfect with a big side salad and the 'ubiquitous pea', as we always refer to them at our house.  Hey! they do just nicely in a pinch.  And, usually if I do something a bit fiddly for the main?.... it'll be peas for veg.  Not always...but most times.  Good thing we love them.

This is for you Jason... and, no laughing at my little hover crafts.  That's what they look like to me anyway... honestly... if they had wheels..?  little toy cars...  hahahah..... but... and a BIG but here...they were very tasty, so just shape them a bit differently (or don't, cuz who cares really?).... and enjoy.   It was my first experience with puff pastry... so who knew what it would do?.. not me.

Hmmm..... did somebody even lick the plate? 


Easy Salmon Pie

4 (6 ounce) center cut salmon fillets, skin removed
1  lemon, zested and juiced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4  TBSP canola oil, divided
1  medium onion, chopped (she used Vidalia, I used regular onion)
2  cloves garlic, minced
1  cup chopped shitake mushrooms, stems discarded..(I just used button mushrooms,stems and all)
2  tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves (I just sprinkled on some dried thyme and a few other spices)
4  cups washed, dried, and loosely packed fresh baby spinach (or regular spinach)
1/4  cup sour cream
2  frozen puff pastry sheets, defrosted
    chopped fresh parsley leaves..for garnish

Brush both sides of the salmon with 1 teaspoon lemon juice and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Warm 2 tablespoons of oil in 2 separate skillets over medium-high heat.  Add half of the onion and half the garlic to each pan.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir the mushrooms and thyme into 1 pan and the spinach, lemon zest and remaining lemon juice into the other pan.  Stir the spinach until it wilts, then transfer it to a bowl and set aside.  Saute the mushrooms until they are reduced and tender, about 5 minutes.  Turn off heat and stir in the sour cream. Set aside.

Trim the thinner ends of the salmon fillet so you have 4 pieces of even thickness.  (I just tucked under the thin end).   Unroll a pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface.  Pass a rolling pin lightly over 2 or 3 times to seal the seams and lengthen slightly.   Cut the pastry sheet into 3 equal strips, using the natural seams as a guide.  Roll out the second puff pastry sheet to get 1 more strip.  Save remaining puff pastry for another use.   (My puff pastry didn't look anything like hers sounded.... guess we just have to go with what we can find at the store and make it happen so we get 4 sheets long enough and wide enough to enclose our salmon)....

Lightly prick the 4 strips with a fork on the part that will be the bottom.  Put 1 heaping spoonful of mushroom mixture on 1 half of each pastry, top with salmon piece, then layer with a heaping spoonful of spinach mixture.  Wet the edges of the pastry with water on a finger and fold over the other half, pressing lightly and folding to seal the edges.  Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.  Cut 2 vents on the top of each pastry packet and arrange them on a parchment lined baking sheet.

You could begin preheating the oven when you have a couple of packets done.  Bake at 375 F until the pastry is golden and fish is just opaque in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.... (I'm not sure how you are supposed to be able to actually see the fish inside the pastry... I just went with "golden" and it was perfect).

Transfer pies from oven to serving dishes and garnish with chopped parsley....

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

It's not really strawberry shortcake...it's cupcakes.... sliced and filled with cream and berries if you follow the recipe.  I didn't.  I just used the cupcake recipe and tried to ice a few.  I wanted to try out my decorating kit I bought eons ago.

I made some icing and from the descriptions tried to wield the specific tips and bag to practice a few things on a piece of plastic first..... hahahhahah.........what a laugh.  Okay...it wasn't all that amusing...but, I did have to laugh at my own efforts after awhile.  I don't think my icing was nearly stiff enough to do the job.  But...I think I sort of got the hang of leaves.... but, only sort of...

 It's a good thing our Mom used to say.."if you're not worth a laugh you're not worth very much."   I'm not sure she meant it quite like this..but.. eh.... what the heck.  It's worth a giggle.
Even just putting on a plain swirl was tricky... one needs a steady hand to get this looking right.  Man...those guys on Cupcake Wars are a whiz in comparison!  they ice hundreds in the time it took me to do 4... well, actually after 3 I gave up.

And, now for my question ... why would anybody want a cupcake with this much sickly sweet icing on it in the fist place?  yecchhh!

I scraped off the huge amount of icing on the rest of them....and just spread a bit on instead... with a knife.  However, if you like lots of sweet icing... please don't let me spoil your fun...feel free to ice them any way you like.

Interesting thing about this cupcake...no eggs.  I couldn't for the life of me believe they would rise and be fluffy enough.... but, they rose nicely, are moist and a pretty darn great tasting little cupcake.  This from somebody who doesn't usually make cupcakes.. because I prefer muffins.  I used to think of cupcakes as ....well,...  as cake.  And I find store bought muffins are usually just cake being passed off as muffins.  Dry, tasteless and crumbly. So, I never buy but always bake my own.  To me muffins are more dense, less cake-like...more moist and sort of rustic.

However,  I wanted to try cupcakes for Valentine's Day..so, without further ado, here is a recipe I found on the food network...

Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake

1  1/2 cups all purpose flour
1  cup sugar
1/3  cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1  tsp. baking soda
1/2  tsp. salt
1 cup coconut milk  (I used regular milk)
1/2  cup vegetable oil
2  tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1  tsp. vanilla extract
1   tsp. instant espresso powder

Line 40 cups from mini cupcake pans or 16 cups from regular size muffin pans with paper cupcake liners.
Sift or whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt into a bowl.  In separate bowl, mix the coconut milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder until smooth.  Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a fork or small whisk.
Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cupcake liners.  The cups should be filled about 2/3 full, and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 to 22 minutes for the mini cupcakes and about 25 minutes for the regular size cupcakes.
Cool the cupcakes in the pans for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Slice off the top 1/3 of each cupcake and slather with your favourite frosting and sliced strawberries.  Place the top of the cupcake back on top and add an additional bit of frosting and sliced strawberries.  Dust with confectioners sugar.  Eat three immediately.

NB:::  instead of the coconut milk.... use regular milk or buttermilk or add some lemon juice or vinegar to regular milk to make your own buttermilk.

Focaccia

I have a book titled simply,"Bread".  Eric Treuille and Ursula Ferrigno.  They come from France and Italy... they know bread! I love this book.  All sorts of information about bread baking at the front...and then... a great series of recipes with pictures.  Perfect for knowing exactly what things should look like and how to do it.

This one is called Focaccia Farcita and it says it is a "filled Italian hearth bread".  It says focaccia comes from the Latin word focus which means "hearth" and traditionally, the embers of the hearth are where focaccia was baked.  They refer to it as a moveable feast because of the fillings and toppings which can be used.  You can use anything you like really...as long as it cooks in the same amount of time the bread takes to bake..or... partially cook veggies before adding them if you like.

Focaccia Farcita
2  tsp. dry yeast
1  1/4  cups water
3  1/4 cups bread flour (I used all purpose)
3  tbsp olive oil

for filling and topping
1/2  cup crumbled Gorgonzola  ( use what you like )
7   oz. mozzarella, sliced
1  handful of basil leaves  (I just used some dried basil and oregano)
1/2  tsp coarse salt
2  tbsp fresh rosemary leaves... (I only had dried and just used a sprinkle)
4  tbsp olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast into 1 cup of the water in a bowl. (I always use 100F water so it doesn't kill my yeast) Let stand for 5 minutes; stir to dissolve.  Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the dissolved yeast and the oil.

Mix in the flour.  Stir in the remaining water to form a soft, sticky dough.  Add more water 1 tbsp. at a time if needed.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface.  Knead until smooth, silky, and elastic, about 10 minutes.

Put the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a dish towel.  Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  Punch down and divide the dough into two equal pieces.  Chafe for 5 minutes... then let rest for 10 minutes. (it just means forming dough into balls by cupping your hands gently around the piece and applying light downward pressure while rotating the dough in a steady clockwise motion til a nice even round shape is formed).

To make the filling.
Roll out each piece of dough into a 9 1/2 inch round.  Place one round on an oiled baking sheet.  Arrange the two cheeses and basil (or whatever else you decide to use) over the top, then seal in the filling using the second round. Leave a little space around edge for sealing. Gently pinch the edges of the dough together with your fingers.

Cover the dough loosely with a dish towel.  Proof until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Use your fingertips to gently press into the surface of the dough to form dimples about 1/2 inch deep.  Sprinkle with the coarse salt, rosemary leaves and 1 tbsp of the olive oil. (I found this coarse salt just wayyyy too salty for us... so won't bother with this step next time... your call.)

(looks like a moonscape)...

Bake in preheated oven for 30 -  45 minutes, until golden.  Drizzle immediately with remaining olive oil, and serve warm.

optional..... I used some black olives and sun dried tomatoes in mine.... mmmmm...   it also talks about roasting cherry tomatoes and using those.... sky is the limit with our "moveable feasts" and focaccia ..

Black Forest Cake

... but, this we all know.  Chocolate...and more chocolate... oh, and cherries.  A take on Black Forest cake.

This one is from my Company's Coming Chocolate Everything book.   Oh, and...I want a lovely glass cake plate.  A pedestal plate ... preferably with a dome.

It's simple enough ... even calls for a cake mix if you want to go that way ...which I thought about for only a nano second.  I'm sure they are much better now than they used to be...but, I still like to bake my own... plus it was for my sweetie...and he deserves my best effort.   Always.

I wish I could get smaller tins.  My oven is European size and the 9 inch tins are too large to put two on the same shelf... luckily if I diagonally place them on different shelves... they almost bake the same......plus...when you see the size of this four layer cake!!  Aacckk!  We had to call in neighbours to help us get through it.

Forget super-sizing everything.. give me some cute little tins so that I can bake a treat for two ... like they do on the cooking channel... well, the European gals do anyway... not Paula or Ina or the others.  No wonder we all have to do more jumping jacks... unlike the French or the Italians... who are lovely and slim and eat so daintily... and look like models... oh,...and ... look at the small portions and lovely cute little cakes they make!  It's a no brainer why they look so good... lovely food ... dainty portions.

okay... 'nuff complaining... onward with the recipe.  I'm giving it exactly as it is in the book... but, make any cake you like instead of the mix.

Black Forest Decadence

1   Dark chocolate cake mix ( 2 layer size)
2  cups whipping cream ( or 4 cups/  1 Litre, whipped topping)
1 TBSP  icing sugar
19 oz ( 40 ml )  cherry pie filling

Glaze:
6  semisweet chocolate baking squares (1 oz or 28 grams, each) cut up
1/2  cup light cream (half and half)  I used a bit of left over whipping cream and some milk)

Cake:
Prepare cake according to package directions.  Bake in 2 greased 9 inch (22cm) round layer pans.  Cool. Turn out onto rack.  Split each to make 4 layers.

Beat whipping cream and icing sugar in large bowl until stiff.  Reserve 1 cup (250 ml) for garnish.

Fold pie filling into remaining whipped cream.  Spread 1/3 cherry-cream mixture over 3 layers, stack as each is spread.  Add fourth layer to top.

Glaze:  Melt chocolate with light cream in medium saucepan on low, stirring constantly, until smooth.  Set pan in cold water.  Whisk until cooled enough to be slightly pourable.  Drizzle over top of cake. allowing some to run down sides  Chill.  Garnish with reserved whipped cream.  Cuts into 16 wedges.

Their photo looks like they managed to get a tidier slicing method than we did.  Or.. perhaps it was frozen...or...okay... I'm sure I don't know... all I know is... ours was not quite this tidy.

However, I do have a great tip for slicing the not too thick layers neatly in half.  My bread knife is not long enough to be seen on the opposite side of the cake...so..I was doing a hack job getting through the first cake I tried.  However, on the second cake...

Begin the slice with your bread knife... but... then..... get a long piece of unflavoured, unwaxed dental floss.  Hold each end and place the middle inside the cut.... pull the ends towards each other...overlap them...and voila!... sliced cleanly straight through the center!