Atlantic Islander
12-18-2013, 08:02 PM
That's the Azores. But these nine Portuguese islands harbor a sturdy, distinctive cuisine.
DAVID LEITE | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
I get all kinds of responses when I tell people where I'm from. My favorite was uttered at a party by a young woman swathed in a gauzy, tie-dyed dress who was eating an alarming amount of hummus: "Oh, the Azores! You know, they're the remains of the lost city of Atlantis. I lived there in a past life."
Most people know surprisingly little about my family's homeland, and even less about our food. And for good reason: Strewn some 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal, the Azores--Sao Miguel, Faial, Sao Jorge and six other islands--are happily marooned in the middle of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, so too is our distinctive cuisine.
But geographic isolation is only one conspirator in our food's invisibility. Like most peasant cuisines, Azorean cooking is home-based; economics prevent most families from frequenting restaurants. Mine was so poor that acordas--brothy soups filled with swollen chunks of crusty homemade bread--were sometimes all there was to fill bellies.
Consequently, owning a cafe or pastelaria (pastry shop) held little promise. So when Azoreans arrived in the United States during the great waves of immigration in the early part of the 20th century, few opened eating establishments. In turn, our food remained largely undiscovered by Americans.
Those mothers and grandmothers who wanted to formally share their recipes were thwarted by illiteracy, because in the old country most of them weren't required to attend school. Without any permanent records, many family favorites disappeared from the table when the cooks passed away.
Despite such obstacles, Azorean food has managed to thrive--and even resist being overtaken by the Mediterranean-infused cuisine of mainland Portugal.
"Our food is more authentic Portuguese because we have fewer Spanish influences," says Ana Taveira, a well-known cook on the island of Sao Miguel. "We don't use much cilantro, curry or cinnamon. We're more heavy-handed with other spices, especially the hot ones." She adds proudly: "Ours is a simple, hearty food."
For tiny islands, the archipelago's foods are remarkably regionalized, differing by island, town and even vizinhanca, or neighborhood.
According to Deolinda Avila, Palo Alto author of the self-published book "Foods of the Azores Islands," Sao Miguel and some towns on Pico lead the way in the use of hot peppers.
Manuel Azevedo, a Sao Jorge native who owns LaSalette Restaurant in Sonoma, says, "Polvo [octopus] wasn't as popular in my family or on my island as it was in other places. We liked lamprey and limpets more."
To further compound our rich gastronomic diversity, some islands embrace spices such as cumin, allspice and cloves while others dismiss them entirely.
Nowhere is Azorean individuality seen more than in sopa de couves, the islands' version of Portugal's unofficial national dish, caldo verde.
"Sopa de couves is made differently in the Azores than on the mainland," explains Avila. "On Faial we use more potatoes and don't mash them [to make a thickened base]. We also don't cut the greens into thin strips. It's a more country dish the way we make it."
Variations include the addition of red beans, ham hocks or beef shanks and a sizable portion of chourico (spicy smoked sausage)--not the miserly single slice of the mainland version.
Azoreans can't even agree on what key ingredient makes the best sopa de couves. Faial cooks prefer collard greens because they like the tender texture. But don't dare tell that to cooks from Sao Miguel; to them, only the ruggedness of kale will do.
Yet wherever they live in the islands, cooks concede one point: bacalhau (salt cod) and porco (pork) are essential.
Cod was an obvious resource for seafaring islanders. "Fishing came naturally to us," says Joao Encarnacao, a native mainlander who is now the chef de cuisine to the Portuguese ambassador in New York City. "But it was the salting of the cod for the long trip home from the North Atlantic that made it a staple of Portuguese life. Suddenly, an affordable food could be stored indefinitely."
Salt cod plays such an important role in the lives of all Portuguese that it's said we have 365 recipes for bacalhau--one for each day of the year.
Pork, on the other hand, may seem like an unusual staple on sleepy volcanic islands sequestered away at sea. But to Azoreans, it was considered wasteful to slaughter cows merely for meat. Their milk and cheese, which are made into a myriad of delicacies, have served as an unending source of food and income. So pork, quite literally the other meat, rose to preeminence.
Pork is so highly prized that every year around Christmas families revel in a two- to three-day celebration called a matanca de porco.
On the first day, the fattest pig is slaughtered and cleaned, then hung from the ceiling of the home for viewing. That night, friends and family come to see it as what Avila calls "proof of [the family's] accomplishments." A simple yet plentiful spread of food and drink is accompanied by joyous singing and dancing.
The following days are devoted to butchering the pig to make the famous linguica and chourico sausages, and to prepare cuts for winter meals. As Azorean frugality prescribes, no part of the pig is wasted. Even the organ meats are pressed into service in stews, cozidos (boiled dinners) and soups.
Cod and pork may be characteristic of our cuisine, but what really defines it are the desserts--eggy and toothachingly sweet. The Moors contributed this taste for rich, sweet, eggy desserts and we quickly found inventive ways with the whole egg, the white as well as the yolk.
While the Moors may have introduced egg sweets, the addiction to these treats can be blamed squarely on the islands' nuns. To earn money for their convents, the holy sisters of the 17th and 18th centuries spent their days behind cloistered walls perfecting such whimsically christened delights as olhos de sogra (mother-in-law's eyes), suspiros (sighs) and barrigas de freiras (nuns' bellies).
In the end, every cuisine is a product of its physical and cultural environment. Part volcanic soil and salt air, part peasant ingenuity and thrift, the hearty fare of the Azores doesn't dazzle, but instead comforts. Some cooks believe it helps assuage the powerful saudade, or longing to belong, every Portuguese person is said to feel--regardless of which secluded, beautiful corner of Atlantis he lives on.
Kale Soup (Sopa de Couves)
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours plus 8 hours soaking
Serve this with crusty peasant bread. Spanish chorizo is available at Spanish and some Latin markets.
1 pound dried red kidney beans, washed and sorted
12 cups water
1 pound Spanish chorizo or other spicy smoked sausage (not Mexican chorizo) cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups torn kale or collard greens leaves
2 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste, optional
* Soak beans in water in large pot overnight.
* Bring beans and water to a boil, add chorizo, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are barely tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to bottom of pot.
* Add kale, potatoes, salt to taste and red pepper flakes. Return to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Soup is best when allowed to sit for several hours. (Reheat before serving.)
8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 315 calories; 458 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 2.89 grams fiber.
Codfish-Potato Casserole (Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa)
Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 20 minutes plus 24 hours soaking
Inspired by Chef Manuel Azevedo of the LaSalette Restaurant in Sonoma, Calif. Look for dried salt cod in the deli section of well-stocked supermarkets, as well as Italian, Latino and Greek markets.
2 pounds dried salt cod
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
2 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Nutmeg
White pepper
4 boiling potatoes, boiled, cooled, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 hard-boiled eggs, halved, for garnish
Portuguese olives, for garnish
Chopped parsley, for garnish
* Rinse cod under cold running water to remove surface salt. Place in large non-aluminum pot, cover with water, cover and refrigerate 24 hours, changing water several times.
* Pour off water, refill pot with clean water and boil cod until it flakes easily with fork, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
* Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat and saute onions until barely brown, 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Set aside.
* Drain cod and let cool. Flake into large bowl and remove any bones or bits of skin. Add onion-garlic mixture, nutmeg and white pepper to taste and remaining oil. Toss lightly. Pack mixture into well-oiled 13x9-inch oven-proof casserole dish. Top with potato slices.
* Lightly oil a baking sheet, place over casserole and invert. Carefully remove casserole dish to keep cod mixture intact. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 10 minutes, remove foil, then continue baking until cod is lightly toasted, about 10 more minutes.
* To serve, cut a square of cod and center on each of 6 to 8 serving plates. Drizzle with additional oil to moisten. Garnish with 2 egg halves, olives and parsley.
6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 376 calories; 6,377 mg sodium; 138 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 58 grams protein; 0.25 gram fiber.
Garlic-Roasted Pork (Torresmos)
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours plus 24 hours marinating
Serve this with Classic Portuguese Beans.
1/2 pound fresh medium-hot red peppers, such as jalapenos, seeded and stemmed
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup paprika, sweet or hot, depending on preference
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup red wine
1 (4-pound) boneless pork butt, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup oil
Salt, freshly ground pepper
* Mince peppers and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade.
* Combine minced peppers with paprika, garlic, white wine and red wine in large bowl. Add pork pieces, turning to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
* Remove pork from marinade. Pour oil in large roasting pan, add pork, season with salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees 1 hour. Turn pork often to keep moist. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook until pork is nicely browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.
8 servings. Each serving: 597 calories; 448 mg sodium; 122 mg cholesterol; 52 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 28 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.
Classic Portuguese Beans (Feija~o a Portugue^sa)
Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 1/2 hours plus 8 hours soaking
Depending on the size and age of the beans you use, the cooking time could vary considerably. If the beans threaten to dry out, add water; if they're watery, remove the cover for the last half hour of cooking. Spanish chorizo is available at Spanish and some Latin markets.
1 pound dried navy, small California white or great northern beans, washed and sorted
Water
1/2 pound bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 pound Spanish chorizo or other spicy smoked sausage (not Mexican chorizo) cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
* Soak beans overnight in enough cold water to cover by several inches. Drain beans and set aside.
* Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
* Pour off all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of bacon fat, add onion and cook until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
* Add beans, 8 cups water, tomato paste, chorizo, red pepper flakes and paprika. Cover and simmer until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Just before serving, crumble bacon into beans and season with salt and pepper.
6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 424 calories; 917 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 2.28 grams fiber.
Cream Custards (Pasteis de Nata)
Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 10 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Adapted from "Foods of the Azores Islands" by Deolinda Maria Avila (Self-published, 1977). Make sure the pastry ingredients are well-chilled and the custard ingredients are at room temperature. The pastry is partially baked before filling to eliminate an uncooked pastry layer that sometimes can result.
PASTRY
2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
* In bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, pulse flour, salt and sugar to combine. Add butter and pulse until flour resembles coarse, uneven cornmeal, about 10 1-second pulses.
* Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Pulse several times to work water into flour. Add remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing until mixture develops small curds. Turn dough out onto work surface, shape into a disc and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
* On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out 6 (4 1/2-inch) circles. Ease dough circles into a 12-cup (4-ounce capacity) nonstick muffin pan, pressing out any overlap. Repeat with remaining dough. Place in freezer 5 minutes. Trim overhang with knife. Line dough cups with cupcake papers and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes to set.
CUSTARD
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
* Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cream in medium bowl. Add remaining cream and sugar and stir until mixture is smooth and sugar dissolves. Check for sugar granules with a spoon; none should remain.
* In small bowl, blend yolks with fork until smooth. Add to cream mixture, stirring gently to combine.
* Ladle egg mixture into partially baked pastry cups, filling to 2/3 capacity. Bake at 350 degrees until edges of custard are puffed and middle is still jiggly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Custard will continue to cook after removing from oven.) Cool completely in pan. Best when eaten the same day.
12 servings. Each serving: 364 calories; 310 mg sodium; 203 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.06 gram fiber.
source (http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/25/food/fo-41491/3)
DAVID LEITE | SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
I get all kinds of responses when I tell people where I'm from. My favorite was uttered at a party by a young woman swathed in a gauzy, tie-dyed dress who was eating an alarming amount of hummus: "Oh, the Azores! You know, they're the remains of the lost city of Atlantis. I lived there in a past life."
Most people know surprisingly little about my family's homeland, and even less about our food. And for good reason: Strewn some 1,000 miles off the coast of Portugal, the Azores--Sao Miguel, Faial, Sao Jorge and six other islands--are happily marooned in the middle of the Atlantic. Unfortunately, so too is our distinctive cuisine.
But geographic isolation is only one conspirator in our food's invisibility. Like most peasant cuisines, Azorean cooking is home-based; economics prevent most families from frequenting restaurants. Mine was so poor that acordas--brothy soups filled with swollen chunks of crusty homemade bread--were sometimes all there was to fill bellies.
Consequently, owning a cafe or pastelaria (pastry shop) held little promise. So when Azoreans arrived in the United States during the great waves of immigration in the early part of the 20th century, few opened eating establishments. In turn, our food remained largely undiscovered by Americans.
Those mothers and grandmothers who wanted to formally share their recipes were thwarted by illiteracy, because in the old country most of them weren't required to attend school. Without any permanent records, many family favorites disappeared from the table when the cooks passed away.
Despite such obstacles, Azorean food has managed to thrive--and even resist being overtaken by the Mediterranean-infused cuisine of mainland Portugal.
"Our food is more authentic Portuguese because we have fewer Spanish influences," says Ana Taveira, a well-known cook on the island of Sao Miguel. "We don't use much cilantro, curry or cinnamon. We're more heavy-handed with other spices, especially the hot ones." She adds proudly: "Ours is a simple, hearty food."
For tiny islands, the archipelago's foods are remarkably regionalized, differing by island, town and even vizinhanca, or neighborhood.
According to Deolinda Avila, Palo Alto author of the self-published book "Foods of the Azores Islands," Sao Miguel and some towns on Pico lead the way in the use of hot peppers.
Manuel Azevedo, a Sao Jorge native who owns LaSalette Restaurant in Sonoma, says, "Polvo [octopus] wasn't as popular in my family or on my island as it was in other places. We liked lamprey and limpets more."
To further compound our rich gastronomic diversity, some islands embrace spices such as cumin, allspice and cloves while others dismiss them entirely.
Nowhere is Azorean individuality seen more than in sopa de couves, the islands' version of Portugal's unofficial national dish, caldo verde.
"Sopa de couves is made differently in the Azores than on the mainland," explains Avila. "On Faial we use more potatoes and don't mash them [to make a thickened base]. We also don't cut the greens into thin strips. It's a more country dish the way we make it."
Variations include the addition of red beans, ham hocks or beef shanks and a sizable portion of chourico (spicy smoked sausage)--not the miserly single slice of the mainland version.
Azoreans can't even agree on what key ingredient makes the best sopa de couves. Faial cooks prefer collard greens because they like the tender texture. But don't dare tell that to cooks from Sao Miguel; to them, only the ruggedness of kale will do.
Yet wherever they live in the islands, cooks concede one point: bacalhau (salt cod) and porco (pork) are essential.
Cod was an obvious resource for seafaring islanders. "Fishing came naturally to us," says Joao Encarnacao, a native mainlander who is now the chef de cuisine to the Portuguese ambassador in New York City. "But it was the salting of the cod for the long trip home from the North Atlantic that made it a staple of Portuguese life. Suddenly, an affordable food could be stored indefinitely."
Salt cod plays such an important role in the lives of all Portuguese that it's said we have 365 recipes for bacalhau--one for each day of the year.
Pork, on the other hand, may seem like an unusual staple on sleepy volcanic islands sequestered away at sea. But to Azoreans, it was considered wasteful to slaughter cows merely for meat. Their milk and cheese, which are made into a myriad of delicacies, have served as an unending source of food and income. So pork, quite literally the other meat, rose to preeminence.
Pork is so highly prized that every year around Christmas families revel in a two- to three-day celebration called a matanca de porco.
On the first day, the fattest pig is slaughtered and cleaned, then hung from the ceiling of the home for viewing. That night, friends and family come to see it as what Avila calls "proof of [the family's] accomplishments." A simple yet plentiful spread of food and drink is accompanied by joyous singing and dancing.
The following days are devoted to butchering the pig to make the famous linguica and chourico sausages, and to prepare cuts for winter meals. As Azorean frugality prescribes, no part of the pig is wasted. Even the organ meats are pressed into service in stews, cozidos (boiled dinners) and soups.
Cod and pork may be characteristic of our cuisine, but what really defines it are the desserts--eggy and toothachingly sweet. The Moors contributed this taste for rich, sweet, eggy desserts and we quickly found inventive ways with the whole egg, the white as well as the yolk.
While the Moors may have introduced egg sweets, the addiction to these treats can be blamed squarely on the islands' nuns. To earn money for their convents, the holy sisters of the 17th and 18th centuries spent their days behind cloistered walls perfecting such whimsically christened delights as olhos de sogra (mother-in-law's eyes), suspiros (sighs) and barrigas de freiras (nuns' bellies).
In the end, every cuisine is a product of its physical and cultural environment. Part volcanic soil and salt air, part peasant ingenuity and thrift, the hearty fare of the Azores doesn't dazzle, but instead comforts. Some cooks believe it helps assuage the powerful saudade, or longing to belong, every Portuguese person is said to feel--regardless of which secluded, beautiful corner of Atlantis he lives on.
Kale Soup (Sopa de Couves)
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 1/2 hours plus 8 hours soaking
Serve this with crusty peasant bread. Spanish chorizo is available at Spanish and some Latin markets.
1 pound dried red kidney beans, washed and sorted
12 cups water
1 pound Spanish chorizo or other spicy smoked sausage (not Mexican chorizo) cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 cups torn kale or collard greens leaves
2 large boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
Salt
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste, optional
* Soak beans in water in large pot overnight.
* Bring beans and water to a boil, add chorizo, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until beans are barely tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent beans from sticking to bottom of pot.
* Add kale, potatoes, salt to taste and red pepper flakes. Return to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Soup is best when allowed to sit for several hours. (Reheat before serving.)
8 to 10 servings. Each of 10 servings: 315 calories; 458 mg sodium; 30 mg cholesterol; 13 grams fat; 30 grams carbohydrates; 20 grams protein; 2.89 grams fiber.
Codfish-Potato Casserole (Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa)
Active Work Time: 45 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 20 minutes plus 24 hours soaking
Inspired by Chef Manuel Azevedo of the LaSalette Restaurant in Sonoma, Calif. Look for dried salt cod in the deli section of well-stocked supermarkets, as well as Italian, Latino and Greek markets.
2 pounds dried salt cod
6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
2 large onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Nutmeg
White pepper
4 boiling potatoes, boiled, cooled, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
8 hard-boiled eggs, halved, for garnish
Portuguese olives, for garnish
Chopped parsley, for garnish
* Rinse cod under cold running water to remove surface salt. Place in large non-aluminum pot, cover with water, cover and refrigerate 24 hours, changing water several times.
* Pour off water, refill pot with clean water and boil cod until it flakes easily with fork, 8 to 10 minutes, depending on thickness.
* Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large skillet over medium heat and saute onions until barely brown, 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Set aside.
* Drain cod and let cool. Flake into large bowl and remove any bones or bits of skin. Add onion-garlic mixture, nutmeg and white pepper to taste and remaining oil. Toss lightly. Pack mixture into well-oiled 13x9-inch oven-proof casserole dish. Top with potato slices.
* Lightly oil a baking sheet, place over casserole and invert. Carefully remove casserole dish to keep cod mixture intact. Cover with foil. Bake at 400 degrees 10 minutes, remove foil, then continue baking until cod is lightly toasted, about 10 more minutes.
* To serve, cut a square of cod and center on each of 6 to 8 serving plates. Drizzle with additional oil to moisten. Garnish with 2 egg halves, olives and parsley.
6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 376 calories; 6,377 mg sodium; 138 mg cholesterol; 12 grams fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 58 grams protein; 0.25 gram fiber.
Garlic-Roasted Pork (Torresmos)
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours plus 24 hours marinating
Serve this with Classic Portuguese Beans.
1/2 pound fresh medium-hot red peppers, such as jalapenos, seeded and stemmed
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup paprika, sweet or hot, depending on preference
10 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup red wine
1 (4-pound) boneless pork butt, cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup oil
Salt, freshly ground pepper
* Mince peppers and salt in bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade.
* Combine minced peppers with paprika, garlic, white wine and red wine in large bowl. Add pork pieces, turning to coat well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 24 hours.
* Remove pork from marinade. Pour oil in large roasting pan, add pork, season with salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees 1 hour. Turn pork often to keep moist. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook until pork is nicely browned, another 15 to 20 minutes.
8 servings. Each serving: 597 calories; 448 mg sodium; 122 mg cholesterol; 52 grams fat; 3 grams carbohydrates; 28 grams protein; 0.20 gram fiber.
Classic Portuguese Beans (Feija~o a Portugue^sa)
Active Work Time: 25 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 1/2 hours plus 8 hours soaking
Depending on the size and age of the beans you use, the cooking time could vary considerably. If the beans threaten to dry out, add water; if they're watery, remove the cover for the last half hour of cooking. Spanish chorizo is available at Spanish and some Latin markets.
1 pound dried navy, small California white or great northern beans, washed and sorted
Water
1/2 pound bacon
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
1 pound Spanish chorizo or other spicy smoked sausage (not Mexican chorizo) cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
* Soak beans overnight in enough cold water to cover by several inches. Drain beans and set aside.
* Fry bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and set aside.
* Pour off all but 2 or 3 tablespoons of bacon fat, add onion and cook until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
* Add beans, 8 cups water, tomato paste, chorizo, red pepper flakes and paprika. Cover and simmer until beans are tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Just before serving, crumble bacon into beans and season with salt and pepper.
6 to 8 servings. Each of 8 servings: 424 calories; 917 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 27 grams fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 23 grams protein; 2.28 grams fiber.
Cream Custards (Pasteis de Nata)
Active Work Time: 35 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 10 minutes plus 1 hour chilling
Adapted from "Foods of the Azores Islands" by Deolinda Maria Avila (Self-published, 1977). Make sure the pastry ingredients are well-chilled and the custard ingredients are at room temperature. The pastry is partially baked before filling to eliminate an uncooked pastry layer that sometimes can result.
PASTRY
2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
10 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
* In bowl of food processor fitted with metal blade, pulse flour, salt and sugar to combine. Add butter and pulse until flour resembles coarse, uneven cornmeal, about 10 1-second pulses.
* Drizzle 5 tablespoons ice water over mixture. Pulse several times to work water into flour. Add remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing until mixture develops small curds. Turn dough out onto work surface, shape into a disc and cover in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
* On lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out 6 (4 1/2-inch) circles. Ease dough circles into a 12-cup (4-ounce capacity) nonstick muffin pan, pressing out any overlap. Repeat with remaining dough. Place in freezer 5 minutes. Trim overhang with knife. Line dough cups with cupcake papers and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake at 350 degrees 10 minutes to set.
CUSTARD
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
* Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cream in medium bowl. Add remaining cream and sugar and stir until mixture is smooth and sugar dissolves. Check for sugar granules with a spoon; none should remain.
* In small bowl, blend yolks with fork until smooth. Add to cream mixture, stirring gently to combine.
* Ladle egg mixture into partially baked pastry cups, filling to 2/3 capacity. Bake at 350 degrees until edges of custard are puffed and middle is still jiggly, 20 to 25 minutes. (Custard will continue to cook after removing from oven.) Cool completely in pan. Best when eaten the same day.
12 servings. Each serving: 364 calories; 310 mg sodium; 203 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 35 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.06 gram fiber.
source (http://articles.latimes.com/2000/oct/25/food/fo-41491/3)