Fatias do Bispo (Bishop's Sices)

Ingredients:
- Bread (a white baguette will do nicely);
- Eggs;
- Sugar;
- Lemon peel;
- Cinnamon;
- Water;
- Milk and Port Wine (optional).

1. Cut the bread in thick slices the day before so that it can dry a bit.

2. On the day, start by boiling some water with sugar and lemon peels. You will want quite a bit of water; I boiled probably around 3 litres and added around 200-300g of sugar to it or even more. It will be ready when it runs smoothly from your spoon [Can somebody else help me explain better how the texture looks like :) ?].

3. In the meantime, soak the bread slices in an egg mix (traditionally only the yolks would be used; I use the whole egg and usually add some Port wine in it; some people also add some milk). Turn the slices around and let them soak for a few minutes.

4. Allow the bread slices to boil in the sugary water, turning them around every now and then. 5 minutes overall should be enough.

5. Put them in a bowl and sprinkle them with cinnamon (you will want a considerably bigger bowl than the one in the big photo).

6. When all the slices have been cooked, pour the remaining water over them into the bowl until the slices are covered (so try to plan for this extra bit of water in the beginning).

7. These are better when eaten chilled. Once again, enjoy :)

Soufflé

Here is a very simple recipe that you can do to use stale/hard bread and other left-overs. There are no fixed amounts of ingredients and you can change their proprotions based on your preferences.

- Ingredients: bread (preferably dry/hard), milk, eggs, fish or something else to put in the soufflé, seasonings (salt, pepper, lemon juice, etc.)

1. Soak smaller pieces of bread with milk until they are all wet (make sure not to put too much milk; do it progressively and don't add any more if you see there is milk in the bottom that is not being absorved anymore).
2. Then add your 'main ingredient', such as some loosely shredded fish (no fishbones) or chicken or some other leftover you may have at home (you can even add more than one). If you opt for fish (I used some tuna cans), some lemon juice might be goo on i; add the juice to the fish before you mix it with the bread. Add any other seasoning to taste.
3. Break a few eggs and separate the whites from the yolks (for a bowl like mine which was good for about 6 persons you should use 4-6 eggs but this can be left partially to your consideration but the more whites you have the fluffier it will be). Mix the yolks with the bread mix.
4. Wisk the whites aside right before you plan to put everything in the oven and fold them into the rest.
5. Put everything into a pyrex container greased with butter and leave it in a 180º/200ºC oven for about 30-40 min.

Since soufflés tend to be a bit dry, I would suggest some nice salad on the side.
Enjoy it :P

Broccoli Blue Cheese Fettuccine

1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter
1 bunch broccoli chopped
4 garlic cloves chopped
2 large green onions chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 pound blue cheese (or other favorite crumbly cheese)
1/4 cup grated parmesan
salt and pepper to taste
Pasta

In large pan (I like to use a wok) over medium high heat melt butter and then saute broccoli until starting to soften. Add garlic and onion and saute for 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and bring to light boil until slightly thickens (I've never had this recipe thicken on the heat, I bring to a boil and remove, it then usually thickens as you serve it). Toss with cheeses and pasta and serve.

This is a great basic recipe and you can add pretty much anything that you like that you think tastes good with cream. I usually add mushrooms and prawns.

Note: This recipe, apparently, is one of Brian Boitano's favorites.

waldorf salad

Waldorf is a classic fruit salad with apples and oranges, and whatever else you fancy. The one I made yesterday was more or less according to the book. Many people suggest serving it over lettuce, but I just shredded some lettuce into the mix.




- juice of 1 and 1/2 lemon
- 2 slightly tart apples, cubed
- 1 celery stalk, minced
- 2 oranges, cut into small pieces
- large handful of raisins
- about a handful of nice lettuce (radaccio, lollo rosso), shredded
- about 2/3 cup firm yogurt
- dash of cream
- 1 tsp of honey
- 40g of walnut, pieces or halves

Squeeze lemon juice into the salad bowl. Cut apples (I didn't peel them) and bathe them in lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Add other fruits and lettuce. About 5 minutes before serving: Mix yogurt with cream and honey, pour over salad, top with walnuts. I tend to make this quite 'wet', ie with lots of dressing.

Cinnamon and Port Cake

Sugar - 250g
Plain Flour - 250g
Eggs - 6
Baking Powder - 1 shallow soup spoon
Cinnamon - 2 shallow soup spoons
Port Wine - 75cl
Water - 3 soup spoons
Walnuts or almonds - as preferred (suggestion: around 100g)

Add the egg yolks with the sugar and stir until you get a creamy texture. Mix the Port wine with the water, slightly warm it, and add to the previous cream. Add the cinnamon. Mix the flour with the baking powder and the walnuts/almonds (in smaller and bigger pieces), and add this to the batter. Finally, whisk the egg whites until they are quite hard and gradually fold them into the batter.

Put everything in a tin previously covered in butter and flour and into the oven (180ºC for a fan assisted oven) for about 30-40 minutes. You may also like to add some walnut halves on the top of the cake just before it goes into the oven.

Broccoli and Stilton Soup

3 Tablespoons butter
1 red onion (chopped)
3 large bunches of broccoli (chopped roughly)
2 Tablespoons of flour
7 cups stock
Large bunch of spinach
salt and pepper to taste
Stilton (or favorite nice melting cheese if you don't like Stilton)



In large stock pot saute red onion in butter over medium heat. When soft add broccoli and saute until broccoli begins to soften. Add flour and stir, then add stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer covered on stove for at least 20 minutes.


Take off heat, throw in spinach and then blend soup with stick blender until there are no large pieces. Spoon into bowl and add cheese.

Spinach, Feta and Pine Nut Salad (with optional extras – Butternut Squash or Chorizo)

Serves 3-4 as main meal, 6-8 as side dish

Ingredients

1 large bag of baby spinach (about 200g)

1 packet of feta cheese (try to get the a cheese made in Greece if possible)

Roughly half to ¾ of a packet of pine nuts (I put in the whole packet when I made it at cooking club)

1 red onion, chopped

1 red pepper, chopped

Balsamic vinegar (or sherry vinegar)

Olive oil (extra-virgin if poss)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1) Toast the pine nuts gently, either in the oven or in a frying pan, tossing from time to time so they don’t burn. They should be crisp and starting to brown. Leave to cool if desired.

2) Gently soften the onion in a frying pan over a low heat. Leave to cool if desired.

3) Crumble the feta into a bowl.

4) Add the pine nuts, onion, pepper, spinach and season to taste. Then add olive oil and balsamic vinegar to taste. Give everything a good mix.

Optional extras

I’ve already adapted this salad from another recipe and you can continue in the same vein! You can add olives and/or basil leaves, and maybe a touch of parmesan to finish. I add chorizo too to make a summer salad (it’s great to lay the chorizo slices out on top of the salad and then pour over the oli/balsamic and let them soak through. Mix when you’re ready to serve). It also goes really well with roasted butternut squash/pumpkin. Just roast the butternut squash in a little oil and herbs, chop it up and mix the pieces in with the salad.

Arabian Squash Casserole

Ingredients

- 4 cups cooked squash, either from 2 cans
or about 1.2kg butternut squash
- 1.5 cups chopped onion, about 2 or 3
- 3 medium bell peppers (2 red and 1 green), chopped finely
- 5 cloves garlic, pressed
- 150g firm yogurt or less for wet squash, can replace this
with cream if you want a heavier dish
- 1 cup feta cheese, about 120 g
- sunflower seeds for topping
- 1 tsp paprika (mild), 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional),
1 tsp chili powder


1. Prep squash: Halve butternut squash, remove seeds, spray with tiny bit
of oil and bake face down in hot oven (175 C) for 20 to 30 minutes, until
squash is soft but not mushy. it will continue to cook once out of the
oven. With a large spoon, remove flesh and discard peels. Mash it.

2. Saute onion in olive oil for about 8 min, then add peppers and garlic
and fry for 5 more minutes.

3. Add spices and pepper, continue to simmer for a few more minutes.

4. Mix squash, sauteed veg and yogurt and feta in bowl, and sprinkle with
sunflower seeds. Put everything in a 180C oven for about 30 minutes.

Gyoza (Japanese dumplings)

Ingredients

500g / 1 pack mince pork

Half white cabbage (par boiled)

3-4 carrots (par boiled)

garlic

ginger

gyoza wrappers (defrost as usually come frozen)

Season;

1tsp sesame oil (optional)

2tsp soy sauce

Dipping Sauce;

White Vinegar

Soy Sauce

Chili oil

• Combine all ingredients and seasoning well (in blender if possible)
  
• Place a teaspoon of filling in the centre of the gyoza wrapper
• Dip fingers in water and put the water around the edge of wrapper
• Make a semi circle by gathering front side and sealing the top
• Heat oil in frying pan
• Put gyoza in pay and fry for 5/6 mins / until bottoms become brown

• 

• Add 1/4 cup water and cover pan steaming the gyoza on a low heat

• Make sure to check the meat is cooked through

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Makes 12 - 14 cupcakes

Ingredients:

• 60g unsalted butter (room temp)
• 150g caster sugar
• 1 egg
• 20g cocoa powder
• 40ml red food colouring
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 120ml buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white vinegar
• Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe;

Preheat oven 170°c (325 °F / Gas 3)

* Beat butter and sugar (medium speed if using electric whisk) until light, fluffy & well mixed.

* While whisking briskly (high speed electric) slowly add egg & beat until mixed through

*In separate bowl mix cocoa powder, food colour and vanilla extract until have thick, dark paste

*Add butter mixture to paste and mix until even (use rubber spatula to clear sides of bowl).

*Slowly whisk in half the buttermilk and beat until well mixed in.

*Add half flour and beat until well mixed through

*Repeat process until all buttermilk and flour are added.

*Whisk briskly (high speed electric) until the mixture is smooth and even.

*Slowly whisk in bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar, beating until mixed well.

* Whisk briskly (high speed electric whisk) for a couple more minutes.

*Spoon mixture in to paper cases until 2/3 full and bake in preheated oven 20-25 mins / until sponge bounces back when touched. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out clean.

* Leave to cool. When cold spoon Cream Cheese Frosting on top.

Cream Cheese Frosting;

1 quantity (recipe recommends 2 quantities for the cupcakes but we only used 1 !)

300g icing sugar

50g unsalted butter (room temp)

125g cream cheese (cold)

• Beat icing sugar and butter until well mixed (medium-slow speed for electric whisk).
• Add cream cheese and beat until evenly mixed through
• Keep beating until frosting is light and fluffy (at least 5 mins - medium-high speed electric whisk). DO NOT OVERBEAT AS QUICKLY GETS RUNNY

Pumpkin/Squash Soup

(Photos to follow soon)

Keeping with the Portuguese style soup, this soup has pretty much just water and vegetables.

As in the previous soup, the base/cream is made with potatoes, carrots, garlic and onion. Since it was supposed to fit in with a Halloween spirit, I added a butternut squash as the main ingredient (proportionally more than any other or almost as much as all the others together (but you can have even more)). The easiest way to do the cream then is to simply cut everything in pieces, boil it and finally 'mash' it with a stick blender. Add more or less water depending on how thick you like your soup. This cream could already be 'the soup'.

In this case however I decided to add some small bits of squash, carrot, parsley, and some couscous-shaped pasta to the soup, just to make it look nicer. Wait until this is all cooked and it's ready to eat.

Don't forget to add salt to the cream/base, and I also like to use some chicken stock.

Dan's Pea Soup

Peas (Duh): About 1 - 1.5 cup(s) per serving

Vegetable stock sufficient to cook the peas, and have a bit extra

Crème Fraiche

Handful of fresh mint, finely chopped

Bacon, preferably thick, chopped into small chucks

1) Fry up the bacon, good and hot so it browns all over and starts to crisp up

2) Bring stock to the boil and add the peas

3) Cook the peas until they are almost done. They should still have plenty of bite. Don’t worry, they will keep cooking after you….

4) Drain peas – put the mint in the bottom of the colander so the hot stock drains through it. Reserve the stock

5) Mash peas with a blender / food processor. Keep them coarse.

6) Add enough stock to cover the pure and mix together

7) Taste and season – don’t forget the back will be salty, and the crème fraiche creamy!

8) Finish with crème Fraiche and top with bacon

9) Eat

Potatoes and carrot soup

Hi guys

just so I won't forget to practice, I wanted to post this soup recipe for you.
It is very similar to the one Natália has already published, but it is a bit different. :-)
So here it is.

Ingredients:
- two carrots, sliced
- three to four medium-size white potatoes, in chunks
- 1 onion, chopped or grated
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1 1/2 glass of milk

* Cook the carrots and the potatoes until they are very soft. Put them aside, but don't throw the water away.
* Chop or grate the onion and fry it on the butter until soft and gold.
* In a blender, put the fried onion, the potatoes, carrots with half the water they were cooked in, and the glass of milk. Mix everything together. You can add a bit more of the water if it is too thick.
* Put the soup back in the pan and simmer until it boils.

Serve with bread and a mature cheese.

Vegetable (Spinach) Soup

Dear friends,

These are some guidelines that you can use to do different vegetable soups. This time we did a spinach one, but you can do it with different vegetables.
It takes about 20 minutes to peel things, 20/25 to do the base and other 15/20 for the vegetable to cook. That is, depending on your choices, it takes between 40-60 minutes.

For the base of the soup I usually use potatoes, carrots, onion and garlic. The quantities and proportions will depend on how thick you like your base/soup and the kind of vegetable you intend to add (sometimes, for a spinach soup for example, more carrots and less potatoes tastes nicer). As a guide for a 2 litre (of water) medium thick soup, you can use 4 or 5 medium/big potatoes, about 3 big carrots, 1/2 onion and 2 or 3 cloves of garlic.

I also tend to add some chicken stock (1/2 cube); add salt to taste. Bring everything to the boil and, when its all cooked (try with a fork), take it out of the hob for a few minutes and blend it all together. You should now have a nice soup base. You can also add different items to this base such as butternut squash or pumpkin.

After the base is ready, put it in the cooker again and add your 'vegetable', washed and sliced/cut in smaller pieces, if necessary. These can include spinach, cabbage, runner beans, leeks, or anything else that occurs to you. You can even use a mix. It looks nice if you also add some sliced carrots (about 1/2 or 1/3) or pumpkin, and some bits of rice or small pieces of pasta (1 small handful). Wait until everything is cooked and add some olive oil (2 or 3 soup spoons) just before turning the cooker off. Your soup is ready to eat.

If you prefer smoother soups, you can cook everything at the same time and blend it all together. You can also add water whenever necessary/desired (but it is faster to cook the base in just enough water and then add for the vegetables' part). If your soup comes out too thin, you can cheat a bit by adding mashed potatoes (flour).

4 Breads: Yeast, Corn, Loaf and Machine

YEAST BREAD: Egg Bread (Challah)

3-31/4 cups flour

1/4 cups sugar

1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 package yeast
1 cup very warm water
2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large egg

Mix 1 1/2 c flour, sugar, salt and yeast with warm water, oil and egg. Beat until smooth. Add remaining flour until dough can be easily handled (not too sticky).

Place dough on floured surface and knead about 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Place dough in large, lightly greased bowl. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let raise in warm spot for about an hour.

Dough can be rolled out into square, then rolled tightly and placed seam-side down in 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Or dough can be divided into 3 equal parts, each part rolled into rope and loosely braided on cookie sheet. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rise another 50 minutes.

Heat oven to 375 F. Brush bread with one egg yolk to make shiny. If in loaf pan bake 30-35 minutes, if braided bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.




Gluten-free Corn Bread

2 cups yellow or white cornmeal
½ cup boiling water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg
2 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
1 ¼ cups buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, heat oven safe skillet or medium size casserole dish. Stir together ½ cup cornmeal and the boiling water. The cornmeal will get the consistency of a thick porridge or grits. Beat the egg into the reserved cornmeal porridge. Whisk in the buttermilk (or substitute) and oil to make a thin batter. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together the remaining 1 ½ cups cornmeal, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients, whisk just until smooth and immediately pour into the hot skillet (or casserole dish). Bake until the center of the cornbread is firm and the edges are golden brown, about 25 to 40 minutes.


Loaf Bread: Zucchini (Courgette) Bread

3 cups shredded courgettes
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup raisins

Mix all ingredients. Pour batter into either two 81/2 x 41/2x21/2 or one 9x5x3 loaf pan. Bake 8 inch loaves 50-60 minutes or 9 inch loaf 1 hour 20 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.

Swiss roll

Preparation time: 10 mins
Cooking time: 7-10 mins (less for fan assisted)
Oven temperature: 220C/Gas 7

Ingredients

3 eggs
75g/3oz caster sugar
75g/3oz plain flour
4 tablespoons raspberry jam (we also tried a vanilla cream but I don't have the recipe for that - I'll update this when I have it)
caster sugar for dredging
(we also tried some self-raising flour to try to make the sponge thicker)

Method

1. Line and grease a 23x30cm/ 9x12in swiss roll tin (a normal baking tray will be fine but check the size in case you need more of the sponge mixture to fill it). Whisk the eggs and sugar until very pale and thick enough to leave a trail when the whisk is lifted out. Carefully fold in the flour using a metal spoon. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, spreading it out very lightly. Bake in a hot oven for 7-10 mins (less for fan assisted).




2. Meanwhile, place a clean tea-towel on a work surface, cover with greaseproof paper and dredge with sugar. Turn out the hot swiss roll on to the paper. Trim off the edges, spread with jam and, using the cloth and paper as a guide, quickly roll up tightly. Dredge with caster sugar and cool a wire rack.




We found the sponge was too thin and broke easily when trying to roll it. Therefore, try playing around with the ingredients or quantities. If you find a way to make this work, or a better recipe, do let us all know!

Chicken Tagine

(This recipe was borrowed from http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/chickentagine_74834.shtml. Thank you BBC!)

Ingredients

125g/4½oz green olives
100ml/3½fl oz olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 chicken breasts
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp ras-el-hanout (available in some supermarkets or specialist shops)
½g saffron threads
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large preserved lemon, peel only, chopped
3 tsp chopped fresh coriander
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
vegetables, to serve

Method

1. Add the olives to a pan of boiling water. Bring the water back to the boil for 30 seconds, then drain and refresh under cold running water. Repeat twice more, using fresh water each time.

2. Heat the olive oil in a heavy saucepan. Add the onions and fry gently, stirring frequently until they are soft and translucent.

3. Add the chicken breasts and fry for a minute or two.

4. Add the garlic, ras-el-hanout, saffron, ginger, and pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes until golden.

5. Add the preserved lemon, coriander, parsley and the blanched olives.

6. Add enough water to just cover the chicken, then bring to the boil.

7. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on a low heat for about 35 minutes.

8. Serve with a selection of steamed vegetables.

Corn Cake (Bolo de Fubá)

For a big corn cake:

3 whole eggs

2 1/2 cups of milk

1 1/2 cup of sugar

2 1/2 cups of 'polenta' (or corn flour, but polenta is better)

1 1/2 cup of plain wheat flour

1/3 cup of oil

2 soup spoons of baking powder

Mix everything and bake for 35 minutes at 180 degrees.

Optional: 1 spoon of ground cinnamon and 2 spoons of coconut.

Sausage Rolls 2 ways

1st version - Traditional Sausage Rolls



Ingredients

• 375g/13oz bought ready-rolled puff pastry
• about 2 tbsp either chutney of your choice, cranberry sauce, mustard, pickle, apple sauce, pesto, sun-dried tomato paste or red onion jam (I used bramley apple sauce and caramelised red onion chutney; I used about a tablespoon as I was worried about the sauce spilling out, however the apple ones could have done with more for additional flavour)
• 5 good-quality thick pork sausages (I used outdoor reared pork, pork and apple, and pork and red onion)
• 1 small egg, beaten

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Cut the pastry into 10 rectangles, about 7x10cm/2¾x4in, and place a small spoonful of your chosen filling into the middle of each one.
3. Cut the sausages in half, making 10 smaller sausages, and then peel away the skins. Lay the sausages on top of the filling on the pastry rectangles. Roll the pastry over the sausage, brushing the join with the beaten egg to seal. Place on a greased baking sheet, sealed-side down, and brush them with the egg to give a nice shiny glaze when cooked.
4. Cook in the oven for 20 minutes until golden and crispy, and eat as soon as they are cool enough or leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

2nd version - Mini Sausage Rolls in Filo Pastry




Ingredients

• dash olive oil
• 9 chipolata sausages
• 3 sheets ready-made filo pastry
• 30g/1oz butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the chipolatas until lightly browned on all sides. Leave to cool slightly.
3. Cut each sheet of filo pastry into three long strips and brush each strip with melted butter.
4. Place a sausage at one end of each strip and roll up in the pastry. Brush all over with more butter and place onto a baking sheet.
5. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp and the sausages are completely cooked through.
6. To serve, place onto a serving plate.

Fruit Salad

Easy, quick, and healthy ...

To do fruit salad all you need are a few different fruits cut into small pieces. I suggest you use the following as a minimum: apple (different varieties?), orange, banana, pineapple, and peach. Other options are: melon, watermelon, grapes, cherries, pear, etc. I would advise against strawberries since they tend to get too soft too quickly (unless you are eating the fruit salad right away). As a guide, you can try to use, at least, 1 piece of fruit per person.

One trick I always tend to use is to get at least one can of fruit (you can choose the peaches, the pineapple or a mixed fruit one) and pour some of its syrup in the salad (this is the only less healthy bit).

Leave it in the fridge for a while before serving; it will taste nicer :P But do bear in mind that the properties of some fruits deteriorate with time, so fruit salad should not be made too long before being served.

Enjoy!

Cupcakes

Makes 24 to 36 cupcakes. For cooking club we cut the recipes in half. If you liked the eggy ones, cut all ingredients in half except eggs, or use normal measurements but double eggs.

Chocolate

21/4 c flour
12/3 c sugar
3/4 c butter/margarine softened
2/3 c baking cocoa
11/4 c water
11/4 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/4 t baking powder
2 large eggs

Yellow Cake

21/4 c flour
11/2 c sugar
1/2 c butter/margarine softened
11/4 c milk
31/2 t baking powder
1 t salt
1 t vanilla
3 eggs

Heat oven 350 F. Beat all ingredients. Bake rectangle cake pan (13X9X2 inch pan) 40 minutes, 2 round cake pans (9 inch) 30 minutes, or cupcakes 3/4 filled to top 25 minutes.