Caldo Verde

Caldo Verde is a very traditional soup of Portugal. It is made and loved all over Portugal. I've heard it described as the national dish. It is a very simple soup, with onions, garlic, potatoes, and green cabbage. Here is some more information. A good friend came over the other day, and taught me how to make it. She prefers to make it without chouriço, so we made a meatless version of it. It was fun to learn how to make it, and I'm glad to have this simple recipe in my recipe collection now. :)

I used yellow potatoes comparable to Yukon Golds. You can use a chicken bouillon cube, or something like Better than Bouillon to flavor this.

We used Portuguese couve in this; it's a cabbage that doesn't grows in the U.S., I believe. Kale or collard greens would be a good substitute. My friend's father-in-law grows couve in his garden; she brought some fresh couve over, already washed and sliced into very thin, ribbon-like slices. She rolls up the leaves, making them easier to slice. When preparing the cabbage or greens, make sure you cut out the tough stems and discard them.

Caldo Verde

1 onion, peeled, and cut in half

3-4 large potatoes, peeled and cut in half

1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled

Water, to cover

1-2 chicken bouillon cubes

salt, to taste (I used about 1 teaspoon)

1 pound couve, kale or collard greens, washed and sliced very thinly

1-2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large stockpot, place the onions, potatoes, and garlic. Pour in cold water, covering the veggies by about 2 inches. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a low boil and cook until potatoes are tender. Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender, in batches, and carefully), blend the soup until it is totally smooth with no lumps. Bring to a boil again. Add the cabbage or greens, and bouillon cubes and cook for 10-20 minutes, until cabbage is tender. (If water level has lowered, add a little more). Add salt to taste. Stir in olive oil and serve.

*I was serving this to my kids, so I blended up the final soup, cabbage and all. That way, when you eat it, you don't have strips of cabbage hanging everywhere. Before I blended it, my kids thought it was "seaweed soup". Wierdos!

*If you wish to add some Portuguese chouriço to the soup, you can either drop it in with the cabbage, or saute it in a separate pan and then add it to the soup.

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Cheesy Baked Tortellini

Over a year ago, when I still lived in the States, I turned the TV to Food Network and Giada was on, finishing up a pasta dish that looked super easy. It seemed a little too "semi-homemade" to me, though, so I wasn't really interested, until she pulled it out of the oven. It was beautiful looking- baked pasta with a crispy, cheesy crust. The ingredients were something I happened to have on hand, too (except for smoked mozzarella- I've never been able to get ahold of that). I gave it a try soon after, and the whole family loved it. Now, I turn to this recipe now and again when I need something fast, filling, easy, and family friendly.

I substitute smoked provolone for the mozzarella, and I use slightly more pasta and sauce (just the sizes I happen to be able to get ahold of easily). It works well. Since I can't get Trader Joe's pasta sauces anymore, I use Classico- they don't have a lot of scary, extra ingredients, and there's no added sugar, either. Newman's Own is good, too. If you make this, you'll have enough mascarpone leftover to make this pasta dish! (The amount of mascarpone in this recipe can vary slightly- from 1/3 cup to 1/2 cup, and it won't really matter. Sometimes I just use whatever I have).

Cheesy Baked Tortellini

recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

Olive oil
24 ounces marinara or meatless pasta sauce
1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
19 ounces purchased cheese tortellini
4-5 thin slices smoked provolone
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly oil an 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish.
2. Whisk the sauce, mascarpone cheese, parsley and thyme in a large bowl to blend.

3. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini in a large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Add the tortellini to the sauce and toss to coat.

4. Transfer the tortellini mixture to the prepared baking dish. Top the mixture with the smoked mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheeses on top melt, about 30 minutes.

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Favorite Wheat Rolls

These are definitely my favorite rolls. I've been making them for quite a while, so they're really easy for me now. I mentioned them briefly in this post, but they really, really need thier own post. :)

These use part whole wheat flour and part white flour, and they're yummy and buttery. We had them with our Smoky Fish Chowder the other night; I make them often when we have a soup, chowder or stew for dinner. The original recipe has you making them in muffin cups; I just make cresents out of them; it's easier for me, and you get more rolls out of the batch.

Favorite Wheat Rolls
Adapted  from Allrecipes.com

2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast
1- 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 egg, beaten
2- 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
2- 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes.

2. Mix sugar, salt, 1/4 cup melted butter, egg, and whole wheat flour into yeast mixture. Stir in all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. (I mix and knead with my Kitchenaid). Lightly oil a large bowl, place dough in bowl, and turn to coat. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. (I let the dough rise in my oven, with the oven light on).

3. Punch down dough, cover, and let rise in warm place until doubled again, about 30 minutes.

4. Punch down dough, and divide into three or four equal portions. On a floured (or lightly greased) board, roll each into a large circle, and cut into 8 triangles (pie-style) with a pizza cutter. Roll up, starting with large end, to form crescent shapes. Place on greased baking sheets. Brush tops with melted butter. Let rise uncovered in a warm place 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven, and brush again with melted butter. (Makes 3 dozen).

Note: If you would like to freeze the rolls, bake for 6 minutes, remove from the oven, allow to cool, bag, and freeze. Then when ready to use, thaw and finish the baking process.

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Smoky Fish Chowder

Inspired by the yummy Smoked Salmon Chowder that the whole fam loved, I decided to do a similar thing with another smoked fish. I still had some half-and-half hanging around, needing to be used, but I didn't have any smoked salmon. I did have a bunch of hickory-smoked tuna though! (It comes in those little pouches, located by the canned tuna.) The title "Tuna Chowder" does not sound appetizing at all (to me, anyway), so I'll call this "Smoky Fish Chowder". This was really, really good, too.

I added some smoked paprika and the chowder has a pleasant rosy color. All I had on hand was a red onion, so I used that, and I actually like the color it gives to the soup, along with the bright yellow corn. Red potatoes would work well in this recipe; I used yellow.

My soup was almost too thick (this recipe was an experiment, after all). Next time, I would want to add an extra cup of broth, or a cup of low-fat milk to thin it out a bit.

Smoky Fish Chowder
recipe by What a Dish!

1/2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small red onion, chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 cups chopped yellow or red potatoes (don't peel)
2 cups chicken or fish stock
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
1 cup frozen sweet corn
2 cups half-and-half
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
freshly ground pepper, to taste
1/2 lemon, juiced
10 oz. hickory-smoked tuna

1. In a large soup pot, over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together. Add the chopped onion, then the garlic and celery, and cook until the onion is soft. Add potatoes and stock/broth. Cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Add the corn.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour and half-and-half together. Whisk this mixture into the broth/veggie mixture in the pan, stirring well. Cook over medium heat until soup starts to thicken (do not let it come to a boil).

3. To the hot soup, add the fresh ground pepper, lemon juice, and smoked tuna. Cook until heated through. (If too thick, add an extra cup of broth or milk, heated first in the microwave. Stir until combined and mixture is hot enough.)

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Nutella Gelato

I love trying new recipes for different flavors of ice cream. I recently saw some other bloggers making Giada's recipe for Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato, and decided I definitely had to make it! I didn't have any hazelnuts on hand, so I omitted those. This recipe is very simple to make (if you're used to making ice cream) and the ingredients are simple, too.

It doesn't taste exactly like Nutella, although there is a hint; it tastes like a delicious milk-chocolate ice cream. I love it. And I'm not a chocolate ice cream fan; in fact, I don't like chocolate ice cream. But I love this. This is good stuff.

Nutella Gelato
from Giada De Laurentiis

2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, plus 1/4 cup
4 egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chocolate-hazelnut spread (recommended: Nutella)

1. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat. Cook until the sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl whip the egg yolks with the remaining sugar using an electric mixer until the eggs have become thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. (A Kitchenaid is handy for this- I set mine near the stove). Pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk and cream mixture into the egg mixture and stir. Add this mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over very low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture becomes thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 to 7 minutes.

3. Place a strainer over a medium bowl and pour the warm custard mixture through the strainer. Stir in the vanilla and hazelnut spread (Nutella) until it dissolves. Chill mixture completely before pouring into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer's instructions to freeze. Transer into a freezer-safe container until hardened.

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Broccoli Salad

It seems that everyone else has been in on this secret: Broccoli Salad (with raisins and bacon) is absolutely delish. I've seen this salad at many potlucks, and have come across variations of the recipe many a time, but have always turned up my nose at it. I'm thinking, "Raw broccoli, with raisins..... bacon and mayo?! Ewww!" However, this past summer, I had the chance to taste this salad at my cousin's wedding reception. Actually, I helped make the salad the day before the reception. I figured that this worked on me the same way it works on a small child: If a child helps prepare dinner, he or she will be more likely to try it and like it.

I instantly fell in love with this salad at the reception, and was craving it last week, so I went for it. I consulted a few online recipes, and also looked in the cookbook my family members published recently (with recipes from many of my relatives). There were 3 recipes in there. I took certain things from all the recipes, adding my own touches here and there. Here is my version.

Broccoli Salad
adapted from recipes from a family cookbook 

5 cups fresh chopped broccoli

1/2 cup golden raisins or dried cranberries (my favorite)

1/4 cup red onion, chopped

5-6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

Dressing:

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup salted, chopped cashews

1.  Combine broccoli, raisins or cranberries, onion, and bacon. Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss with broccoli mixture. Just before serving, stir in cashews.

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Pink Fall Lilies

There are so many different kinds of beautiful flowers here in the Azores. There are different flowers for every season, too, so there are flowers to enjoy year-round. In the spring, the azaleas and cala lilies come out, followed by hydrangeas in summer, and aloe flowers and pointsettas in winter. But one of my very favorites is this pink lily that blooms in the early fall. They are everywhere- seeming to grow wild. They line almost every country roadside, growing by the cliffs and sea-side, some are planted in yards, and some are growing out of old, mossy stone walls, like the ones pictured above (and below). These flowers have a delicious smell- almost syrupy sweet and tropical. I love seeing them pop out everywhere at this time of year.

Many of the flowers of the Azores are not native- they were brought here by people long ago, but the favorable conditions here made them flourish, and spread.

I've tried to find some online info on these beauties. I did find a webpage last week, but for some reason I can't find it now. The jist of that info, though, was that these lilies originate from South Africa, and were brought by the Portuguese to the Azores, Spain, and Italy (among other places). In Spain, they call these "Girls going to school" because they bloom when school starts again after summer (around the end of September, which is when Portuguese go back to classes as well).

I've asked a few people what these are called, and nobody seems to know. :) I'd love to have these growing in my yard.

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