fish and chips? { codfish burger with cilantro and red saffron }

Are you up for something different this time?

As you may have read on my 'about' page, I have always been fonder of cooking than of baking. But ever since I've started this project, baking has been earning its way into my heart, up to the point that in less than two years living in Germany I have felt the need to buy over half a dozen different cake pans, two pie pans, two dozens muffin tins, a candy thermometer, a couple of baking trays and deep dishes and my (several) pantries have seen countless amounts of flour, sugar and parchment paper. I always keep eggs, butter and milk on the fridge, different sorts of flour and sugar in the kitchen cabinets and I don't feel good knowing that I'm running out of baking powder or yeast. Oh yeah, I've become a baker. Some of you even know me as "the baker" already!

Yet here I am, trying to bring back the foregone notion that I go the extra mile when it comes to cooking - I do... more than ever!

ouro negro. { black rice risotto with codfish, dried tomato and red pesto }

there is this line from a song that came to explain how i sense this world.

'she moves with shameless wonder.'

well, i wonder about the actual meaning of this verse.

maybe Hozier wrote it purely to romanticize a woman's assured and graceful gestures...

yet, i take it differently.

to me, it describes someone who senses this world with constant and unhibited curiosity and - consequently - fascination, a characteristic that keeps them wandering decisively, looking for answers.

maybe i've read too much into it, but i guess that's what poems are made for.

i wish i could discuss that with him one day.

this characteristic allows me to find inspiration in the most odd circunstances, particularly during the time i'm on my own. it also keeps me excited about discovering new things, either in my thoughts - i do think a lot - or palpable stuff.

a bit due to it, i love finding products that i would not even imagine could exist.

that was the case of this black rice.

isto é que vai aqui uma açorda... { açorda de peixe }

On great dinners.

You know, I love to cook. But I am definitely not cut out to be in the kitchen the whole day. I think it would drive me crazy. It's hot, dirty and nose and mouth confusing. In the end, I would have smelled and tasted too many different things - yes, I am also not cut out to make only ONE big sized dish. I like to make MANY smaller dishes.

So since I am having a 'little' party here at night, I have already whipped up 7 or 8 different things (among appetizers, main dishes and desserts) since 10 pm yesterday. Not that I have been cooking the whole time. But mostly.

This post is actually not about this party. It is about a small nice dinner I had here on Wednesday. More importantly, this post is about tasting like home. Taste of Portugal ;)

When two friends said they would like to do something Wednesday evening, and since no one had yet seen my new apartment, I suggested we could do dinner + film here. Somehow, it didn't take me long to choose a recipe to cook, I had been dreaming of one of these for a while.

Until not long ago, I really didn't like açorda. It is something that has been growing on me, and that I had never cooked. So I read some recipes online and came up with my own version.

Modesty aside, I dare to say it was a success.

Açorda de Peixe

Nota: na minha terra diz-se que bacalhau não é peixe ;) mas esta receita, para além de poder levar peixes brancos - garoupa é boa opção - pode levar bacalhau. Entre parênteses estão os ingredientes específicos que usei ou outras notas.

- 600g de lombos ou filetes de peixe branco (bacalhau fresco congelado)

- 1 pão grande (pão de centeio)

- 1 chávena de polpa de tomate

- 1/2 chávena de caldo de marisco (sopa de salmão)

- 6 dentes de alho, picados

- azeite

- sal

- mistura de pimentas, moída na hora

- ervas de provence

- piri-piri seco

- salsa fresca, picada (usaria coentros, mas nesta terra não é fácil encontrar)
- 1 ovo

1) Cortar o topo do pão com uma faca de serrilha, de forma a criar uma tampa,

2) Dourar o peixe com metade do alho em azeite e sal durante um minuto ou dois, juntar três chávenas de água e deixar cozer,

3) Entretanto, retirar o miolo do pão, temperar com pimenta e colocar numa taça, reservando o exterior à parte,

4) Juntar e misturar água ao miolo do pão de forma a que bem embebido; deixar de molho durante cerca de 10 minutos,

5) Escorrer o peixe e partir em pequenos pedaços; reservar o peixe e o caldo da cozedura separadamente,

6) Num tacho, refogar o restante alho em azeite,

7) Juntar a polpa de tomate e o caldo de marisco; misturar e deixar cozinhar um pouco,

8) Escorrer ligeiramente o pão e juntar ao tacho com o caldo de cozedura do peixe; deixar cozinhar cerca de 10 minutos, mexendo frequentemente,

9) Juntar o peixe, pimenta, piri-piri, ervas de provence e a salsa fresca picada, deixar cozinhar mais 2 minutos,

10) Adicionar o ovo e misturar energeticamente na açorda, deixando cozinhar mais 1 minuto,

11) Verter dentro da crosta do pão e servir polvilhado com salsa fresca picada.

Fish Açorda

Note: You can use any white fish for this, grouper and salted cod are good options. Between parentheses are other notes, like the specific ingredient I picked.

- 600g white fish (defrost frozen codfish)

- 1 big bread (rye)

- 1 cup tomato paste

- 1/2 cup seafood stock (salmon stock)

- 6 garlic cloves, chopped

- olive oil

- salt

- freshly ground pepper

- provence herbs

- dried chili powder

- fresh parsley, chopped (I would use cilantro but it's not easy to find around here)

- 1 egg

1) Cut the top of the bread, so as to create a lid,

2) Cook the fish with half the garlic and salt in olive oil over medium heat for a minute or two, add three cups water and let boil,

3) Meanwhile, scrape the interior of the bread, season with pepper and place in a bowl, setting the crust aside,

4) Add water to the bread in the bowl until it is all soaken; let rest for around 10 minutes,

5) Drain and chop the fish; keep the resulting broth aside,

6) In a pan, sautée the remaining garlic in olive oil,

7) Add the tomato paste and seafood stock and let cook for a while, stirring,

8) Lightly drain the bread and add to the pan with the fish stock; let cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently,

9) Mix in the fish, pepper, chili, herbs and let cook for 2 more minutes,

10) Add the egg and stir energetically; let cook 1 more minute,

11) Pour inside the bread crust and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.

Fill it up { tuna stuffed aubergines }

Tenho uma novidade para vocês :) Amanhã conto tudo!
Por agora fiquem com estas beringelas... ou como-fazer-o-jantar-rapidamente-e-de-forma-indolor-num-dia-que-não-apetece-mesmo-cozinhar-com-ingredientes-que-não-é-preciso-descongelar-enquanto-o-irmão-faz-waffles-para-o-lanche. E como juntar atum de lata e beringela, um duo que está na minha lista negra.

Beringelas Recheadas com Atum
Ingredientes:

- 3 beringelas

- 2 latas de atum à algarvia + 1 lata de atum normal

- azeite

- 1 cebola

- 2 dentes de alho

- 1 tomate

- moinho de sal com alecrim e limão do lidl

- 1 chávena de arroz

- 2 colheres de sopa de polpa de tomate

- sal

- 6 fatias de queijo

- 1 pé de coentros frescos

Preparação:

1) Retirar a polpa às beringelas com a ajuda de uma colher, deixando só a casca e uma camada com cerca de 0.5 cm,

2) Colocar a parte exterior num tabuleiro untado com azeite, com a concavidade voltada para cima, polvilhar com sal grosso e água e levar ao forno a 180º durante cerca de 20 min,

3) Cozer o arroz no mesmo volume de água com um pouco de sal, sem destapar o tacho,

4) Deitar ¾ do óleo das latas de atum à algarvia numa frigideira e descartar o óleo da outra lata. Reservar o atum,

5) Refogar a cebola e o alho bem picados no óleo, juntar a polpa da beringela e o tomate também bem picados, juntar a polpa de tomate e deixar cozinhar tapado até todos os legumes estarem bem tenros,

6) Juntar o atum, o arroz cozinhado, uma colherada de água e os coentros picados e mexer bem,

7) Deitar a mistura nas beringelas,

8) Cobrir com o queijo e levar ao forno a 200º para gratinar,

9) Servir imediatamente com uma salada.

My english-reader friends, I am so sorry, but I am in a hurry today, so the recipe will only be translated late in the night!

Daringly healthy { hake, cured ham and spinach gratin }

Gym and less carbs are making me happy :) So I leave you a recipe that will keep you satisfied without any rice, potatoes or pasta, which is not too green so men won't protest ;) My blog isn't strictly about healthy food, because I believe almost anything can be part a healthy diet, but I can share other healthier recipes with you if you'ld like!

Pescada Gratinada com Paio e Espinafres
Ingredientes:

- 2 medalhões de pescada

- 2 dentes de alho, picados

- 1 cebola pequena, fatiada

- 8 fatias de paio de york, cortadas em tiras

- 200g de espinafres frescos

- 1 colher de chá bem cheia de pesto

- 8 azeitonas

- azeite

- sal

- pimenta

- colorau

- amêndoas com casca, partidas em pedaços

- 4 colheres de sopa de pão ralado

- 1 colher de sopa de parmesão ralado

Receita:

1) Colocar os medalhões num pirex e temperar com sal e pimenta,

2) Refogar o alho e a cebola em azeite,

3) Juntar o sal, o colorau e as pimentas e deixar libertar os sabores,

4) Juntar o paio e deixar refogar um pouco,

5) Juntar os espinafres e um pouco de água e deixar cozer bem, tapado,

6) Incorporar uma colher de chá de pesto,

7) Partir as azeitonas em pedaços e juntar aos espinafres,

8) Dispor os espinafres em volta da pescada,

9) Polvilhar com pão ralado, parmesão e as amêndoas picadas e levar ao forno a 220º para gratinar.

Hake with Ham and Spinach Gratinee
Ingredients:

- 2 hake medallions

- 2 garlic cloves, chopped

- 1 small onion, sliced

- 8 ham slices, chopped

- 200g fresh spinach

- 1 tsp full of pesto sauce

- 8 olives

- olive oil

- salt

- pepper

- paprika

- chopped almonds

- 4 tbsp breadcrumbs

- 1 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated

Receita:

1) Place the medallions in a deep baking tray and season with salt and pepper,

2) Cook the garlic and the onion in olive oil,

3) Add the pepper, paprika and salt and let cook until fragrant,

4) And the ham and cook a little longer

5) Add the spinach with a little water and cook well, covered,

6) Incorporate the pesto,

7) Chop the olives and mix into the spinach,

8) Place the spinach around the hake,

9) Sprinkle with the bread, cheese and almonds and place in the oven at 220º until golden.