Bifanas -Revamped

Source: fullbellies.blogspot.com via Bernadete on Pinterest

Ingredients
Pork loin chops or pork cubed steaks (you need at least one for each person)
salt and pepper
garlic powder
paprika
bay leaf
white wine
Portuguese Rolls (or any other roll that is thick and doughy)


Season chops with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Place in a shallow bowl cover with white wine and place bay leafs in the marinade. Refrigerate and Marinate overnight.

When you're ready to cook, boil pork chops in wine sauce for about 3-5 minutes In a large stock pot. Remove from stock pot. Then add some olive oil to a skillet and brown the pork steaks, top with some butter and fry until cooked through and nice and brown.

Review: This is a good recipe, tastes exactly like the ones served at the festas and made at home by my mom. The key is definitely to marinate overnight. Will be a staple in our house now. Thanks Sandra for sharing! The boiling of the pork helps keep them tender but also intensifies the flavor! OH SO GOOD!

Pork chops prepared in the traditional Minho way

Costeletas de Porco a moda do Minho
Pork chops prepared in the traditional Minho way from here


Ingredients:
Pork Chops
Garlic
Bay Leaf
Salt
White Wine
Onion
Olive oil
Bacon, thinly sliced

Potatoes for frying
Parsley


Put the pork chops in a bowl and add the spices, garlic, bay leaf, salt and the white wine. (1-24 hours befor cooking)




Chop the potatoes into cubes OR you can use baby potatoes if you wish. Season with parsley. Fry them until nice and golden, set aside.




In a skillet, add a little bit of olive oil, fry the pork chops on both sides until nice and brown. (do NOT throw out the marinade, keep that you're going to need it). Once the chops are cooked, remove them and keep them warm.




Add the sliced onion and the bacon to the skillet and cook until bacon is done but not crispy. Add the marinade to the skillet and allow to simmer for about 5 minutes.




At this point, you're going to add the fried potatoes and let them cook for a minute or so, just to soak in all that good gravy.




Right before you serve, you can add the pork chops to the skillet too so they can warm up a bit more.




Review: This was great, I loved the taste of the sauce and the best part is that this marinade is the base for many portuguese food recipes.

Febras the Cebolada - Pork Chops with Tomatoes and Onions

Febras the Cebolada - Pork Chops with Tomatoes and Onions from here

1 lb pork tenderloins
1 medium onion, sliced
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 bay leaf
paprika to taste
1 large can of tomato sauce
white wine or beer (I used a little beer this time, but if you don't want to use any alcohol drink, you can just add water)

In a large saucepan, add a little bit of olive oil and a layer of sliced onions, place the pork chops on top and season with salt and pepper, a bay leaf, paprika and the chopped garlic. Add another layer of onions and pour the tomato sauce over it all. Pour on about 1/4 cup or so of beer/wine/water. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes or so until the pork chops are cooked through.

Review: This was simple and tastes great over mashed potatoes. I also have a similar recipe listed on the blog for an oven backed version

Pasteis de Carne

Ingredients

Pastry
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons shortening, melted to lukewarm
1/2 cup milk, mixed with
1/2 cup hot water


Filling
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, smashed
2 tomatoes, peeled,seeded and chopped
1 lb ground beef
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 hard-boiled egg, chopped
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, chopped
8 green olives, chopped
oil (for deep frying)



Directions
1.To prepare the pastry, sift the flour and salt into a bowl.
2.Add the melted shortening and warm milk and water.
3.Mix to a smooth dough and cut into 2 pieces.
4.To prepare the filling, heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry for 5 minutes until soft and golden.
5.Add the tomatoes, ground beef and salt.
6.Simmer for 20 minutes until almost dry.
7.Remove from the heat.
8.Add the chopped parsley, egg, cheese and olives and mix well.
9.To assemble pastries, roll out the pastry on a floured board to 1/8 inch thickness.
10. Put 12, 4 inch circles from each piece, 24 circles.
11.Place 1 tablespoon filling on each circle and moisten around the edge with warm water.
12.Fold over and seal the edges well.
13.Deep fry in preheated 375f degree oil for 4 to 5 minutes until golden and crisp.
14.Remove with slotted spoon and drain on absorbent paper towel.
15.The pastries are also delicious cold and make good picnic fare.
16.They may also be made without the ground beef.
17. Variation to replace ground beef, use finely chopped ham, chopped chicken, or shrimp.

Review: These are great as main dish or side dish. My mother in law made these a lot. I took a short cut and used round Asian won ton wrap found in the refrigerator section of the grocery store for the dough.

Frango com Cerveja - Chicken w/ Beer

Frango com Cerveja - Chicken w/ Beer from Full Bellies, Happy kids
olive oil
1 chicken, cut up
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
salt and pepper
garlic powder
1 bottle of beer
2 cups of water
1/2 bottle of heavy whipping cream (8 oz)


In a large skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and the chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the chicken is browned on both sides.

Add the onions and the seasonings, the beer, and the water.

Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until chicken is cooked through. Keep checking to make sure it doesn't dry out, add more water if needed.

When the chicken is done, add the whipping cream and cook for a minute or two until thickened. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or fries.

Review: This was really simple to assemble and the sauce tasted great. I am glad that I was able to find a great blog with Portuguese Recipes.

GALINHA NO FORNO COM ARROZ - PORTUGUESE CHICKEN AND RICE

GALINHA NO FORNO COM ARROZ - PORTUGUESE CHICKEN AND RICE

From Full Bellies, Happy Kids

1 whole chicken cut up, or 1 lb chicken thighs (I used the thighs this time)

1 onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

Half a pound of bacon

1 1/2 cups of rice

Salt and pepper to taste


For the chicken rub:


4 tablespoons of softened butter

olive oil

paprika

garlic powder

a little bit of salt




Fill a pot halfway with water, add the chicken, bacon, onion, bay leaf and some salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat until chicken is cooked through.



Remove chicken, bay leaf, onion and bacon to a bowl and set aside.






Pour 1 and a half cups of rice into the chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes until the rice is cooked.


In the meantime, in a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of softened butter





Add the olive oil and paprika, garlic powder and a little bit of salt, mix well until smooth


Spoon the rice into a greased 13 x 9-inch pan


Next layer the chicken on top, spread it out a bit so that you have room for the bacon and onions.




Spoon the rub onto each thigh and using your hands, rub it all over, on both sides
See how some of that yummy rub is seeping into the rice??? That is going to make it SO good.

Add the bacon and onions, placing them between the chicken thighs


At this point I add another 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces.


Bake in a 425 º oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and bacon is nice and crispy.

Review: This was really good, simple as well! Its a little time consuming, but well worth the effort!

Portuguese Fava Beans

5 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato sauce
2 cups hot water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
2 (19 ounce) cans fava beans


DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Stir in red pepper flakes, tomato sauce, hot water, parsley, salt, pepper and paprika. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Gently stir in fava beans. Remove from heat and let stand for several minutes to allow flavors to meld.

Review: These favas taste great! Light, delicious and simple!

Portuguese Sweet Rice

Portuguese Sweet Rice from Portuguese Menu

Ingredients:

4 Large Cups of Milk
1 Cup of Water
1 Cup of White Rice
1 Cup of Sugar (or less)
1 Tsp Butter
2 eggs beaten
1 Strip of Fresh Lemon Peel
1 Cinnamon stick (optional)
Ground Cinnamon to Sprinkle


Directions:

Put the rice and the water with the stick of cinnamon and 2 cups of milk in a pan. Cook it in medium heat for about 20 minutes. When necessary add the rest of the milk but don´t allow it to boil. When the rice is tender add the sugar, the butter, the lemon and mix well. Cook the rice for another five minutes.
Then, remove the pan from the heat, remove the cinnamon stick and the lemon and stir in the beaten eggs. Mix it well, until the eggs have incorporated in the rice.
To serve the sweet rice you can use either a serving dish, soup plates or bowls. Finally, sprinkle the sweet rice with ground cinnamon and you can serve both hot, like we do in Portugal, or cold after refrigerate it for a few hours.

Review: This was soo good. It tastes just like my mother in law used to make it. It did take a lot longer to cook then the recipe stated. My rice came out a little watery, so I think the next time I make it I will take my time and like it soak up the juices. This recipe dose have the right flavor though!