Broa de Milho - Portuguese Cornbread

Do you know baking bread at home is like a child play if the yeast god behave well with you. I love baking bread myself at home, obviously bread is one of our staple food after rice. Though i do bake variety of breads, am yet to try Sourdough breads. However baking bread by ourself will definitely makes everyone at home happy. Needless to say that baking is quite a stress burster, my today's post is Broa aka Portuguese corn bread, this bread is traditionally made in Portugal and in Brazil (where it is traditionally seasoned with fennel). Not like the Usual cornbread, this broa is made with a mixture of cornmeal and wheat or rye flour which is leavened with yeast.

Malasadas - Hawaiian Doughnuts

Today am taking you all to Hawaii, one of my favourite place where i seriously want to go atleast once in my life. Since i love this place i couldnt stop myself to try their pillowy puffy doughnuts as am running my third week of blogging marathon with Doughnuts as theme. Actually Malasadas are famous Portuguese donuts carried by the Portuguese immigrants from Acores Island during the 19th century. Immigrants who worked in sugar mils carried their rich cuisine especially their famous confections, the Pao doce and the Malasadas. Malasadas.these doughnuts are made by the portuguese immigrants during Mardi Gras (the fat tuesday), the day before the Ash wednesday which is the last day of Carnival of Madeira. The reason behind of makng Malasadas was to finish up the lard and sugar in the house. This tradition was taken to Hawaii, where the Shrove tuesday is celebrated as Malasada day.

Bolo Lêvedo / Portuguese Sweet Muffins ~~ Portuguese Cuisine

After Omani cuisine, am taking you all to Portuguese cuisine for this month's long blogging marathon. As you know, am running Around the world in 30days with alphabets as theme. After O, today we are landing towards to Portuguese cuisine for the letter 'P'.Portuguese cuisine is born from the earth. It is hearty peasant fare full of strong flavours, many charting the culinary history of the country. For instance, the famous dried salt cod or bacalhau changed the course of Portuguese history. When it was discovered that the beautiful white fish caught in the cold Scandinavian waters could be dried and kept for long periods, sailors were able to go on long voyages of discovery to new lands, which then opened up trade routes.Paprika, bay leaves, garlic and wine feature largely in many dishes, olive oil is adored and used to cook both cook food and finish off dishes. Pork is a favourite meat and is used in the famous chourico sausage, which is smoked over wood with heavy aromas of garlic and paprika. Spices in general are popular including piri piri (small fiery chilli peppers), black pepper, cinnamon, vanilla, and saffron. Herbs are also widely used, particularly coriander and parsley.Desserts rely heavily on eggs like crème caramel, rice pudding and the famous custard tarts or pasteis de nata. A selection of cheeses may also be served, with the most common varieties being made from sheep or goat’s milk.

Portuguese Tomato Rice/Arroz De Tomate

When i was planning for making out some portuguese rice dishes, the first rice dish i got immediately was this portuguese tomato rice, which captured my attention immediately coz this rice was quite easy and quick to make out with simple ingredients which can be served with any spicy kurmas or gravies, we had this rice with spicy mushroom kurma and boiled eggs for our lunch yesterday, a prefect Indo Portuguese lunch menu..I loved the simplicity of this rice and also this rice tastes fantastic without any side dish..when i told that today i prepared portuguese tomato rice to everyone at home,they were bit weird and once i served them, the first expression was completely different, yes we enjoyed having  this arroz de tomate..Traditionally this rice is prepared with tomatoes, onions, long grain rice cooked in chicken broth with sausages, but i completely omitted both the chicken broth and sausages and prepared this rice in vegetable broth and diced bellpeppers...Needless to say that this portuguese tomato rice goes directly to AWED-Portuguese guest hosted by me, event started by DK and to Silpa's APS-Rice....

2cups Long grain rice (i used uncle ben's)

1no Onion (big & chopped)
3nos Garlic cloves (crushed)
4nos Tomatoes (deskinned & chopped)
1/2cup Bellpeppers (diced)
3cups Vegetable broth
1/4cup Parsley leaves (chopped)
Salt
Pepper powder
Olive oil

Heat enough olive oil in a large vessel, add immediately the chopped onions and crushed garlic, saute until the onions turns transculent, add now the chopped tomatoes, chopped parsley leaves and cook in simmer until the tomatoes turns mushy, now add the rice and saute for few minutes..add the vegetable broth with enough salt and pepper powder and cook in medium high flame for 5 minutes and then in simmer until the rice get cooked, finally add the diced bellpeppers and toss gently and keep in simmer for few seconds, put off the stove..

Serve hot with any side dish!!

Portuguese Cornbread/Broa

Broa, famous corn bread made with yellow or white cornmeal is the daily grain food of Portugal..This corn bread has a crisp, even hard crust and a very soft, fine textured interior..It goes well with soups and stews or when served with butter or olive oil or with cheese..Broa is made with a mixture of cornmeal and wheat or all purpose flour and is leavened with yeast..This yeast bread tastes fantastic and a prefect pair for soups..I tried out this bread yesterday with stone ground yellow cornmeal and all purpose flour which had a rustic flavour and texture..I got 3 round loaves and they vanished within few hours, everyone at home enjoyed with melting cheese or with butter with a bowl of soup..

4cups All purpose flour or Bread flour + flour for dusting
2cups Stone ground yellow cornmeal
2cups Luke warm water
2tbsp Active dry yeast
3tbsp Butter (room temperature)
1+1/2 tsp Salt
1tbsp Sugar

Mix the yeast,sugar and salt in a cup of luke warm water and keep side for 5minutes until the yeast mixture turns foamy.. mix the cornmeal, butter and flour in a large bowl, pour the foamy yeast mixture; luke warm water and knead everything as soft dough..cover with a lid and allow the dough to rise in a warm place for atleast for an hour..punch down the doubled dough, knead slowly the dough dusted with all purpose flour and make 3 or 4 round loaves..arrange the round loaves over a baking sheet, cover the loaves with a towel and let the loaves sit again in a warm place for an hour..

Preheat the oven to 450F and place the loaves in the middle rack and make some slashes over the loaves with a sharp knife, place an another baking tray to hold water on the bottom of baking tray and pour 2cups of tape water..this helps to make the crust crispy, close the oven door immediately and bake for 30minutes or until the crust is nicely browned and firm top..

Allow to cool completely and enjoy!!

Portuguese Bean Soup/Sopa De Feijao

Portuguese bean soup which is quite an easy, healthy, filling and fantastic soup with plenty of veggies and beans..This portuguese bean soup is one of the local favourite and this soup tastes incredible when its cold or rainy days..Its seems each and everyone had their own personnal interpretation of this dish and traditionally this dish is mainly prepared with tomato base ingredients and gets its rich flavour from smoked ham hocks which i completely omitted in this recipe and prepared with plenty of veggies like carrots, potatoes, cabbages, celery ,diced tomatoes cooked with tomato paste and herbs with tinned red kidney beans..We enjoyed having this fantastic, filling and hearty soup for our dinner yesterday and we loved it...These soup goes directly to AWED-Portuguese which am hosting,the event started by DK..

2nos Yellow onions (chopped)

1cup Carrots (diced)

1cup Celery (diced)

3nos Potatoes (cubed)

3cups Cabbage (chopped coarsely)

4nos Tomatoes (diced)

2tbsp Tomato paste

3nos Garlic cloves (minced)

2cans Red kidney beans

5cups Vegetable broth

1/4cup Parsley leaves (chopped)

3nos Bay leaves

3/4tsp Pepper powder

Olive oil

Salt

In a large pot, heat the olive oil and saute the bay leaves, chopped onions and minced garlic cloves..once the onions turns transculent, add the chopped parsley leaves, followed by diced carrots, diced celery, diced tomatoes,diced potatoes and saute for few minutes, finally add the chopped cabbages,tomato paste, salt, pepper powder and cook everything again for few minutes, now add the red kidney beans and vegetable broth, keep the flame in medium flame and cook everything for 20minutes..finally put the flame to simmer and cook until the veggies get well cooked..

Serve hot with chopped parsley leaves and with buttered bread slices..