Mr. Santos shares:

Bifes a Cafe

(Steaks with Coffee Sauce)

INGREDIENTS:
4 sirloin steaks
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
2dl of cream
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons of strong coffee
Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)
50 grams of margarine
1/2 teaspoon of sugar

To Make:

1-Season the steaks with the garlic and the bay leaves cut in half.

2-Heat the margarine in a frying pan.

3-Fry the steaks quickly in the margarine on a high heat.

4-Remove them when they are rare, and season them with salt and pepper.

5-Add the cream to the margarine and stir it.

6-The coffee is mixed in next.Stir until the sauce thickens.

7-Put the steaks and the juice into the sauce to reheat.

8-Remove and serve accompanied by a salad and/or French fries.

Mr. Sa hints:

Acorda a Alentejana (Dry Soup of Garlic and Coriander)

Ingredients:
4 lg garlic cloves, peeled & quartered
2-1/2 cups fresh coriander leaves (measure loosely packed; you'll need a large bunch)
2 tsp coarse salt

1/3 cup olive oil
6 med eggs
7 cups boiling water
6 cups 15-18" loaf 2-3 day old dense bread, cut into slices of 1-1/2 " chunks

Preparation:

Using a mortar and pestle, grind the garlic, coriander, and salt to paste. Transfer to a large heat-proof bowl and blend in the olive oil.
Break the eggs, slide into the boiling water, and poach 2 minutes; reserve the cooking water, keeping it at a gentle boil.
Add the bread to the bowl, sprinkle with pepper, and toss well with coriander mixture. Now pour in the reserved egg-poaching water (there will be bits of egg white in it, but no matter) and stir gently to mix. Ease the eggs on top of the soup, distributing them evenly; then sprinkle, if you like, with more minced fresh coriander.

Serve from the bowl at table, ladling into heated soup plates and topping each portion with poached egg.

Mr. Pizarro advises:

Portuguese Sweet Rice (Rice Pudding)

INGREDIENTS
4 cups milk
4 cups water
1 cup sugar (separated)
1cup rice
125 g butter
3 eggs (separated)
1 tsp. vanilla
pinch salt
cinnamon (garnish)
lemon (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS
Separate the eggs; beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside (keep cold).
Beat 1/2 cup of sugar with the yolks, and vanilla-aside .In a pot, bring to boil: the milk, water, 1/2 cup of sugar, and salt.
Slowly add rice, stirring constantly. When the rice absorbs the liquid, test for doneness, add more milk if necessary.
Add the butter, mix well stirring constantly, when the rice is fully done, remove from heat.
Very slowly beat in egg yolk mixture, fold in stiff egg whites and add grated lemon peel and a little juice if desired, sprinkle cinnamon on top.

Mr. R. Pereira guarantees:

Ovos-moles Soft Eggs - Regional Dessert

This very rich soft egg dessert is a symbol of the city of Aveiro

INGREDIENTS
30 egg yolks
2.5dl of water
500g of sugar
cinnamon (to garnish)


TO PREPARE
Boil the sugar and water for approximately 3 minutes until it turns into light syrup. Then add the egg yolks to the sugar syrup. On a low flame mix continuously with a wooden spoon until it thickens. Garnish with cinnamon.

Mr. C. Pereira explains:

Fresh Grilled Sardines

Ingredients:
Fresh Sardines (approx. 6-8 per person)
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper

Directions:
Heat the stovetop grill.
Brush cleaned sardines (head intact) with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill a minute or two on each side.

Serve with roasted new potatoes and roasted peppers.

Mr. Neves announces:

Bife a Portuguesa (Steak the Portuguese Way)

Ingredients:

4 pieces London broil or sirloin strip

1 lg. onion, sliced
4 eggs

Marinade
1 cup white wine

1 tsp. red pepper

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 tbsp. paprika

1 tsp. salt

Preparation:

Marinate steak for 6 hours. In large skillet fry steak and onions together. After about 20 minutes, pour marinade in skillet; cook until absorbed. When done, drop raw egg over each steak and cover and cook until egg is cooked.

Mr. Mestre explains:

Tuna Steaks

INGREDIENTS (4 people):
750 g fresh tuna steaks
1 dl of white wine vinegar
2 bay leaves
4 cloves garlic
1 dl olive oil
2 onions
salt and pepper to taste


HOW TO PREPARE IT:

Marinade the tuna in the vinegar, thinly sliced garlic, salt, pepper and the bay leaves for about 3 hours. After this, fry the tuna fish in olive oil reserving marinade. When the tuna is done, remove it temporarily.
Meanwhile, slice the onions and fry them in the olive oil in which you fried the tuna.
When the onions seem glassy, put return the tuna fish to the pan and add the marinade and let it reduce.
Serve with french fries.

Mr. Malhao mentions:

Migas a Alentejana

Ingredients:
500 g of pork ribs
250 g of pork loin without bones
200 g of bacon
4 cloves of garlic
750 g of old bread
50 g of pork fat
3 red peppers (for sauce)
Salt
Orange slices for garnish


Pepper sauce
Put the raw peppers in a blender and reduce them to sauce, add half teaspoon of salt.


Chop the pork ribs and the loin into pieces.
Mix the crushed garlic and the pepper sauce together and rub into the meat.
After this, put the meat aside for 24 hours.
The next day chop the bacon into pieces and fry it with the ribs and loin in pork fat.
If necessary add some water (a few drops at a time) so the meat doesn’t burn.
As the meat becomes golden take it off of the fire.
When everything is fried, strain the fat (it will be used later).
Meanwhile cut the bread in slices and place in a bowl. Pour enough boiling water over it to moisten the bread. Then crumble the bread (with your hands) until it forms a ball.
After this, season the bread with most of the reserved pork fat (hold some aside for garnish).
Now stir the bread, form again into a ball and set it aside for 2-3 minutes until a crust begins to form.
Finally, put the migas on a serving platter with the bacon and pork and drizzle with the rest of the fat.
Garnish with orange slices.
Serve it immediately.

Serves 4

Mr. Ferreira boasts:

Fried Shrimp

Ingredients:

1kg of shrimp

2 cloves of garlic minced

juice of 1 lemon
1/3 of cup of oil

salt to taste

Preparation:

Temper the shrimp with garlic, lemon juice and salt and let marinate for 30 minutes. Next, put the shrimp in boiling water for 2 minutes and drain it. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the shrimp until it is golden.

Mr. Dias recommends:

Lisbon Steak Recipe

Ingredients:

4 tenderloin steaks, cut 1/2 inch thick

2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

1 pint container of heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 tablespoons of brandy

1-8 oz. can of mushrooms

salt to taste

Over medium heat , melt the butter in a 12 inch skillet. Fry the steaks turning them over after 2 minutes or so. You do not want to overcook them at this point. They will finish cooking later.

Add the cream and mushrooms to the steaks and cook for 5 minutes. Add the brandy and pepper and simmer over low heat. Simmer steaks for 5 to 10 minutes.

Served with mashed potatoes or fries. OK, to make it a little healthier a vegetable would be nice.

You can drink a delicious cold beer with this dish.

Mr. Calvo suggests:

The legend of the stone soup (sopa da pedra)

The sopa da pedra (stone soup) is a specialty from Almeirim. There is a tale that the first man who made this soup was a very tricky and wise friar.

This friar was collecting things for charity when he arrived to a farmer's house and asked for a donation - nobody gave him anything. He was starving and said:

I'm going to see if I can make a stone soup.

Then he picked up a stone from the ground, cleaned it and started to look at it in order to see if it was good for the soup. Everybody was laughing and making fun of him. Then he replied:

So you never ate a soup of stone? I tell you it is a very good thing.

That is one thing that we want to see, the farmers joked.

That was the answer the friar wanted to hear.

Can you lend me a pot?

They lent him a pot. He filled the pot with water and put the stone inside.

Now I will put the pot on the fire and let the water boil.

When the pot started to boil he said.

With a little lard the soup tastes better.

They went to look for a piece of lard. The friar tasted the soup and he said.

I need a bit of salt and a head of cabbage if you don't mind. It is for the poor.

Then the farmer's wife went to the vegetable garden and brought the head of cabbage. The farmer and his wife were staring at the friar.

The friar cleaned the head of cabbage and cut it into pieces and put them into
the pot.

The friar's eyes were shining and he made the last request.

Do you have a chorizo? With the chorizo the soup will taste better. Even the angels would like to taste our soup.

The wife of the farmer cut a piece of chorizo and gave him. He took a piece of bread from his tunic and heated the soup. After he finished, the stone was at the bottom of the pot and the farmer asked,
-Friar, what about the stone? What are you going to do with it?

I'm going to keep it for the next time I make the soup. Good bye and God bless you….

Sopa da pedra (Stone Soup)

Ingredients for 8 people.

- 1 litre red beans
- 1 pig's ear
- 1 red chorizo (Portuguese sausage)
- 1 black chorizo (Portuguese sausage)
- 150 gr bacon
- 750 gr potatoes
- 2 onions chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 bunch coriander
- Salt and pepper

Put the beans in cold water for 6 hours.
Blanch and clean the pig's ear.
Boil the beans with the pig's ear and the chorizos, the bacon, onions, garlic and the bay leaf.
Season with salt and pepper, if it is necessary add more water.
Take out the meat when is cooked (approximately 30 minutes).
Chop the potatoes and the coriander and add.
When the potatoes and beans are ready (approximately 25 minutes) take the pot off the stove.
Take 1/2 cup beans and mash them and stir into the sauce to thicken it.
Slice the pig's ear, the chorizos and the bacon and add to the pot.
Get one small well-cleaned stone and put in the pot (actually helps to keep the soup warm).
Let the pot sit for 30 minutes or more for the flavors to mingle. Reheat before serving if necessary.
Normally we drink red wine from the wine cellar from Almeirim.
Enjoy!


If you want to know more please see:

http://www.ribatejo.com/ecos/index.html
http://www.adegacoopalmeirim.pt/adegadealmeirim.htm

http://www.globalwinespirits.com/wx/es-QUINTADAALORNA/PORTAL.INDEX

There are many fabulous restaurants to choose from in Portugal's capital city, Lisbon. While you can try exotic foods from around the globe, you can also find many interesting restaurants specializing in regional Portuguese cooking.

You can also find many fabulous cooks here. Our class has put together a small sampling of what you might find. Feel free to try one of our recipes and let us know what you think.

Introductions are in order:

According to Wikipedia, the Portuguese Republic is located on the west and southwest parts of the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe, and is the westernmost country in continental Europe. Portugal is bordered by Spain to the north and east and by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south. In addition, Portugal includes two archipelagos in the Atlantic, the Azores and the Madeira Islands.

Now listen to what our class members have to say about Portugal!

Calvo



Dias





Ferreira





Malhao




Mestre




Neves





C. Pereira




R. Pereira

Pizarro




Sa





Santos

Lisbon - Statistics

Location - Central Portugal, on the coast

Town area - 2,750 Km2

Total area - 84,600 Km2

Population - 2,100,000 (556,797 resident)

Highest point - 226 m (Monsanto)

Monuments: Lisbon Cathedral (Se de Lisboa), Castle (Castelo de S. Jorge), Tower of Belem, Monastery of Jeronimos, The Aquaduct, The National Theater, Convent of Graca, Convent of Carmo, Monument to the Discoveries

Local Holiday - July 13 (St. Anthony's Feast Day)

Climate - Temperate between 30C in summer to 10C in winter

(Before you come check the weather forecast at:http://www.worldweather.org/003/m003.htm)

Portugal - Statistics

Capital - Lisbon

Official language - Portuguese

Government type - Parliamentary Democracy

Currency - Euro

Location - Southwestern Europe, Iberian Peninsula

Area - 92,391 Km2

Population - 10,066,253

Highest point - 2,351 m (Pico mountain, Azores Islands)

Welcome to our class blog about Lisbon. We intend to introduce you to the sights and sounds of Europe's best kept secret! Stay tuned . . .