A Creative Spirit
If we were having coffee this weekend, I'd have to decline cake and cookies and watch while you enjoyed one of these delicious offerings. Tempting desserts at Sugar and Salt, Portimao. It's been a hectic week—a very hectic week socialising or, as my American friend calls it - 'gladding'. I've been gladding when I should... Continue Reading →
On my last visit to France I discovered an unusual way to serve my favourite dips hummus, Tzatziki and guacamole. The idea was SO simple yet effective I'm surprised I did not think of it myself! As you can see from the photographs the peppers form the train carriages which hold the vegetable sticks, and... Continue Reading →
The following recipe and photograph are courtesy of Colin, one of my blog followers. When he first suggested the recipe I thought using beetroot AND chocolate in a cake sounded rather bizarre. But then I thought, why not, so this weekend I'm going to give it a try. Anyone else game? If you cook the... Continue Reading →
During one of our visits to France I discovered an addictive sweet biscuit called nougatine. It's a wafer thin almond concoction eaten with coffee/tea or used as a decorative wafer when serving ice cream. Or if you are like me, and a real pig, you could munch your way through this addictive creation in one... Continue Reading →
I discovered this one-pot recipe when we went to a friend's house for dinner one evening. I loved it - not only is it delicious, but also simple to prepare and cook. Over time I discovered other favorites and it slipped from the weekly menu plan. However, a couple of week's ago reading "Out with... Continue Reading →
This traditional Easter recipe is courtesy of a friend in Northern Portugal. Tarte de Páscoa (Easter Tart) Ingredients Filo pastry (18 circles). I used 2 x 230g packets of *PÂte Feuilletée which I think is ready-made filo pastry. 1 medium onion (finely chopped) 500gr Spinach 4 Hardboiled Eggs 2 Uncooked eggs 70gr Parmesan Cheese 30gr... Continue Reading →
Or perhaps better known as Chocolate Salami! Chocolate Salami is very popular in the Algarve and is a great biscuity-cake to serve with tea or coffee. It's extremely rich so it's wise to cut the slices as thin as possible. I can only assume the name comes from its chouriço sausage-like appearance. So after my... Continue Reading →
From plot to plate - I grew the red cabbage used in this recipe in my vegetable plot! Ingredients Small Red Cabbage (sliced finely) 1 Onion (chopped) 1 Packet of smoked lardons (bacon pieces) Knob of lard or splash of olive oil 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds or cumin powder 1 bay leaf Salt to... Continue Reading →
OK, OK so I win no prizes for my food photography! I promise it tastes far better than it looks in this picture so any food photography tips gratefully received! One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to research and cook one new recipe each week. This weeks recipe "Savoury Pear Delight" was kindly supplied... Continue Reading →
A few months ago a friend in Northern Portugal kindly sent me some Jalapeno Peppers which were excess produce from her veggie garden. She also included a simple recipe on how to pickle Jalapenos plus a variety of chili seeds so I could grow my own. I thought Christmas had come early and I’d have... Continue Reading →
You can't get blood from a stone but apparently in Portugal you can get soup!The legend surrounding the recipe for Stone Soup (Sopa de pedra) has been passed down for generations. It made me smile so I thought I would share the story. Many many years ago in the Ribatejo area of Portugal a hungry... Continue Reading →
This recipe was really simple to cook and absolutely delicious. However, tracking down cranberries in Lyon proved problematic. I thought cranberries were in vogue but apparently not in this gastronomic centre. Eventually, after several fruitless forays to some local supermarkets (and not to beaten) we made the "pilgrimage" to the "English" Food shop aptly named... Continue Reading →
Stuck in a "culinary rut" one of my New Year’s Resolutions is to research and cook one new recipe each week; photograph the results, both successes and failures, and post to my blog. On reflection I should have named myself "Squirrel" not Piglet as I hoard tins, jars and packets of this and that in... Continue Reading →
I love carrot cake, so I was delighted when a friend shared this recipe so I could make my own. Hope you enjoy... Carrot CAke 175g light brown sugar 150ml sunflower oil 3 large eggs beaten 130g raisins 3 med carrots, grated 200g self raising flour zest of large orange 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda... Continue Reading →
Piglet in Portugal 