comfort food

KN, p. 290 “Portuguese Food Adventure”

The best part of any trip for a food enthusiast is the wonderful taste treats encountered along the way. The beach might be fun, the mountains may be spectacular, but if we can share the views with friends over a great meal, the memories will stay with us for a very long time.

 

We spent our recent trip to Portugal in Porto and Braga, (in the northern region, about four/ five hours north of Lisbon). We discovered that northern inland Portugal eateries focused on cod, the national fish of Portugal, as a menu choice. Fried, poached, grilled, broiled, mashed – with different sauces everywhere. The coastal towns have a larger sampling of the seas, but the islands of the Azores deliver the greatest variety I have ever eaten – including fish I had never heard of before. Dourado (a type of bream) and robalo (a type of sea bass) can be found in more expensive restaurants, as well as at lunch counters near the ocean.

 

Since the bigger Portuguese cities are tourist destinations for an international crowd, small restaurants and specialty lunch places are tucked around the edges of central plazas. They offer freshly cooked food – a big departure from American chains.

 

Enjoyed as a ‘fast-food’ all over the EuroZone, Doner Kebab is basically shaved meat (lamb, veal, or chicken) served on a hamburger roll or in a takeout box on top of fresh vegetables. The meat is stacked and cooked on a metal rod and often displayed in the front window of the restaurant. A large shaver is used to slice the meat quite thin.
                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Doner Kebab lunch in a Porto sandwich shop near the train station was made with chicken. Beneath the chicken in the photo is shredded lettuce and tomato. The sauce is a garlicky, mayo type sauce similar to Tzatziki.

 

Lots of lunch menus include beef, chicken, or fish served with an egg on top. We ate this dish (steak and peppers with fries under the egg) at a diner-type place in Porto frequented by the locals – a great venue for comfort food served quickly to people from the neighborhood businesses on their lunch hour.

One welcome change we found on this trip to northern Portugal was that almost all the restaurants now have some version of a tossed salad on the menu, as well as vegetables listed as side dishes. The vegetables are well-seasoned to complement the main dishes. We have yet to eat at a place with bland food, so bring your taste buds.

 

Part of the foreign travel adventure is that our American stand-by favorites are frequently reimagined (or deconstructed) to reflect the local chef’s interpretation. The dinner menu at a lovely restaurant in Braga promised a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich. This is what was served – layers of Canadian style bacon, bread, and sliced tomato, all sitting in a tomato soup with an egg on top. Delicious, spicy, and oh so filling, but not at all what a traveler from the U.S. would expect for a BLT.

Another night, we wandered into a vegetarian restaurant that advertised all-you-can-eat with a price tag of about $12.00 for each of us. We doubted that we could stuff ourselves on ‘just veggies,’ but wow, were we wrong. Large platters filled the banquet tables with beautifully arranged appetizer sized vegetable concoctions. One notable item we might try to make at home was sliced, grilled sweet potato rounds, with a dollop of zesty hummus on top. Another platter held small stuffed mushroom caps filled with a pesto mixture. Yum!

 

As travel opens up around the world, be prepared to be surprised and delighted by the many new choices of cuisine. There are tourist traps out there that charge too much for the food you are served, but many are quite reasonably priced. Most places have menus near the doorway so you can be prepared before walking in (or away). We have found gems tucked behind the famous spots, and lousy food when a renowned chef has a bad day, but we’ve had tons more great food than ‘eh.’

 

It’s all an adventure and you’ll come back with great stories to share. Plus, some of the places we visited were perfect settings for murder mysteries, with subdued lighting and centuries-old architecture, so what’s not to like?

 

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KNR, p. 202 “The Kerrians’ Famous Mac & Cheese”

 

The temperatures are cooling off and comfort food takes center stage at our house. We fend off the chill with body warming soup and hearty sandwiches, but every once in a while, we like mac & cheese for lunch or dinner.

I like to taste test the new versions with different goodies added to the mix, but there is a basic recipe that Sheila uses (and even I can make) that is fail-safe. We sometimes prepare it ahead and serve it as a side dish if we’re expecting a crowd.

A couple of thoughts: It looks like a lot of instructions, but you’re boiling noodles, grating cheese, making a sauce, and putting it together in layers – like lasagna. No bodies were found while making the latest batch. Promise.  🙂

Here’s our famous Mac & Cheese recipe:

 

The Kerrians' Famous Mac & Cheese

Sheila Kerrian
tasty comfort food
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Equipment

  • 2 quart baking dish
  • 3 quart pot

Ingredients
  

Noodles

  • 1 8 oz box small elbow noodles
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon butter or margarine for boiling water, to keep noodles from clumping
  • 1 teaspoon butter for tossing noodles

White Sauce

  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 5 Tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups milk
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 pinch ground black pepper

Additional Ingredients

  • 12 oz sharp cheddar, grated
  • 2 cups croutons, seasoned  (we use the garlic & herb variety)
  • 1 cup bacon, crisp, crumbled   *optional
  • 1 whole tomato *optional

Instructions
 

Noodles

  • Bring 1 and 1/2 quarts water to boil in a 3 quart pot, add 2 teaspoons sea salt and stir.
  • Add dry noodles and 1 teaspoon margarine to boiling salted water and stir.
  • Boil noodles until fork tender, stirring frequently (about 20 mins).
  • (While noodles are boiling, prepare the White Sauce.)
  • Thoroughly drain the noodles, toss with 1 teaspoon butter, and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 375.

White Sauce

  • In one quart pot, melt 4 Tablespoons butter on medium heat, being careful not to burn it.
  • Add 1 Tablespoon flour, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and stir until well blended.
  • Add 4 more Tablespoons flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring each until well-blended and the mixture pulls away from the sides of the pot.
  • Remove from heat. Add 1 cup milk (1/4  cup at a time) stirring until smooth, without clumps.
  • Return to heat and gradually add 3 more cups milk, while stirring. As the sauce thickens, stir to keep it from sticking to the pot and/or clumping. It is ready when it is the consistency of creamy gravy.
  • Add pinch of black pepper. Remove from heat and set aside. It will thicken a bit more while sitting.

Cheese and Assembly

  • Grate all of the cheese and set aside.
  • Use a 2-quart baking dish. You will be assembling the mac & cheese in layers (like lasagna).
  • Spread 1/4 cup of sauce on bottom of baking dish.
  • Spread 1/3 of the noodles in the bottom.
  • Spread 1/3 of the remaining white sauce on the noodles.
  • Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese on top of the sauce.
  • Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the croutons on top of the cheese.
  • Repeat the layers twice more, but with the top layer, crumble the remaining croutons and spread evenly on top.
  • Bake at 375 until heated through and cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes, no lid.
  • Serve with salad.

Notes

Options: Create a well in the center of a whole tomato and serve mac & cheese in it.
Sprinkle crumbled bacon on top of mac & cheese as a garnish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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KNR, p. 136 “Chicken and Sausage Gumbo”

A friend of ours usually goes to New Orleans every year to celebrate Mardi Gras, but this year she had to miss it because of a work conflict. She loves the great food and the music, and has even thought of moving there. (I think she just wants to get away from all the snow and ice up here.) Since she couldn’t go, we thought we’d have her over for dinner, cook up some gumbo, and get some lively New Orleans music streamed in.

She likes both seafood and meat gumbos, and our recipe combines both. I’ve been told that there are as many gumbo recipes as there are cooks to make it. Apparently, as long as celery, green bell peppers, and onions are the base, almost anything else can go into the pot.

Here’s our version:

 

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Charlie & Sheila Kerrian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 1 biggest spaghetti pot you have
  • 1 8" saute pan

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch chunks, and seasoned with salt
  • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/2 pound Andouille sausage, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
  • 1/2 pound smoked sausage, cut into ½ inch chunks
  • 1/2 pound okra pods, sliced into ¼ inch slices, stems removed(or 2 cups sliced, frozen okra)
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon + 4 Tablespoons butter/canola spread
  • 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups celery, chopped
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 cup green bell pepper, seeded, then chopped into 1/4" pieces
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, seeded, then chopped into 1/4” pieces
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 2-3 cups low sodium chicken broth (2 cups for stew, 3 cups for soup)
  • 1 Tablespoon Bay seasoning (optional)
  • 1/2 pound cooked, peeled, de-veined shrimp
  • Cooked white rice  

Instructions
 

  • Salt the chicken, all sides.
  • In deepest pot you have, use 1 Tablespoon olive oil and sauté the chicken on medium high heat until golden brown – about 5 mins.
  • Add sausages and 1 Tablespoon chicken broth to the pot. Lower heat to medium-low, cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep meat from sticking. Take off heat.
  • Meanwhile, sauté the okra with 1 teaspoon butter and ½ teaspoon sea salt in pan at medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside, including juices.
  • The Roux: In the sauté pan, melt 4 Tablespoons butter. Add the flour 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly on medium heat to mix thoroughly, until the roux is the color of dark caramel, but not burned - about 15 minutes. Drop the heat to low, then add the onion, stir constantly until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add celery, bell peppers, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, garlic and mix together until well-coated – about 5 minutes. Mixture will be thick.
  • Add vegetable mixture to the sausage/chicken pot and mix together.
  • Slowly add back in (stir after each cup) the okra, chicken broth, and Bay seasoning. Turn heat up long enough to bring mixture to a boil, then drop heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes, continuing to stir. Add salt to taste if needed.
  • If adding the cooked shrimp, drop it into the mixture and stir together, another 5 minutes.
  • Place cooked rice in bowl, then place gumbo on top. Serve with cornbread and enjoy!

 

GumboVeggies

 

*Photos by Patti Phillips

 

 

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