Fish wrapped in ham with crushed peas and warm tomato
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Fish, Vegetables | Tags: Cod, Fish, Ham, Mafalda Pinto Leite, Peas, Tomato Leave a comment »
Another MaMafalda Pinto Leite’s Cozinha Para Quem Não Tem Tempo [Cooking for those who have no time]. It is quick, easy and a spectacular combination of flavors. I was a bit too slow, but the author probably only set up the alarm clock once she got all the ingredients prepared. Still, it is worthwhile doing it.
Fish wrapped in ham with crushed peas and warm tomatoes
Ingredients
- 4 rosemary springs
- 4 white fish firm fillets (I used fresh cod)
- 4 prosciutto or jamón slices
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 leek cut in slices (only the white parts)
- 2 tomatoes finely chopped
- 2 cups of frozen peas
- 1/2 of vegetable or chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons chopped minth
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Put the rosemary springs on top of each fish fillet. Pepper it. Wrap each fillet with one ham slice.
Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan in medium-high heat. When it is hot, put the fish in, and cook for 4 minutes or until it is done. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Fold the tomato into the same frying pan and cook for about 1 minute or until it is warm.
In the meanwhile, heat the other half of the olive oil in a medium size sauce pan. When it is pipping hot, fold in the sliced leeks and sauté until they are soft. Poor in the stock and let it boil. Then, add the peas and bring to boil for about 6min. When ready, add the mint, salt and pepper to taste. Crush the peas.
Serve the fish together with the tomato and the crushed peas.
Chestnut soup with rosemary pesto
Posted: February 17, 2012 Filed under: Soup, Vegetables | Tags: Chestnuts, Herbs, Mafalda Pinto Leite, Pesto, Soup Leave a comment »
Still bitterly cold in Zurich. The type of weather that calls for a hearty soup to keep you warm… Randomly found this recipe in Mafalda Pinto Leite’s Cozinha Para Quem Não Tem Tempo [Cooking for those who have no time]. The combination of flavors looked exactly what I was looking for and I even fancied chestnuts, for whatever obscure metabolical reasons. You cannot wrong with this recipe, but this gets hardly done in the 30min she claims it take. The original recipe called for 150mL of cream to be added at the end. I found it a bit excessive and replaced the cream an equivalent quantity of chicken stock.
It was really good and soul warming. And, it is really worthwhile to make the rosemary… it just gives the soup a little punch, making it more interesting.
Chestnut soup with rosemary pesto
Ingredients for the soup
- 800g of peeled chestnuts (I used frozen ones)
- 1/2 cup of olive oil – about 120 mL
- 2 yellow onions chopped
- 3 celery sticks sliced
- 125g bacon slices, shredded
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 red skin potato
- 1,5L chicken stock
Ingredients for the rosemary pesto
- 1 table spoon of finely chopped rosemary
- 1 garlic clove
- 20g pinenuts
- salt
- 40g of grated Parmesan cheese
- 100 mL olive oil.
Method
Heat the olive oil in a big saucepan until it shimmers. Add the onion, celery, bacon and garlic. Cook for 10min or until the onion get soft and the mix start to color.
Add the chestnuts, the potato and the garlic. Add in salt and pepper to taste.
Bring it to boil, cover, and then let it simmer for about 25min, or until all ingredients are soft.
In the meanwhile, start the pesto. Put the rosemary, garlic and pinenuts in a mixer. Blend and after, add the cheese and the salt. Add slowly the olive oil, mixing at the same time so you get a creamy mixture.
Finally, blend in the soup (if you want to add cream, this is your chance to do it).
Serve the chestnut cream sprinkled with the pesto.
Roasted chicken with sweet potato
Posted: February 5, 2012 Filed under: Chicken, Vegetables | Tags: Chicken, Honey, Leeks, Mafalda Pinto Leite, Sweet potato 3 Comments »
I had done dishes by Mafalda Pinto Leite before (here and here), and I knew she has good hand with combining different tastes and textures. Last time I was in Lisbon, I bought her book Cozinha Para Quem Não Tem Tempo [Cooking for those who have no time], to give it a try. Now that I have a regular office job again, it seemed like a good idea to have a bunch of recipes that are easy, quick and good all together. This was my first dish out of that book, and I have to say it seems I only got the last one right…. It is indeed an excellent combination of flavors and it warms your soul. However, it actually took way longer than she claimed and the recipe was a bit confusing. Nothing a good cook cannot fix, but nevertheless, a bit lame… Still worthwhile redoing and eating for as long as the Winter is here. Mind you, I ate it all and scrapped the Pyrex.
Roasted chicken with sweet potato
Ingredients
- 4 pieces of chicken (either breast or thighs)
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup of chopped coriander
- 3 baby leeks, finely sliced (or 2 regular leeks, only white parts)
- 1 teaspoon of lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons of grated ginger
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons of runny honey
- 1/3 water cup
- 200g sweet potato, peeled and sliced
- Olive oil to brush
Method
Pre-heat the oven griller to medium-high
Put the garlic, coriander, baby leeks, lemon zest, ginger, soy sauce, honey and water in a tall jug or beaker. Blend in with a mixer for about 2 minutes, until is chopped but still with pieces. Poor this sauce on top of the chicken and spread well. Reserve.
Brush the sweet potato with olive oil.
Put the chicken and the sweet potatoes on an oven proof dish and grill until it is golden and cooked.
You can serve this dish with a green salad.
Apple, sage and goat cheese salad
Posted: September 25, 2010 Filed under: Salad, Vegetarian | Tags: Apples, Goat cheese, Mafalda Pinto Leite, spinach 1 Comment »
T. brought this warm apples, nuts, sage, goat cheese and autumn leaves salad last time she came home for dinner. “Did you know Mafalda Pinto Leite?”, she asked, while she took over the kitchen and put the salad together. “Mafalda who?” I answered. Clearly, I was missing out on something. The recipe is from the book Cozinha Para Quem Não Tem Tempo (in a very liberal translation from the Portuguese, Cooking for Those Who Have No Time)
Apple, sage and goat cheese salad
Ingredients (4 persons)
- 60g butter without salt
- 1 tablespoon of sage leafs (no chopping needed).
- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar (I used cherry vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon of brown sugar (cane sugar will also work fine)
- 2 green apples without core and cut in quarters.
- Half mug of chopped nuts
- 100g de rucola or red spinach (I used a bag of autumn leaves)
- 150g of sliced goat cheese (the creamy one)
Method
Put the butter, sage, vinegar and sugar in a frying pan (low heat). When the butter has melted, add the nuts and the apples and. Let cook for a few minutes or until the fruit is tender.
Make a bed of leafs in the dishes, and place the apples and the nuts on top. Reserve the juice that was left on the pan, and poor it over the nuts and apples. Finish with the sliced goat cheese.
Total time of cooking: 8 minutes-ish. Looking for the right ingredients in the cupboard: one eternity.
