1 year anniversary - Friands ( Toucinho do Ceu)

Portuguese Kitchen turns 1 year old today. It was started in the wee hours of the 31st at 12.30am when this new blogger couldn't sleep due to glandular fever. When I'd started the blog I'd been home bound for 5 months. I was very bored & restless, & thought it would be a brilliant idea to pass away some of the time by sharing the food  I grew up with. Little did I know it would take another year for me to fully recover.
To commemorate the occasion I've got a new header, thanks to my sister in law for designing it. I hope you like it.

In 2008 I took a trip to Portugal & found that my passion for Portuguese food grew, it is as I've said many times before, it's more than just Portuguese chicken & custard tarts. I think I've proven that in this blog.
With my new found health my life this year is going in a very different direction, I plan to be very busy so I'm not sure how often I'll be able to post, whether it'll be every week or every month. Whatever it's going to be I'm happy this blog has grown, at last count several thousand read this blog every week, from countries such as the US, UK, Australia, & Portugal being 4th on the list. It has surely surpassed my expectations, I really had expected only a handful of people reading this blog.

I hope you've enjoyed reading & learning about Portugal.
Today as it's celebration time, I've posted a friand cake, which is french, the Portuguese have a very similar cake called Toucinho do Ceu.
This recipe is slightly different to the original Portuguese one, I think it's much lighter.
Almond trees grow all over the Algarve & each winter for 3 weeks they flower producing an explosion of colour that blankets the landscape with white or pink blossoms.  It's a site to be hold really. There are lot's & lot's of sweets made in Portugal using almonds.
The recipe I've provided is from the Women's Weekly More Cakes & Slices, it's a great recipe  which I've used for years.

Recipe

185g butter, melted
1 cup almond meal
6 egg whites, beaten
240g icing sugar
75g plain flour
100g frozen or fresh mixed berries 

 
1. Weigh the dry ingredients in a bowl

 2. Whip the egg white lightly

3. Melt the butter add it to the dry ingredients & then fold in the egg whites gently.

 4. Spray the muffin tins with baking spray. Add the friand mixture into each tin. Bake for 10 min at 170 degrees. After 10 min add the mixed berries & bake a further 10 min.

Note

• If you add the frozen berries straight to the mixture I find that they sink to the bottom, so cooking  the friand slightly allows them to stay on top.

Cuttlefish in black ink - Chocos com tinta

Happy New Year everyone.
Blogger has introduced a new section that shows your stats & I was blown away by how many people are reading my blog a week,several thousand, which totally surprised me as I only have 10 followers, it's great to know people are enjoying something I love.
So I encourage you to either leave a comment or sign up to become a follower, we bloggers love to know what you think of what is posted as a lot of work goes into a post.

During the holidays I had a family member visit from the UK & they requested seafood, as the part of the UK they live doesn't have the quantity or quality that we Australians enjoy.
I made all the favorites, octopus, mussels with garlic,wine & parsley, garlic prawns, cuttlefish in black ink.

I have memories of eating this dish as a small child & remember very vividly watching my mother clean the cuttlefish.
I can't tell you how delicious this dish is, the black ink has the intense flavour of the sea. 

Ingredients

• 100ml olive oil

• 1 kg cuttlefish

• 6 garlic cloves chopped

• 4  bay leaves

• 1/2 tea salt

• 100ml white wine

• 1 tab parsley, chopped

1. Hold the cuttlefish in your hand & pull the tentacles out being very careful to not break the ink sac.
Once the tentacles are removed, remove the ink sac by cutting it away from the intestines & placing it aside in a bowl.
Pull out the cuttle bone & under cold running water pull the skin off.
Cut the cuttle fish into bit size pieces.

2. Heat a fry pan on medium heat add the oil then the garlic,  20 seconds later add the cuttlefish, bay leaves & then the ink sacs, stir for 1 min. The ink sacs should release the black ink, add the salt & the white wine & cook a further 3 min.  
Transfer the cuttlefish to a serving dish & sprinkle with chopped parsley.