This is for my Friend Gosia. She's trying our recipes in Far Far Away.

(I thought you would like this!)

Portuguese Fish Stew (Caldeirada)

My Grandad used to be an expert on this one. I remember watching the boats coming a shore in front of our beach house in Portugal. Small boats. It was night time, I don't know, 10 pm or so. You would start to see torches on the beach and we would run to see the cows pulling the nets with all types of fish jumping and getting full of sand. This was very sustainable, and of a very small scale. This fishing method meant you would end up with all the different kinds of fish, so the fishermen came up with this stew. Simple flavours. A mixture of sea and land. There are several versions of this recipe, so here is mine. (Please note that this makes a massive quantity to feed a whole family on a summer Sunday! Downscale, if you want!)

1 Kg of fish (an assortment of white fish like monkfish, etc)

0,5 Kg of other seafood (like squid, prawns, etc. It depends on what you like)

0,5 kg of really good tomatoes, sliced in rings

0,3 kg of different colour peppers, sliced in rings

0,3 Kg of onions, sliced in rings

1 Kg of boiling potatoes, also sliced

loads of fresh parsley

a couple of bay leaves

good olive oil, about 150 ml

white wine, generously over everything

salt and pepper (and you can add a chili, if you like the heat)

Pick up a good casserole pot and start with a layer of onions, then the fish, then the seafood, then the tomatoes, then the peppers, then the potatoes. Season and add some parsley. Pour a bit of olive oil. Repeat the process until you run out of ingredients, finishing with a layer of potatoes and parsley. Pour the white wine over everything and a bit more olive oil. Put on the stove on a low to medium heat for about an hour and let the flavours mix. DO NOT STIR. Steam will go up and juices will come down, bringing wonderful aromas to the kitchen. Keep it covered at all times. Once the potatoes on top are cooked, you are ready to go. Serve it with crusty bread and soak it on the juices to clean your plate!

I love it!

Time has passed. New events. New clients. New contacts.

We were even featured in the newspaper! How Exciting!

Massive learning curve in what regards business. The cooking? We'll..... It's a pleasure, as always! This weekend, we decided to take a break. What did I do? Cooked! Had a great Saturday with friends. We shop together, we cook together, we eat and drink together! Food is a celebration with the ones we really care about. It's not only fuel! It's an experience to all senses. And it's bonding. To friends. To family.

We are so lucky we can provide these moments all the time!

See you all soon.

As promised!

Got an order of one of the most Portuguese tastes you can find.... "Caldo Verde"

It's a really simple soup. Traditionally from the country side in Portugal, it's great in winter, or in a cool summer night, at 2 or 3 in morning, after some sardines on the barbecue, fresh tomato salad, corn bread, and of course, a few glasses of wine!

So here it goes:

CALDO VERDE

1 litre of water

500g peeled potatoes

1 onion

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt

Mix all and bring to the boil until cooked. Blend.

Meanwhile get a savoy cabbage (original recipe is with Couve Galega, a Portuguese variety, but you can't find it here.) Shred it finely. Add to your broth until cooked, but leave it al dente. Finally slice some chourico, and add just before serving, with an extra drizzle of a really good olive oil. It's delicious with a slice of corn bread.

Enjoy!

Apologies for the absence of recipes....

We've been planning more upcoming events. As, you know, we are back on the markets, so will hopefully see you there. The recipe will have to wait till Friday, ok? These things can't be rushed, if made proper! :0)