Today’s breakfast comes to us from Portugal. But first, a brief note from your diarist.
Typically, this diary series and comments have been about breakfast/brunch recipes and other fun things. Comments of a political nature are generally allowed although not explicitly part of this diary series. For today’s diary, I’d like to try an experiment of not having any discussion of politics in the comments. I know this is a political site but sometimes you just need a break from politics.
Now on to the recipes. There are a few today, some of them classics and others unique to Portugal.
A lot of cultures seem to want to have their own variations on French toast, and Portugal is no exception, referring to it as rabanadas. This particular recipe uses honey and cinnamon to add some varied flavors. I’ll have to see what this tastes like!
- Put the milk, sugar, honey, and the cinnamon stick in a small saucepan. Let it boil slowly for 3-5 minutes on medium-low. Set aside.
- Cut the loaf in 1.5 in. slices. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.
- Heat the oil until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Also have a plate aside with some paper towels on it. Once the toasts fry they can sit there so all the extra oil comes off.
- Now get ready: Soak both sides of the bread slices in the milk mixture and cover them with beaten egg. Quickly add the slices to the hot oil, in batches and fry on both sides until golden brown. Remove from the frying pan and drain them on the paper towels.
- Serve warm or cold sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. The rabanadas are ready and taste out of this world!
Portuguese Toast (Rabanadas)
More surprisingly, Portugal has its own variation on oatmeal porridge. Instead of boiling the oats in water, you can boil them in milk! This is definitely something I have not tried personally; if you’ve tried it, feel free to leave a comment with your experience and how it tasted.
- Boil the milk in a saucepan, add the oats and season with a pinch of salt. Bake oats by stirring from time to time so they don't stick. Add sugar or honey.
- Wash the apple, peel, remove the core and grate.
- Mix the apple with the oats, stir well and pour into a bowl.
- Sprinkle with cinnamon and serve hot.
Porridge / Mingau / Papas de Aveia
What to do with stale bread is perhaps one of the most vexing problems to try and solve in the history of home cooking. You often can’t do much with it except try to eat it (if you have an cast-iron stomach and/or have a supply of medicines handy), feed it to animals or use it for croutons; but if it’s becoming multicolored or turning into a science experiment, it’s better to just toss it. This next recipe turns stale bread into the foundation for a simple, yet wonderful dish of poached eggs. Ingenious!
Step 1
Boil the water in a saucepan.
Step 2
Put the olive oil and the chopped garlics in a frying pan and sauté over low heat for about 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the bread, season with a little salt and pepper and mix well. Then, pour the boiling water gradually and stir until the bread start to break down slightly. Sprinkle with chopped coriander, stir, add the eggs one by one and poach them about 7 to 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand about 5 minutes.
Step 3
Season the eggs with a little pepper and serve.
Migas (crumbs) with poached eggs
This last recipe is something that seems to be most appropriate for close friends, relatives or family members. It’s a dish for sharing, and doesn’t claim to be pretentious or hoity-toity. You could say that it’s the Portuguese analog of a spam casserole. The chourico referred to in the recipe is a fully-cooked pork and garlic sausage typically used in Portuguese cooking and usually available from a Portuguese or Brazilian grocery. It can be substituted with Spanish chorizo, andouille, linguica or paprika, but probably doesn’t combine well with Mexican chorizo (which is uncooked sausage).
- In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, cook the chourico for 5 minutes or until slightly browned. Add olive oil, onion, garlic and chile pepper (if using). Continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Add sherry or wine to the pan, and deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in tomatoes, paprika, bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until peas are almost cooked through and sauce has slightly thickened. Stir in peas.
- Using a large spoon, create four hollows in the pea mixture, and carefully break an egg into each hollow. Cover skillet and simmer until the eggs are cooked as desired (7 minutes should be enough for a soft, runny yolk; 10 minutes for a hard, crumbly yolk).
- To serve, arrange thick slices of fresh crusty bread or toasted English muffin halves on four plates. Spoon some of the braised peas onto the bread on each plate, then top each serving off with an egg. Sprinkle with a little fresh parsley, if you have some.
Portuguese Braised Peas with Eggs and Chourico
Cozinha feliz! (Happy cooking!)