Spring Pea Soup with Roasted Radishes and Sweet and Salty Cashews / Sopa de Ervilhas com Rabanetes assados e Cajus agri-doces.

Around Christmas time, Kyle Books threw a "Advent Cookbook Quiz" on Instagram and I was the lucky winner.

I had to choose 3, from 7 available books and one of the books I chose was Rita Serano's "Vegan in 7".

A delightful book, full of delicious vegan recipes and very straightforward and unpretentious.

Recipes using only 7 or less ingredients, beautiful gorgeous photos and simple, but delightful, recipe introductions.

You all know I'm not vegan or even vegetarian, but you all also know that I love to have and make vegan and vegetarian meals whenever I want and that's one of the reasons I chose this book as one of the 3 books I had to choose from.

Honestly, I have a handful of vegan and vegetarian books but this one, is truly adorable and my favourite so far!

If you want to know more and win one copy of this gorgeous book, have a look at Kimberly's, The Little Plantation blog as, she is not just offering a copy of the book but, she's also sharing another delightful recipe from the book.

I've marked down several recipes to cook and share from the book but, as a soup lover, this soup had to be the first recipe to cook and share.

Try it and feel healthy and green!

Note: Rita suggests to serve the soup with an optional swirl of Cashew Cream, but I opted for a scatter of the sweet and salty cashews, for crunchiness.

Crispy Chicken, Curried Spelt Salad and Raita / Frango assado, com Salada de Espelta de Caril e molho Raita.

This is a fabulous recipe that I made a couple of weeks ago and that was very delicious.

Actually, the spelt salad was a delightful surprise and I highly recommend it and if you leave out the chicken, this can easily be transformed onto a vegetarian or vegan meal.

I used Sandra curry powder mixture in this recipe. A homemade mixture that is so so fantastic, that since Sandra offered me a jar of her curry powder for the first time, I never went back to shop bought curry powder again.

Sandra loves her spices and all the spice mixtures she makes are amazing. I've already told her that she could be rich and famous selling her spices because she really is a "Spice Queen"!

This recipe is from Tom Kitchin new book "Meat & Game". About Chef Tom Kitchin, I've already told you here how much I love this Chef!

As for the book, the name says it all. A book full of very mouthwatering meat and game recipes and this one was the very first one I tried and we all loved it.

Penne with Spinach, Peas and Gruyère / Penne com Espinafres, Ervilhas e queijo Gruyère.

Another fabulous Melissa Clark "Dinner: Changing the Game" book recipe!

This vegetarian pasta dish was our dinner a few weeks ago and, of course,  because it's so delicious and easy and quick to put together, I had to share the recipe with you all.
The original recipe calls for wholemeal or regular penne but as I had this absolutely fabulous red lentil penne here at home, that's the one I decided to use.

Risi & Bisi (Rice and Peas) / Risi & Bisi (Arroz e Ervilhas).

Risi & Bisi, the italian for Rice and Peas, is a simple but delicious Venetian combination of flavours.

There's another version of this dish here but, as this month Marta asked us to cook with rice, I couldn't help but making this Tessa Kiros version.

Tessa Kiros is the author of the most beautiful books I have on my shelves and believe me, I have all Tessa Kiros books and each single one is more gorgeous than the previous one.

This recipe is from Tessa Kiros "Venezia" cook book.

A spectacular book that, more than a recipe book, is a book full of gorgeous food photos and Venetian life style shots, snaps and introductions.

Pea and mountain ham soup / Sopa de ervilhas com presunto.

Although I never posted the recipe here on the blog, this soup is one of my favourite soups and I make it every time I can get peas in their pods.

This soup is not just very tasteful and very easy to make, but it's also very beautiful and makes an impact at any table.

The recipe is from one of my favourite soup books. Magic Soup is its name and the authors are Nicole Pisani and Kate Adams.

All the recipes in the book are simply AMAZING and the book was photographed by the gorgeous Regula Ysewijn - that, as you all know, is the creator of the fabulous Miss Foodwise blog and the author of the fantastic book Pride and Pudding - and both, photos and styling are mouthwatering.

From the book, I already made this Watercress soup, this Carrot, cumin and miso soup and this Caldo Verde, which is a Portuguese inspired soup and all of them, without exception, were absolutely divine!

Risi and Bisi.

Risi and Bisi also known as Peas and Rice and the last recipe that I'm cooking for Marta this month.

This one, very simple and with clean flavours but nonetheless delicious as the previous ones.

Simplicity at its best, that's how I would define this suggestion.

Pea soup with squid and prawns / Sopa de ervilhas com lulas e camarão.

Another delicious soup that comes out of my kitchen and that goes directly to Marta's "ingredient of the month" table.

As I wrote here, Marta challenged us to cook with peas and as I love peas, I couldn't resist this fabulous initiative and I'm cooking with peas this April.

The combination of ingredients is amazing and the flavour is second to none.

The author suggests to discard the wings and tentacles of the squid but I used everything.

Peas, cream cheese and smoked salmon roulade / Torta de ervilhas com queijo creme e salmão fumado.

Marta challenged us to create a recipe using one ingredient that she'll be choosing monthly.

The April ingredient chosen by Marta is green peas.

I love green peas and as soon as I saw the ingredient, I decided straightaway that I'd be making this roulade.

A roulade that I already made once and that was so delicious that, Marta's challenge was just the excuse that I needed to make it again.

The recipe comes from Anasbageri blog.

A very trustful blog, full of fabulous recipes, information and knowledge and from which I've already tried many successful delights.

Pea Bisque with lavender crème fraîche and a pea tendril salad / Bisque de ervilhas com crème fraîche de alfazema e salada de rebentos de ervilha.

Bisque is the fancy name for a creamy smooth soup.

If you want to read more about it and its origins, you can find a more detailed information about Bisques here.

This bisque was made using a lot of organic ingredients from my friend's B. garden.

In this post you can read all about the beautiful produce that he is growing in his gorgeous garden and how lucky I am to be using them.

The pea shoots and flowers and the edible flowers are all from his garden and it is a very delicious and pretty soup.

ingredients for the bisque (serves 6):

500g frozen peas

200g onions, chopped

20g shallots, chopped

1 to 3 green /wet garlic cloves, chopped

olive oil

450ml full fat milk

150ml whipping cream

225g fresh spinach leaves

method:

Blanch the peas in boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes.

Drain and refresh in cold water and set aside.

Sweat the onions, shallots and garlic in a splash of olive oil in a large saucepan until translucent, stirring occasionally.

Pour the milk and cream into the pan, stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce by half. Remove from the heat. Add half of the peas to the soup base, then blend with a hand blender. For a very smooth bisque, pass it through a sieve. Transfer the soup to a metal container and set in an ice bath to chill quickly.

Meanwhile, blanch the spinach in boiling water for 30 seconds until soft, then drain and shock in iced water to keep the bright green colour. Drain well. Blend with the remaining peas to make a smooth purée, then add to the cold soup and stir to amalgamate. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

for the lavender crème fraîche:

250ml whipping cream

2 sprigs of lavender

200ml crème fraîche

method:

Heat the whipping cream with the lavender in a saucepan, then simmer on a very low heat until reduced to about a quarter of the original quantity. Leave to cool completely. Whip the crème fraîche with an electric mixer until very thick. Add the lavender cream with salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Keep in a cool place.

for the dressing:

3/4 tsp pink peppercorns

1/3 tsp Dijon mustard

juice of 2 lemons

100ml extra virgin olive oil

method:

Blend the pink peppercorns, Dijon mustard and lemon juice together in a blender or food processor. Slowly add the olive oil through the feed tube. Season to taste.

for the salad:

pea tendrils

pea shoots

edible flowers

chive blossoms, optional

freeze dried peas (I didn't use)

crushed pink peppercorns

salt and freshly ground black pepper

to finish:

Drizzle the dressing over the salad ingredients, season with salt and toss everything together to mix.

Serve the salad and lavender creme fraîche with the soup, or pile the salad in the centre of each bowl, topped with dollops of the lavender creme fraîche.

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Um bisque não é mais que o nome pomposo para uma sopa cremosa e aveludada.

A sua origem é francesa e caso queiram saber mais sobre o assunto, está tudo muito bem explicadinho aqui.

Esta sopa, ou bisque, foi feita praticamente utilizando ingredientes biológicos da horta/jardim do meu amigo B..

Já aqui vos falei desta horta fantástica e assim sendo, tanto os rebentos como as flores de ervilha e as flores comestíveis utilizadas, vieram todos de lá.

ingredientes para o bisque (para 6 pessoas):

500g ervilhas congeladas

200g cebola, picada

20g chalotas, picadas

1 a 3 dentes de alho, de preferência alho novo e verde, picados

azeite

450ml leite gordo

150ml natas para culinária

225g folhas de espinafre frescas

preparação:

Escaldar as ervilhas por 3 a 5 minutos. Escorrê-las, passá-las por água fria, escorrer de novo e reservar.

Num tacho, colocar o azeite e saltear as cebolas, o alho e as chalotas, até estas estarem macias mas sem cor, mexendo de vez em quando.

Adicionar o leite e as natas e quando levantar fervura, baixar um bocadinho o lume e deixar que a mistura reduza até metade do montante original.

Retirar o tacho do lume, adicionar metade das ervilhas e, com a ajuda da varinha mágica, reduzir a puré.

Caso queiram um puré bem macio, passem a mistura por um coador.

Colocar a sopa numa taça metálica e colocar a taça sobre gelo para que arrefeça rapidamente.

Entretanto, escaldar os espinafres por 30 segundos em água a ferver. Escorrer e passá-los por água fria com gelo, a fim de que retenham a cor verde vibrante.

Escorrer de novo e com a ajuda da varinha mágica, reduzir os espinafres e as restantes ervilhas a puré.

Juntar esta mistura à mistura anterior arrefecida e mexer bem por forma a que tudo fique bem incorporado.

Temperar de sal e pimenta a gosto.

para o crème fraîche de alfazema:

250ml natas para culinária

2 pés de alfazema

200ml crème fraîche

preparação:

Num tacho, colocar as natas e a alfazema.

Colocar o tacho sobre lume médio a baixo, até que tenha reduzido para 1/4 do volume original.

Retirar o tacho do lume e deixar arrefecer completamente.

Com a batedeira eléctrica, bater o créme fraîche até este estar bem espesso.

Adicionar as natas arrefecidas com a alfazema, sal e pimenta e incorporar tudo muito bem.

Refrigerar até ao momento de utilizar.

para o molho da salada:

3/4 colher chá de grãos de pimenta rosa

1/3 colher chá de mostarda de Dijon

sumo de 2 limões

100ml azeite extra virgem

preparação:

Num robot de cozinha, misturar a pimenta, a mostarda e o sumo do limão. Muito lentamente, adicionar o azeite em fio através do funil do robot.

Temperar de sal e pimenta a gosto.

para a salada:

flores de ervilha

rebentos de ervilha

flores comestíveis

flores de cebolinho (opcional)

ervilhas desidratadas (eu não usei)

grãos de pimenta rosa, esmagados

sal e pimenta preta moída na altura

para servir:

Misturar todos os ingredientes da salada. Regar com o molho e misturar tudo muito bem.

Servir a sopa acompanhada da salada e do crème fraîche de alfazema ou, alternativamente e foi o que eu fiz, empilhar a salada no meio do prato e sobre a sopa e regar com o crème fraîche.

Recipe / Receita: Graham Elliot in:

Paella.

Here it is, my first homemade paella!

I love paella and I eat it every time that is possible but I was a bit scared of trying to make one at home. It sounded and looked like something very technical and I was always scared of burning the rice in order to achieve what the Spanish's call the "socarrat" which is the crispy rice at the bottom of the pan.

When I bought the book Tapas Revolution from the very well known Chef Omar Allibhoy and I read his recipe for the paella valenciana, that's when I decided to make this one. Meaning, my very first one.

I have a paella pan that my sister gave me about 2 or 3 years ago and that I had never used so, pan sorted, using the ingredients I had at home and following Chef Omar instructions for the cooking method, I can say now and according to the final result and all the positive comments that this paella received that it was a great success and the paella "panic" is now demystified and more paellas will come.

Chef Omar tips in order to make a good paella:

• Use good quality Spanish ingredients
• Get yourself a good paella pan
• Never stir the rice. Ever! You will mal e the rice release starch and it will become too stodgy. At the end of the cooking time the rice should be light, soft and not sticky.
• Let it rest for 5 minutes at the end of the cooking time. The rice should not be soupy so give it a chance to absorb any trapped steam.
• Follow the recipe
• If you have some rice left in the paella pan, remove it to a plate otherwise it will take on a metallic taste.

ingredients (serves 6):

1g saffron

1 tbsp salt

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1kg chicken pieces (I used drumsticks and thighs)

125g chorizo, sliced

300g asparagus, trimmed and thickly sliced

125g green peas, fresh or frozen

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 can (400g) chopped tomatoes

1/2 tsp sweet pimentón

2 l chicken stock

2 roasted red peppers from a jar, thickly sliced

500g spanish paella rice (Bomba or calasparra rice)

1 spring rosemary

1 handfull mussels, cleaned

method:

Wrap the saffron in foil and toast it for 30 seconds on each side in a paella pan over a medium heat. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Increase the heat to the maximum and season around the edges of the pan with the table salt. Wait until the pan is really hot and then drizzle with the olive oil. It should start smoking immediately.

Throw in the pieces of chicken and fry the meat until nicely browned on all sides.

Add the chorizo slices, asparagus and peas and stir together for 1 minute before adding the garlic. Cook for 1 minute and then add the tomatoes, pimentón and toasted saffron.

Cook for 4 minutes, stirring all the time, until you can see that the tomatoes have lost most of the juice and changed colour.

Add the chicken stock and leave to simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes, allowing the bits of caramelised chicken and vegetable on the bottom of the pan to dissolve so you get a rich stock.

Check the seasoning and if it tastes quite salty at this stage, it's ok, as the rice will absorb a lot of saltiness.

Add the rice, spreading it evenly over the paella pan and stir just once. Cook a on the highest heat for about 10-12 minutes before reducing the heat right down and cooking for a further 5-7 minutes.

Once you have added the rice and given it a good stir you shouldn’t touch the pan with a spoon again. When the water is at a lower level than the rice itself, lay the roasted peppers on top of the rice, add the mussels and the rosemary spring.

If the layer of rice on the top starts to look a bit crispy, cover the paella pan with a layer of newspaper for the last 5 minutes of cooking. This will help to steam the grains on top while the bottom gets crispy (the "socarrat").

Once the paella is finished it should look like a completely flat layer of rice.

Leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Embora já tenha um tacho para fazer paella há uns 2 ou 3 anos, altura em que a minha querida irmã mo ofereceu, nunca tinha tido coragem de fazer paella em casa.
Adoro paella e como-a sempre que possível, mas fazer em casa, era algo que me assustava, pois a tão famosa "socarrat", ou seja, o arroz crocante que deverá formar-se no fundo da panela, era algo que eu achava impossível de obter e sempre tive medo de acabar com um tacho de arroz queimado...
Quando comprei o livro "Tapas Revolution" do bem conhecido Chef Omar Allibhoy, li a receita da sua paella valenciana atentamente e foi aí que me enchi de coragem para avançar para mais uma aventura culinária. A paella!
Assim sendo e utilizando apenas ingredientes que tinha em casa, segui metodicamente e à risca, as instruções de confecção do Chef Omar e o resultado foi uma paella maravilhosa que recebeu inúmeros e os mais positivos elogios e que me deu confiança suficiente para continuar a testar e a fazer diferentes tipos de paella.
Desmistificado o mistério da paella e da "socarrat", aqui vos deixo então a minha versão de paella, seguindo à risca, como acima escrevi, as instruções do Chef Omar.

Conselhos do Chef Omar para obter uma paella perfeita:

• Usar sempre produtos espanhóis da melhor qualidade
• Comprar uma boa panela para fazer paella
• NUNCA mexer o arroz. Ao mexer, o arroz liberta goma e o resultado final nunca será perfeito. Terminado o tempo de cozedura, o arroz deverá estar com uma consistência leve, e macia e nunca peganhento.
• Deixar o arroz repousar por 5 minutos depois de terminado o tempo de cozedura, para que o arroz absorva todo o vapor condensado.
• Seguir sempre a receita à risca
• Se sobrar paella, retire-a do tacho onde cozeu e guarde-a num recipiente de fecho hermético, pois se o deixar no tacho, poderá ganhar um sabor metálico.

ingredientes (para 6 pessoas):
1g açafrão
1 colher sopa de sal
8 colheres sopa de azeite extra virgem
1kg frango em pedaços (eu usei coxas e sobre coxas)
125g chouriço, em rodelas
300g espargos verdes, arranjados e cortados em 3 ou 4 peças
125g ervilhas, frescas ou congeladas
4 dentes de alho, picados muito finamente
1 lata de 400g de tomate picado
1/2 colher chá de pimentão doce
2 l caldo de galinha
2 pimentos vermelhos assados (de frasco), cortado em fatias grossas
500g arroz espanhol (Bomba ou calasparra)
1 haste de alecrim
1 punhado de mexilhões, limpos e bem lavados
preparação:
Embrulhar o açafrão em folha de alumínio e tostá-lo sobre lume médio, dentro da panela da paella, por 30 segundos de cada lado. Retirar o açafrão da panela e reservar.
Aumentar o lume para o máximo e espalhar o sal nos lados da panela, junto às paredes da mesma.
Quando a panela estiver muito quente, adicionar o azeite. A panela tem de estar mesmo muito quente, para que o azeite comece a fumegar imediatamente.
Adicionar o frango e fritar bem de todos os lados para que o frango fique bem corado.
Adicionar as rodelas de chouriço, as ervilhas e os espargos e mexendo, cozinhar por cerca de 1 minuto.
Adicionar o alho e cozinhar por mais 1 minuto.
Adicionar os tomates, o açafrão tostado (sem o papel de alumínio claro) e o pimentão. Cozinhar por cerca de 4 minutos, ou até o molho do tomate ter evaporado, mexendo sempre.
Adicionar o caldo de galinha e deixar cozinhar por ceca de 5 a 10 minutos, a fim de que o frango e os legumes caramelizados no fundo da panela se soltem e enriqueçam o caldo.
Provar de sal e se, a esta altura, estiver bastante salgado é bom sinal, pois o arroz absorverá esse excesso de sal.
Adicionar o arroz, espalhando-o pela superficie da panela e mexer uma vez só!
Cozinhar em lume alto (máximo), por 10 ou 12 minutos e depois baixar o lume para o mínimo e cozinhar por mais 5 a 7 minutos.
Quando o caldo estiver a um nível inferior ao do arroz, espalhar as tiras de pimento sobre a superfície do arroz, assim como os mexilhões e o alecrim.
Caso nos últimos 5 minutos de cozedura, o arroz que está à superfície comece a ficar muito seco, tapar a paella com uma camada de jornal. Este processo ajudará a que os grãos de arroz cozam uniformemente na superfície, enquanto no fundo da panela se forma a tão famosa "socarrat".
Terminado o tempo de cozedura, o resultado final deverá ser liso, ou seja, uma camada lisa de arroz e não montanhas ou montes aqui e ali.
Deixar o arroz repousar por 5 minutos antes de servir.

Recipe / Receita: Adapted from:

Peas and broad beans bruschetta / Bruschetta de favas e ervilhas.

As I wrote here, some of the goodies that came with me from my friends garden, were some fresh peas and fava beans and after my lovely daughter peeled and ate a fair amount of them raw while peeling, what was left at the end was to little.

As I was making the weekly supply of my favourite salad dressing, it came to my mind that the combination with this dressing with the beans and peas would be great and the idea of having bread soaking up all the dressing juices, would also be the cherry on top of the cake, or...

the mattress for the peas and beans...

Therefore, to little to do. Just cooked the peas and broad beans (around 300g total weight) in salted boiling water until al dente, drained and tossed them in 3 tbsp of this gorgeous and delicious dressing. Add the zest of 1 unwaxed lemon and allowed it to cool for around 10 minutes.

Toasted some bread, topped it with the bean mixture, not forgetting the juices at the bottom of the bowl and scattered it with some shaves of parmesan cheese and a grind of black pepper and we had a fantastic fresh lunch that was enough for the 4 of us.

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Como escrevi neste post, da horta biológica do meu amigo, vieram também favas e ervilhas.

A minha filhota linda, que adora descascar favas e ervilhas, ficou encarregue do serviço, o que quer dizer que, no fim da "descasca", sobraram muito poucas favas e ervilhas, pois ela adora comê-las cruas, à medida que as vai descascando...

Bom, com cerca de 300g (peso total) de favas e ervilhas, não havia muito a fazer.

Entretanto, como estava a fazer o meu frasco semanal deste fenomenal molho para saladas, lembrei-me que a combinação do molho com as leguminosas deveria ser divina e somando a isto tudo, um pãozinho para amortecer a queda  do molho,  isso então seria puro heaven...

Bom, do pensá-lo ao fazê-lo foi só pôr água a ferver e em menos de nada estávamos a ter um almoço fantástico de bruschettas, que foi mais que suficiente para os 4.

Assim sendo, basta cozer as favas e as ervilhas em água a ferver com sal, até estarem al dente.

Coá-las e colocá-las numa taça com 3 colheres de sopa deste molho delicioso e a raspa de 1 limão biológico.

Mexer tudo muito bem e deixar repousar por cerca de 10 minutos.

Entretanto, torrar ou grelhar pão a gosto, cobri-lo com umas colheradas da mistura, não esquecendo o molho e decorar com lascas de queijo parmesão e pimenta preta moída na altura.

Simples e super delicioso!

Recipe / Receita: Lia - Lemon & Vanilla.

Pea, mint and coconut soup / Sopa de ervilhas, menta e leite de coco.

From one of my favourite blogs of all times, a fabulously delicious soup and a great and very yummy combination of flavours.

I served it as a starter at a dinner party and it was a huge success!

You can find here the english version of the recipe.

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Uma sopa absolutamente fabulosa, receita de um dos meus blogues favoritos de sempre, e que, em termos de combinação de sabores, é algo de transcendental.

Eu servi-a como entrada num jantar de amigos e foi um verdadeiro sucesso!

A receita em inglês está aqui, mas deixo-vo-la traduzida.

ingredientes (para 4 pessoas):

1 colher sopa de óleo de coco, ou azeite virgem

1 cebola, picada

2 dentes de alho, picados

500g ervilhas frescas descascadas (cerca 1,5 quilos com casca) ou ervilhas congeladas, descongeladas (que foi o que eu utilizei).

1 colher chá de sal

folhas de 10 hastes de menta

350ml caldo de legumes ou água

350ml leite de coco (completo)

azeite virgem, para regar

micro ervas, para decorar (eu decorei com folhas de menta)

preparação:

Numa panela sobre lume médio, aquecer o óleo ou azeite.

Adicionar a cebola e os alhos picados e cozinhar por cerca de 3 a 5 minutos, ou até estes estarem macios.

Adicionar o caldo, ou água, as ervilhas, a menta e o leite de coco.

Quando levantar fervura, desligar o lume.

Com a varinha mágica ou no liquidificador, reduzir a sopa a um puré macio.

Temperar de sal a gosto e se achar necessário, juntar mais água ou caldo de legumes, por forma a adquirir a consistência desejada.

Servir a sopa em tigelas, regada com um fio de azeite e decorada com micro ervas, uma pitada de sal e pimenta.

Recipe / Receita: Green Kitchen Stories.