Some of Traditional Portuguese Christmas Recipes

2. In Portugal,the octopusat the Christmastable isanunusual traditionthat,everyyear,brings
us the smellsof the pastand howour great-grandparentsdealtwiththe remotenessof the sea
and the rulesof the CatholicChurch.But today,inTrás-os-Montes,inthe Minhoor inthe
Azores,fewrememberthe reasonsforhavingthe octopusatthe table on the nightof 24
Decemberandno one caresabout the root of thisancestral tradition.The delicacy,thisstays
and,withthe familiesscatteredthroughoutthe country,isalreadyalittle everywhere.Even
thoughit remainsamainlynortherntradition,itmarksLisbon'splace intoFaro
1. The octopusalso has a religiousjustification
The octopus doesnotreach the tablesof the Transmontanos,Minhoor Açoriansbysimple
whim:itis the resultof manygenerationsof religiousfervourandatime whenitwas more
difficulttoflowthe commercial goodsfromthe coastinland.The rulesof the CatholicChurch
unmeatmealsduringthisperiod,alimitationthatonlyendedinChristmassupperafterthe
mass of the rooster.
But eventhe fishcouldbe trickyto acquire at the beginningof the winterand,therefore, the
dry and saltyfoodsforconservationwere quitecommon.The twomostclassicexamples?The
Cod andthe octopus,of course.The fastingwasthe way to the church at midnightandthe
octopusappearedintwosituations:asthe dinnerplate before the mass or,elsewhere,the
seconddishof the supper.It wasa sign of wealthwhenafamilycouldaffordtopresentthis
seconddish.
2. It is a visit that arrives on the other side of the border
The optionfor the octopusinRaian landsstill hasone lastargument:It isa visitthatarrives
fromthe northby the hand of our Galicianbrothers.Forseveral generationsthe bestoctopus
was alwaysboughtinGaliciaandspawnedevenasmall smuggling.The localswere hiddenby
the hills,fleeingthe guard,who,too, carednothingto "seize"themwhentheyreturnedto
Portuguese lands.Nowadaysitiseasytopass the borderand the Portuguese familiesare not
made up: the potatoesandcabbage of Minhoand Trás-Os-Montesmatchthe bestinthe
world,butthe octopusstill hasto be Galician.Itisstill soin Montalegre,inthe Transmontana

3. regionof Gerês,butalso furthersouth,whenwe startto reachthe AltoDouro.Unfortunately,
we haven'tevenimportedourneighbors'pulperias,either.

4. Egg vermicelli is a traditional Christmas candy, typical of the northern region of
Portugal. This spoon candy is an alternative to sweet rice, the confection mode being
very similar.
There are some variants of vermicelli, with or without eggs, but basically the recipe
consists of preparing the dough that gives it the name (vermicelli) cooked in milk,
eggs, sugar and lemon, and then sprinkled with cinnamon.
Ingredients:
• 100 g of noodles
• 150 g of sugar
• 3 gems
• 400 ml of milk
• 50 g butter

5. • peel of 1 lemon
• cinnamon to sprinkle
Confection:
Dip the vermicelli in a pot with boiling water for about 5 minutes. After that time, drain
well the dough.
Bring the milk to the heat with the lemon peel, the sugar and the noodles drained.
Let it cook until the dough is tender.
When the noodles are cooked, remove the pan from the heat and add the butter.
Apart, beat the egg yolks and add some of the stock broth always, stirring to increase
the temperature of the egg yolks without the cut.
Add the mixture with the yolks to the noodles and bring to the boil, moderate, so that
the yolks cook slightly. The vermicelli should have a little liquid, because this will
settle after going to the refrigerator.
Serve vermicelli sprinkled with cinnamon, traditionally in a cross pattern.

6. Traditional Évora recipe and one of the most popular Alentejo sweets. A soggy one
is a sweet made of gems and sugar.
Ingredients
Gemstones - 11
Claras - 2
Sugar - 375gr
Cinnamon - To taste
Instructions
Bring the sugar with 100ml of water in a pot on high heat until it boils and create a
weak pearl point.
Beat the yolks well with the egg yolks, and then mix the egg yolks in a circular net
over the syrup to separate.
Let the eggs bake in the sauce, using a spatula, move this side to the middle to
prevent it from crusting.

7. Remove the pudding from the heat when the eggs are well cooked, but still have a
little syrup in the pan, the eggs should look like bunches of broken eggs.
Pour in a deep dish (traditionally ceramic) and sprinkle with cinnamon and lead to a
strong oven just to toast the top and that's it.
Nutritional information
Doses: 6 · Time: 40 Minutes · Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 1815 kcal · Fats: 31 g · Carbohydrates: 369 g · Proteins: 23 g

8. Traditional Christmas Donut
Ingredients
1 kg of wheat flour
10 eggs
1/4 Lt of olive oil
1/2 cup of white brandy
1 teaspoon of salt
30 grams of baker's yeast
4-6 Doses / People | 30-45 minutes
For many the children mean the approaching Christmas, a magical time and family
reunion.
Christmas recipes pass from generation to generation from Mother to Daughter, from
Grandmother to Grandchildren, with this recipe of Christmas children, we tried to
reproduce the most original recipe possible.
.

9. Method of preparation
Start by undoing the yeast in a little warm milk and add a little flour, making a potato.
Let it rise in a bowl.
Put the flour in a large bowl, taking into account that the dough will grow a lot and
add salt.
Bring the olive oil to the heat and as soon as you start to want to boil remove it and
pour over the flour, being careful to stir with a wooden spoon, to scald very well all
the flour.
With this, with your hands, it will scrub everything very well so that they do not
become lumps. Add the yeast that has already doubled in volume and begin to add
eggs 1 to 1.
Knead, as is done to knead bread. Add the brandy and continue to beat until you get
a soft dough. If necessary, fl uid your hands.
The dough has to be vigorously pumped, with the fists, until it takes off from the bowl
and begins to form air bubbles. The dough will be ready when it starts to form air
bubbles.
Leave it leavened for about 4 or 5 hours in a place protected from drafts and covered
with a white cloth and a warm blanket. When double the volume is ready to fry.
Put enough oil in a fryer so the donuts can float.
The hands are doused in olive oil and small portions of dough are removed that
extend to obtain a circle of thin thickness, avoiding to make holes.
Immerse yourself in the boiling oil but not too hot and with 2 forks give it a little way
to imitate a flower.
After removing from the frying pan and drain on absorbent paper, sprinkle with sugar
and cinnamon.
Tip
If the eggs are small, use 12 instead of 10. and you can use 30 to 40 g of baker's
yeast, according to the amount of ingredients.

10. Ingredients
1 cup of washed and drained rice
2 cups water
4 blackheads
2 small cinnamon sticks
4 cups milk
1 cup sugar
Cinnamon powder
Method of preparation

11. Put the rice, water, cloves and cinnamon to cook over low heat and with the pan
covered.
When the water is dry and the rice is cooked, add the milk and sugar.
When it boils, lower the heat and let the milk thicken stirring occasionally.
When it thickens and is very creamy, it will be ready.
Put on a platter and sprinkle cinnamon powder before serving.
Yield: 4 servings

12. Ingredients
400 gramsof cod indriedslices200 gramsof boiledpotatoesandsliced150grams of large
onion,finelysliced150 grams of cornbreadcrushedroughlyas farofa• choppedgarlictotaste
• Thyme totaste • Rosemaryto taste • Saltto GOST • Blackpepperto taste
Staging mode
In a refractory,place the onion,garlic,thyme andseasonwithsalt.
Arrange the slicedpotatoesaroundand place the cod inthe center.
Drizzle witholive oilandplace rosemarybranchesontop.
Bake at 200 º C for15 minutes.
Remove fromthe ovenandcoverwiththe cornbreadFarofa.Bake foranother5 minutesuntil
goldenbrown.

13. Ingredients:
3 dl of milk
1.5 dl of oil
1 lemon peel
A pinch of fine salt
250 gr of flour
6 large whole eggs
Frying oil
Powdered sugar for sprinkling
4-8 Doses / People | 30 minutes

14. Preparation:
Boil the milk with the oil, lemon peel and salt. At one time add the flour and, with a wooden
spoon, mix until the dough is removed from the container. After cooling, add the whole eggs
one by one. Shake well.
In the frying pan, with the hot oil, put spoonfuls of dough, frying on both sides. Remove and
drain.