Baba de Camelo

Today I bring you a recipe of a dessert which doesn't have the most appealing name. Translated it means camel drool. Hehehe. I can imagine you face right now. This is actually quite delicious but does have a strong taste. It's one of the easiest and fastest recipes to make. So here goes,

Ingredients
1 can of condensed milk
6 eggs
1/2 lemon

Cook the can of condensed milk in the pressure cooker for 45 minutes. After letting it cool down, add the egg yolks and beat. Add the juice of the 1/2 lemon. Beat the egg whites until firm and incorporate into the previous mixture with a fork. If you wish you may make individual servings or place in a bowl. Let this sit in the fridge for some time and serve cold.
Decorate with chopped toasted almonds if desired, or to taste.

Bom apetite

Lamb Chanfana

Chanfana is a traditional portuguese dish. The most accurate version of the origin of this dish takes us to the history of Portugal and the French invasion of 1810, when they entered the northeast of Portugal coming across the border in August 1810. On September 1810 they suffered a major defeat at the battle of Bussaco. Regrouping their troops, the French military forces push the Luso-British south, who remain in that region for about three years. During these three years of occupation, the French military looted the people around their barracks which were located in the regions of Penacova, Vila Nova de Poiares. The French plundered everything when they could, getting their hands on grains and animals, excluding older animals, which were too tough to eat. Thus were born the first lanpatana and chanfana recipes (in this area north of Mortágua Buçaco with the difference that instead of goat old sheep was used).

There are, ofcourse, many variations of this dish, varying from on region to another. Today I bring you one of those versions. Enjoy :-)

Ingredients:
2kg Lamb
1 head of garlic
2 bay leafs
1 green pepper
paprika
salt
red wine
black pepper
1 bunch coriander
vegetable margarine
olive oil
1 onion

We need to season the meat, chopped into pieces, the day before. In a baking pan, place the meat and add the salt, the ground pepper, the chopped garlic, the bay leafs, the chopped green pepper and the chopped onion. Then we place the bunch of coriander over the top, chopped finely. Finally, pour the wine into the pan until the meat is covered, adding in a drizzle of olive oil. Mix all this together and let rest until the next day (24h). 
Before placing the pan into the heated oven, pour enough wine until the meat covered to compensate for the wine absorbed by the meat and add 3 to 4 table spoons of margarine. Mix everything again, cover the pan (if you don't have a lid big enough, you can use tin foil. Place in the oven and let cook at low heat. It should take about 2 hours to cook. Every now and then, stir the meat to prevent it from becoming dry. You should tell that the meat is cooked when it starts to come off the bone.


To accompany this delicious meat, some baked potatoes will go really nicely. Or you may prefer rice with saffron and raisins. 


A bodied red wine will go very well with this dish. 


Bom apetite