As a mom and full-time cook I am always on the hunt for delicious and exotic recipes to make for my family.  I love seafood, meat dishes, fish dishes, pork, you name it I am always ready to try it.  I don’t

Just look for main courses,   not at all, I am always on the hunt for appetizers, soups,  stews, deserts, cakes, pies,  breads, cookies,  you name it , I am always looking

Now what makes me a little different from most people who love to cook is that I am a Portuguese American, and how does that make me different you ask.  Anyone that has more than one nationality, will tell you that as a rule if you are a female, we are required to know how to cook at an early age.

Our mom’s start us young and with simple things,  to tell you the truth,  I knew how to cook by the time I was fourteen and I started late in life.

I always loved Portuguese food,  the smell, the taste, the ingredients, the process, it was a lot of fun. 

As I got older I discovered that most of the ingredients in those dishes, I had no clue what they were in English, but obviously my mother did.  So I did a little research and discovered that in fact they do exist.

So now I can translate any dish to English which makes me very happy, because now more people can enjoy the dishes that my mom and I have made for years.

I  live  in a small town in New Jersey.  My mom and dad had a small family restaurant that served excellent food for many years.  Everyday people would tell me and my sister, that they wished they could make that or the other recipe or they wished that the recipes were in English so that they could serve their families.

If you ever have been to Portugal or Spain, and wished you could make those dishes, boy do I have a treat for you,  I will be posting recipes on a daily basis.  Enjoy them as much as my family does.

The first recipe I am going to begin with today is Clams sautéed in White Wine sauce, or as I call it Ameijoas a  Bolhao Pato. I am also going to share a little history about this recipe and how it came to be.

Here is a picture for you of what I am talking about.

This dish is named after the nineteenth century Lisbon Poet, Bulhao Pato, a well-known  gourmand and today is a popular first course in the Capital’s many tascas and typical restaurants.  By the way Tascas are small corner Bars or dives where normally tourists don’t  enter.   They don’t know what they are missing, the food is excellent and cheap,  most of the times the prices are lower than most tourist restaurants, and the food comes in greater  quantities.

These are the ingredients that you will need:

½  cup of Olive Oil

5 Cloves of Garlic finely minced

Pinch of  red pepper flakes ( optional)

1 Tablespoon fine dried bread crumbs, toasted ( optional)

3 lbs of small clams preferably Manila clams , well scrubbed.

½ cup of dry white wine

1 cup of water

¼ cup of fresh Parsley finely chopped

¼ cup  of chopped fresh cilantro ( fresh coriander)

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, the Red Pepper flakes and if using the bread crumbs. Add the bread crumbs and sauté until softened and pale gold., or about 5 minutes.

Add the Clams, wine, and water.  Cover  and cook until the clams open, about 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the clams.  Discard any clams that did not open

Transfer the clams and pan juices to  warmed soup bowls, dividing evenly.  Sprinkle with the parsley and the cilantro and serve at once.

As you can see it is a pretty simple recipe.

I will be posting more recipes everyday.  If by some chance you are Portuguese and there is a recipe that you like and would like it translated so that you can make it, leave me a comment , since I come here everyday and check it.

Hope you like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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