Azoresgal~Life on an Island

We just changed our clocks back an hour, the days are now shorter, and the nights a little cooler, so around here we are now in comfort food mode.  Enter this really simple and delicious one-pot meat sauce, Beef Ragu.   The ragu cooks low and slow, all the flavours marry, and the beef ends up fork tender. Making it perfect  for being served with your favourite pasta( I made fresh pappardelle ), or over creamy polenta. I don't think it's something you would make after rushing back from a long day at  work, but instead make it for a lazy weekend at home, it just ticks off all the boxes for comfort food! Beef Ragu Approximately 3 pounds (1.35kg) Beef brisket, or similar cut of meat (slow cooking) 5 Tbsp olive oil 2 small onions, finely diced 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped 1 cup of celery, finely diced (4-5 stalks) 1 cup Carrot, finely diced (1-2 medium carrots) 2 cups (500ml) red wine, divided 3 cups (750ml) beef stock/broth 1 28oz (800g) can of ...

Well summer has finally made its way to the islands! We have  had some bright sunny, hot days, only a handful so far, but I am not complaining. As soon as we get a glimpse of the sun, the kids and I run outside to the patio and the pool, to soak up the warm rays. Sadly because we have had more rain than sun, things in the garden are not going according to plan. There won't be a whole lot of tomatoes this year. They are still very tiny, and more green than red, but perhaps with some luck we will enjoy some ripe juicy ones as the weeks go by. Fresh tomatoes are perfect for this egg dish, and in turn this egg dish is perfect for the lazy hot days. I have some fond food memories attached to it, I just always remember it as one of my dad's favorite meals, and it also reminds me of summers spent at my Tia Laura's house. It's a perfect little meal, served hot or cold, as an appetizer, lunch or dinner. Mr. G likes these eggs served with thick slices of rustic bread, the kids an...

Well the month of August has already snuck in, and I have to say it tugs at my heart, somehow I feel like summer is slipping away. One look at the vegetable garden, confirms this, the tomatoes are here in full force. While everything else has already been picked, the onions, the green beans, the potatoes. The lettuce is starting to go to seed, and all the peppers and pumpkins are now waiting for their turn to shine, once this month rolls into September. So in effort to hold on to summer, I made this lovely tart for lunch today. It´s fresh and fragrant and simple to make. 1 package puff pastry 3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs 1 small onion thinly sliced 3-4 tomatoes thinly sliced 200 grams goat cheese or feta or mozzarella olive oil thyme or basil Preheat oven 200ºC Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs. Layer with the thinly sliced onions. Next crumble and sprinkle half of the goat cheese on t...

This salad is easy to make and has a wonderful fresh flavor. It is a great salad to bring to BBQ's or parties, and great as an quick meal. Serve two or serve twenty, just by adding more or less orzo and veggies. Grill up some chicken  or shrimp and add it to the salad to make it a one dish meal. We are still enjoying summer, so after a day at the beach, this salad hits the spot, quick and delicious ! 2 cups dry orzo, cooked in salted water and drained 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes ½ cup finely diced purple onion 3 Tbsp chopped fresh dill / 1 tsp dry  ½ cup sliced black olives 1 cup crumbled feta Cook pasta according to directions. While pasta is cooking chop vegetables and dill. Toss all ingredients together. Toss with  as much dressing as you like. Dressing: ¼ cup red wine vinegar Juice of one lemon Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste 4 Tbsp of  honey ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil Put all ingredients in a salad dressing bottl...

This salsa is so easy to make, trust me. It is made with some lovely fresh ingredients, and tastes 1000 times better than anything you buy in a jar. I like my tomatoes peeled, I promise it just takes a couple more minutes, but makes a huge difference. As for the seasonings, play around with it, to your liking, I sometimes add some cumin, or smoked paprika. I really hope you give it a try ! 4 large ripe tomatoes (peeled is best ) juice of one lime 2 garlic cloves, peeled 1 jalapeño, seeded (optional) roughly chopped ( I like 3) 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped 1/4 cup cilantro 1 teaspoon chili powder salt and freshly ground black pepper  Slice the tomatoes into large wedges. Squeeze the lime juice into a food processor. Add the garlic, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, spices, and tomatoes. Process until the vegetables are finely chopped and the mixture is chunky. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. If you prefer more heat, add another jalapeño o...

Our garden is still providing us with wonderful tomatoes, everyday a large basket ! You can only eat so many fresh tomatoes in one day, so I have been dehydrating them ( another post ) and also freezing them. I like to have them peeled before, putting them in the freezer. It's not really hard to do, just a little extra step, and a little extra time. Then I can use them for sauce, soup, in egg dishes, even in salsa. Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil.  Fill a bowl with ice and water. Place next to the stove. With a small knife, slice an X into the bottom of each tomato, being careful not to cut all the way through. Drop each tomato into the boiling water and boil until the skin starts to peel off, about 45 seconds to a minute.  Remove immediately and place in the ice water bath. When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and discard. Then proceed however you like, freezing or using in a recipe !

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." Lewis Grizzard So excited to finally, have ripe tomatoes in our garden. I always wish they grew as quickly as the lettuce, or the zucchini. I suppose mother nature, knows what she is doing, and why it takes so long for them to be ripe. You cannot rush perfection ! I love, love a simple tomato sandwich, if you have never had one, you are missing out ! They taste like summer ! Just plain, white bread, some mayonnaise, salt, and pepper...Heaven !

My kids absolutly love this salad, it may have something to do with the....  uhmmmm  Doritos !  They cannot stop eating it, especially our oldest who is eating us out of a home  a growing teenage boy ! It is really easy to put together, and after you make it once or twice, you just end up eyeballing everything. You can really make this salad as large or as small as you like, and mix and match any ingredients. The only important thing, is to add the chips last, as they go soft after awhile. If by any chance you have leftovers, never happens around here, the salad goes soggy.  No one likes a soggy salad, unless of course you are Mr. G, who will eat just about any kind of leftover ! Ingredients: 500grams ground beef 1 head  lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 packet (1oz/28g) taco seasoning or 3 tablespoons of this 1 medium tomato, diced 1 large bag of Doritos (crushed in the bag)  bottle of Catalina dressing/ homemade 1 1/2 cups...

Seriously, sometimes, a girl just needs a little snack...this hit the spot ! On a nice slice of bread, spread some OLIVE CREAM CHEESE , next top with some chopped OVEN/SUNDRIED TOMATOES , then sprinkle with some SHREDDED CHEESE .  Bake or toast and ta~dah a quick bite ! xo, Diana

This quick little soup, is one I have been making since my kids were toddlers. It so very simple, and tasty, served with some crackers, or grilled cheese, kids love it. So do big kids !.. I prefer to add cream instead of milk, just makes it richer, the baking soda is added so the milk does not curdle. For a more adult version of this,  add some thinly sliced basil, and any other spices you might like. Hope you try it ! Cream of Tomato Soup 1/3 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 4 cups tomato juice ( 1 liter) or V-8 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 2 - 3 cups milk ( or cream) 2 tablespoon sugar 1 teaspoon salt In a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Then whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the tomato juice or V-8 and stir until it thickens. Next whisk in the baking soda  followed by 2 cups of milk, sugar and salt. Cook until heated though. Taste the soup at this point and if you like it creamier, add the additional cup of milk.  Divide into  ...

 This sauce is a keeper, the meatballs, cook in the sauce for an addtional 25 minutes. Again very quick to make, with pretty basic ingredients. I use passata, so as to avoid tears at the dinner table, the kids are not fond of chunky textures. Just before serving, I added in some fresh chopped basil. Ingredients from here 1 tablespoon good olive oil 1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion) 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic 1/2 cup good red wine, 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, or plum tomatoes in puree, chopped ( I used 2 jars of Passata) 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 1/2 teaspoons  salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper  I chopped the onion, the garlic, and the parsley, all at once, in the food processor. Heat the olive oil in the same pan the meatballs were fried in. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until translucent, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the wine and c...

Salty wins everytime ! I had some leftover cherry tomato salad, placed some spoonfuls on some bread, sprinkled with some mozzarella cheese, placed this in the toaster oven, and heated till the cheese started to melt. Once it was done, I drizzled the whole thing with some truffle flavored balsamic vinegar.  It was oh so yummy, and simple too. xo, Diana

This is another great dip for  summer whenever it decides to show up entertaining. Very few ingredients are needed, things you could actually stock up on, and have in the pantry just in case, you have out of the blue visitors. Or again, who says you have to make this to share with friends ! Sun-dried Tomato Bean Dip 1 large can white beans 10 oil packed sundried tomatoes ( about half the jar) 3 tablespoons of the oil, from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes 2 cloves of garlic 6- 7 fresh basil leaves salt and pepper Place everything in the food processor, and pulse till smooth. Adjust seasoning, with salt and pepper, if needed. Thats it ! Serve with crackers, or bread, or pita etc * you can use oregano, instead of the basil * adjust the amount of tomatoes to your liking, I found 10 to be just right xo, Diana