How we have been sun-drying our cherry tomato harvest. To preserve our tomato harvest I’ve been sun-drying some of our cherry tomatoes. It’s been a very hot summer over here, so we have been hiding from the sun between noon and 4pm. Our garden has also been suffering in the heat, but our tomatoes have…
Cooking in Portugal
Vegetarian ‘Heidi’ Pie
This is our favourite vegetarian pie, based on the Heidi Pie by Pieminster. It’s filled with roasted sweet potatoes, onions, spinach and creamy feta. I love a good hearty pie, especially in winter. As my husband doesn’t eat much meat I’ve been experimenting with vegetarian pies. When I lived in Bristol I remember loving Pieminsters…
My top 5 heritage & frugal recipe books
These are 5 recipe & cookbooks that I couldn’t live without. We live in a place where you can’t ‘pop to the shops’ or pick up that all important ingredient you need for the meal you planned. Out here I use what we have in the larder to cook dinner so these are the books…
Homemade orange cordial recipe using no citric acid
A simple recipe to make delicious orange cordial from fresh oranges. This is my orange cordial recipe using no citric acid. We are still dealing with a glut of oranges over here. Despite making quite a few jars of old fashioned english marmalade, I still had a lot left over. I decided to try my…
Old fashioned English marmalade
There’s nothing quite like dark, rich, old fashioned English marmalade on toast. This is a lovely recipe that will make every Paddington Bear happy. It’s orange season here, and the trees are dripping with fruit. I am dealing with quite a glut of oranges so it is the perfect moment to make a few jars…
4 herbs that grow in a hot climate
Find out about 4 herbs that grow in the hot climate of the ‘Desert of Portugal’. When we first found our house in the Alentejo, the garden had been neglected for years. There were lots of weeds and the soil was in a bad state. I love having herbs around my home to use in…
Quick Quince Chutney
How to make a quick, simple and delicious quince chutney. ‘Tis the season for quince here, and the quinces that grow around us are amazing. They are large, yellow, fragrant fruit that grow plentifully on trees in the local kitchen gardens. We don’t have a quince tree on our land – something I hope to remedy…
Olive picking and processing – Alentejo style
I’ve been learning all about picking and processing olives in Portugal. This has to be one of my favorite moments in the Portuguese year, along with the cork cutting and sardine festival. It’s wonderful to see the olives growing black and shiny on the trees, and then to see everyone out picking for days on end. The…