Author: Seaneen's Sunnyside Kitchen

Porto and the Douro Valley- Portugal

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Porto had been on my list of places to visit for quite a while, and it didn’t disappoint. Filled with history, beautiful architecture, friendly locals and great food.

I knew very little about Portugal’s rich history and was surprised to find out that it endured Europe’s longest fascist regime in the 20th century (basically further education for all but the selected few and women’s rights were actively suppressed to keep the Salazar regime in power).  Rumour has it that this is where JK Rowling got the name of her baddie in the Harry Potter books from, as she lived in Porto for a short while, but more about that later.

Porto gives its name to port wine, and along the port side you’ll see the historic warehouses that supplied port to the world for centuries.  If port is your thing there are plenty of bars and restaurants that have options for tastings.  I’m not a huge fan of it personally, but the other wines we had were tasty and inexpensive.

The city is fairly walkable, yes there are some hills, but if you’re ambling along at a relaxed pace they’re fine.  I’d recommend going on a walking tour on your first day to find out more about the place and get your bearings.guides are also a great source of ideas for good places to eat and  local attractions.   These tours often free and you tip the guide what you feel it was worth and I honestly have not been on a bad one.  I have to say that I was actually embarrassed this time when at the end of our tour a woman handed the guide pocket change.  These people work hard and bring the city alive for you, you don’t need to empty your bank account when tipping but think of a fair hourly rate if you hired an expert and pay it.

There is plenty to learn for history buffs, and Harry Potter fans can visit https://www.livrarialello.pt/ Livrariar Lello bookshop that was said to have inspired some of the imagery in the books (the author has said it didn’t, but people feel she might just be annoyed at people making money off this).  To get inside you’ll be charged 10 euros, and anytime I passed there were always massive queues of people to get in.  You can buy a skip the queue ticket online which gives you a time slot to visit for 15 euro.  In cooler weather you’ll also see some school kids in black cloaks with symbols embroidered on them, and it is clear to see that this is inspired the Hogwarts uniform.

You’ll see the popular blue and white tiles on many of the older buildings and quirky houses and the place is just incredibly pretty.  Food and drink is relatively inexpensive and excellent and Porto is home to some fantastic bakeries (top travel tip, hit these after walking up all the hills, not before like I did).

We also decided to take a day trip out to the local wine producing region, the Douro valley.  Booking a tour cost 100 euros but included an air-conditioned coach, a boat tour, visits to two port vineyards and a 3 course lunch, so all in not bad value.  I would definitely return and visit the Douro valley and you can take trains from Porto to some of the larger towns. 

It’s a beautiful area, but the locals warn that it’s 9 months of winter and 3 months of hell, this is because the unique micro climate that gives port it’s distinct flavor runs from -15 degrees in winter to 48 degrees in Summer.  I actually got sun burned for the first time in years because you’re up in the mountains or beside the river it didn’t feel that hot, so beware and slap on that SPF.

Porto and the surrounding area is definitely worth visiting.  The city has quite a laid back vibe, it’s beautiful, locals were lovely and English was widely spoken (as always, try to at least few words of the local language up your to sleeve).

Crispy Rice Salad

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One of my many faults is a total inability to judge the amount of rice I need to cook, which usually results in making enough rice to feed a small island nation.

As I hate food waste I was left with some leftover brown rice and decided to try a version of a dish I had once when travelling in Asia.  The results were yummy and I keep making this as it’s really versatile and you can swap around the veggies/herbs and protein to stop yourself getting bored with this.

If you’re  vegetarian/vegan you can swap animal protein for tempeh, nuts or tofu. I used a tahini dressing but again you swap this for a yoghurt dressing or just a plain vinaigrette if you prefer.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

For the crispy rice

200 Grams Cooked brown rice

1/2 Tbsp Soy sauce

1 Tsp Sesame oil

1 Tsp Chilli powder (less if you prefer it less spicy)

Large pinch of garlic or onion powder

For the salad

150 Grams Edamame (soy) beans (I buy these frozen from the supermarket and just defrost them as I need them)

100 Grams Red Cabbage (shredded)

250 Grams Prawns (I used pre cooked frozen ones that I defrosted)

Spinach

1-2 Carrots (grated)

For the dressing

1-2 Tbsp Tahini

1 Clove of garlic (minced)

1/2 Lemon

Method

  • Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
  • Line a baking sheet with foil (I do this to save on washing up)
  • Add the ingredients for the crispy rice to a bowl and stir well to make sure all the grains are coated. 
  • Transfer the rice to the baking sheet and smooth out evenly and bake for 20 mins.  Stir once or twice (the rice at edges of the sheet will crisp up faster).  The texture should be crispy but with a bit of chew to it (it shouldn’t  be so crisp you feel like you’re eating uncooked rice).  Once cooked, allow to cool before adding to the salad
  • To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.  I usually add a couple of tablespoons of warm water to loosen the dressing, but it’s up to you, how thick you want the dressing
  • Add all the ingredients to a large bowl, and toss the dressing through and serve immediately

Santiago Tart

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This traditional Spanish tart is usually presented with a cross on top which is meant to represent the cross of St James.  My attempt at this wasn’t very symmetrical, and I’m not religious, but I thought I’d at least try to follow up the tradition.

The smell of almonds and orange that will float through your home is amazing (better than any air freshener, and forget coffee if I was in the market for a house, I’d definitely buy somewhere if it smells like this cake)

Using an electric whisk makes this pretty quick to knock together and is a yummy treat for anyone who is gluten or dairy intolerant.

Ingredients

6 Eggs (separated on to yolks and whites)

250 grams Caster Sugar

250 grams Ground Almonds

Zest of an orange

1 Tsp Orange flower water (don’t be tempted to add more, it’s very strong)

Method

  • Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees (Celsius) and line an 8 inch baking tin with baking parchment
  • In a large bowl whisk the sugar and egg yolks tomorrow with an electric whisk until light and creamy and increased in volume
  • With a spatula, fold in the orange zest, orange flower water and ground almonds and 1 tablespoon of water
  • Wash the beaters of the electric whisk thoroughly (otherwise your egg  whites won’t whisk up properly) before starting to whisk the egg whites in a separate bowl until  they form stiff peaks
  • Carefully fold the egg whites into the almond mixture trying to knock out too much air, but making sure the egg whites are thoroughly combined
  • Transfer the mix to your pre-prepared cake tin and bake for 50 minutes
  • Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out on to a wire wrack to cool.  Then when totally cool, dust with icing sugar

Rice Paper Dumplings

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Everyone loves a dumpling and these are quick and easy.  They are a little fiddly to make at first, but once you’ve made a couple you’ll get the hang of it.

I used pork mince these but you can swap this for crumbled tofu if you’re vegetarian or vegan.  I also used shop bought stir fry vegetable mix, which makes this even quicker and easier.  The filling can also be used for rice bowls, and wraps

Ingredients

For the filling

250 Grammes Pork Mince

250 Grammes Stir fry vegetable mix

1 Red chilli (finely chopped)

2 Cloves of garlic (finely chopped

2 Teaspoons Grated ginger

2 Teaspoons Soy sauce

2 Teaspoons Rice wine vinegar (white wine vinegar will do if you don’t have this)

2 Teaspoons Sesame oil

For the dipping sauce

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

1 Teaspoon Honey or maple syrup

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Siraccha

For the dumplings

Rice paper sheets

Method

  • Heat a large wok or non stick frying pan and add the pork to the pan, use a spatula to break down and crumble the pork, stirring until its brown
  • Add the pre chopped vegetables and cook for 2-3 minutes, before adding the rest of the ingredients (except to the sesame oil, add this at the very end), cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool
  • To make the dipping sauce, add the peanut butter and honey/ syrup to a bowl and pour in 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water and stir until you have a smooth sauce.  Add the other ingredients a little at a time (taste as you go to check you’re happy with the flavour)
  • To make the dumplings soak rice paper sheets in water.  I soak them one at a time in a flat wide dish and as I lift out one sheet to fill, I add another sheet to the water so it can soften while you’re making the dumpling.
  • Soak the sheet for about a minute, I think it works best when it’s the consistency of cellophane.  If you soak the rice paper for too long it will get too soft and be difficult to use.
  • When you lift out the sheet, put a dessert spoon of the cooled filling  in the centre of the rice paper.  Fold the two sides of rice paper together and then fold the top and bottom of the rice paper towards the centre (the rice paper should stick to itself).  This will create a little square dumpling
  • Heat a light drizzle of oil in a large frying pan. Cook the dumplings in batches, being careful to leave space between them or else will be assholes and stick to each other
  • Fry for 2-3 minutes each side, and serve immediately along with dipping sauce

The Muddlers Club – Belfast

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Every once and a while it’s nice to have a splurge and armed with some vouchers gifted by very sweet former coworkers the Muddlers club was the chosen venue.

The restaurant has a Michelin star and is hidden in a quiet side in the city’s Cathedral Quarter, and is named after a secret society of United Irishmen  dedicated to overthrowing British rule who used to meet on the site 200 years ago.

As expected the Muddlers club is not cheap.  When trying to book for lunch the only option we could choose was for the tasting menu at £95 per head (which I thought was quite cheeky) plus an additional £70 if you wanted to par wines with each course.  We decided against this, but the cheapest bottle of wine is still over £50, lunch can turn into quite an expensive affair.

The food and service however were both excellent. 

Like most tasting menus portions are tiny but extremely rich and unfortunately I didn’t take photos of each of the 6 courss.  The trio of amuse bouches were probably the best I’ve ever tasted and nothing disappointed.

Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Bars (only 3 ingredients)

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I made this as a cake a while back, and had to bring something to a family thing and didn’t have a cake tin so tried these as cake bars because they’d be easier to move.

The recipe couldn’t be simpler and you don’t even need scales to measure the ingredients.  It’s based on a recipe the blessed Dolly Parton’s character calls out to someone in the movie Steel Magnolias. The name comes from the recipe needing a cup of each ingredient.

There are equal quantities of the ingredients and you can use the can to measure the ingredients.  It’s also handy to make from store cupboard staples and literally takes 5 minutes to knock together before baking

Ingredients

400ml Can of fruit salad (make sure to buy the one with syrup, not saved in juice)

Sugar

Self raising flour

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius, line a 6in x 9in baking tin with baking parchment
  • Pour the can of fruit salad into a large bowl.
  • Rinse out the can and dry it well.  Fill the can with flour, empty the flour into the bowl (you can sift it if you have time)
  • Fill the can with sugar and add it into the other ingredients.  Mix with a spatula until well combined and there are no floury patches
  • Empty the cake mix into the baking tin and spread evenly.  Bake for 25-30 minutes

Creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Soup (with extra protein)

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Apparently most of us don’t eat enough protein and it can be hard to squeeze enough into your  diet (especially if you’re not a meat eater).

This soup is rich and filling and the protein comes from cottage cheese.  I know a lot of people don’t like it, due to its texture.  In this soup it’s blended until smooth and adds a nice creaminess to the soup

Ingredients

500 Grams Tomatoes (I used some cherry tomatoes and chopped a couple of large tomatoes that were getting past their best)

2 Red Peppers (cut into chunks)

2 Red onions (cut into quarters)

1 Bulb of Garlic

2 Tbsp Oil

300 Gram Tub of cottage cheese

500ml Vegetable stock

2 Tbsp Basil

Salt and pepper

Method

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees (Celsius)
  • Add 1 tablespoon of oil to an oven proof dish, add the vegetable to the dish.  Wrap the garlic bulb with aluminum foil.  Leave a little opening at the top and drizzle in a little oil .  Bake for 25-30 minutes until the edges of the peppers start to blacken a little
  • Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large pot.  When the aluminum is cool enough to handle,  squeeze out the softened garlic, and add to the pot
  • Add the vegetable stock and begin to heat.  Add the cottage cheese and basil (be careful not to let the soup come to the boil).  Using a stick blender (or transfer to a regular blender) and whizz up until the soup is smooth and creamy.  Check and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it

Seville

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Desperate to escape the leaden skies and constant drizzle of Belfast, I decided to take a quick well priced visit to the city of Seville in Southern Spain.

It was exactly what I needed, with a very pleasant 17 degrees (Celsius) and almost constant sunshine.

The first thing you’ll notice about the city is the orange trees you’ll see everywhere, adding to the general sunny feeling of the city.  Don’t be tempted to try one of the oranges, it’s illegal, but they’re also extremely bitter as they’re the type used to make marmalade.

Seville is the 4th largest city in Spain and was made rich through Spain’s colonies in the Americas and Indies.

I’d highly recommend booking one of the walking tours around the city.  Our tour guide Miguel was a fountain of knowledge and showed the historic sites and explained how the city had been formed by multiple influences by the many invaders from the Moors of north Africa through to the vikings (who by all accounts found the place too hot and after a few weeks pillaging decided to go home).  In Summer the city regularly sees temperatures of up to 45 degrees, and the locals struggle with this and often head to the coast.

We had planned to visit the historic coastal town of Cadiz which was around 90 minutes away by train.  Unfortunately there was a massive festival in the town and every bus and train was booked out (so worth checking in advance if you’re planning a visit and don’t just rock up at a train station like we did).

One of the best known places to visit is the Real Alcazar (Royal Palace), which is still one the official royal residences of the Spanish royal family.  A mixture of Spanish and Moorish architecture it also has stunning gardens that are cool and serene. (If you are buying a ticket on the day, you’ll need to show photo ID).

If you want a free activity and a bit of people watching the Plaza de Espania is also worth a visit.  The large plaza is lined on one side with beautiful colonnaded walkways and elaborate tiled benches (and were used as a back drop in one of the Star Wars films, I’m not a fan so I don’t know which one).  There’s also a little lake where you can rent small boats to glide around on.  You’ll probably also see flamenco dancers performing (or sometimes other street performances). 

Flamenco is a massive thing in Seville and there are multiple different shows in different venues every night, but these also sell out quickly so if you’d like to see one book in advance (it is very impressive).

The city is extremely walkable and feels very safe. You will probably  find everything you’re interested in seeing in the old town, so best to locate yourself there when booking accommodation.  You will definitely encounter women walking up to you trying to give sprigs of rosemary for luck and they may ask for a couple of coins (locals warn these women will never have change, so don’t give a note and expect money back, it’s also fine to politely say no, gracias and they will take no offence).

Iberian pork cheeks in a brandy, was the post delicious in thing I ate during the trip.

Another must see is Seville cathedral.  Richly decorated with a mixture of recoco chapels and Moorish carvings (it had previously been a mosque, but was taken over as a church when the Moors were driven out of Spain, and the large tower was used to call the faithful to prayer).  You can climb the tower if that’s your thing and you’ll be using ramps rather than steps (the Imams used to ride donkeys up the ramps to the top of the tower so they didn’t have to climb hundreds of steps five times a day).  If you want a relatively well priced cocktail with a rooftop view of the cathedral the hotel Donna Maria is a good spot.

If you prefer more modern architecture the Metropole Parasol is also worth seeing.  With a viewing gallery offering great views of the city and a buzzing food market below selling fresh fruit and vegetables (beef tomatoes the size of a child’s head), as well as meat, fish and local delicacies.

Food and wine in Seville was excellent as I expected, with great selections of tapas in most places.  I had visited Madrid before and a small complimentary tapas was served when you ordered a drink.  In Seville post places expect these to be ordered separately, and prices are from 4 euro for a small portion or you can size up if sharing.

Seville is gorgeous with lots of history, beautiful little squares lined with orange trees to sit down and watch the world go by.

Pork and Cabbage Stir Fry

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Quick, tasty and easy weeknight night dinners are the best and this is ready in 15 minutes.  It’s also pretty healthy and is packed with vegetables (especially if you’re trying to “eat the rainbow” which is essential for good nutrition).

Pork sometimes gets a bad reputation, but lean pork mince is full of protein and has a good amount of iron.

Serves 4

500 Grams Lean pork mince

1 Red pepper (finely sliced)

1 yellow pepper (finely sliced)

1 Red onion (finely sliced)

Half a small white cabbage (finely sliced)

Handful of sugar snap peas or mange tout

2-3 Cloves of garlic (finely sliced)

4-5 Tbsp Hoi Sin Sauce

Method

  • Heat a large wok or high sided frying pan over a high heat
  • Add the pork mince to the pan (there should be enough fat in the meant to stop it sticking even though it’s lean, but you can add a tablespoon of oil if you think you need to). Stir the meat quick to break it up until it’s mainly brown
  • Add all the veggies to the pan and stir often for 2-3 minutes
  • Stir in the garlic, and Hoi Sin sauce and half a cup of boiling water.  Stir well and let the sauce thicken for another minute until everything is well coated
  • Serve with rice or noodles

Creamy Canellini Beans with Sundried Tomatoes

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It’s comfort food weather, and if like most of us you’re trying to increase the amount of protein you’re eating these are perfect.

I can eat a big bowl of these on their own with some crusty bread, but they also make a tasty side dish.

This is quick and easy to make, using tinned beans but you can use dried beans but these usually need soaked overnight and should be cooked according to the instructions on the packaging.

Ingredients

2 x 400ml Cannelloni beans (drained)

1 Tbsp Tomato puree

125ml Vegetable stock

2 x Cloves of garlic (finely chopped

1 Large sprig of rosemary or 1 teaspoon of dried rosemary

1 Tbsp Oil

1 Onion (finely chopped)

4-5 Sun dried tomatoes

Salt and pepper

Method

  • Heat the oil in a large pan and fry onion gently until it starts to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
  • Stir the tomato puree into the pan and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the beans and vegetable stock.  Stir well and simmer for 10 minutes.
  • With a fork or potato masher gently mash about a third of the beans.  This will release the starch in the beans that will help thicken the beans and give the beans a creamy texture.
  • Stir in the sundried tomatoes and rosemary, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if you think it needs it.