new year's day january 2010 dinner

view from apartment in carvoiero, portugal

Travelled back from Portugal on New Year's Eve, 31st December 2009 after a short break in Carvoeiro. Discovered a take-away in the centre of Carvoeiro some years ago. The shop has not changed at all. The owner cooks every evening and does a brisk trade in his piri piri chicken - freshly grilled after a long marinade, and has a different speciality day to day. Missed out on the duck this time but orders were being taken for the roast suckling pig for New Year's Eve. Brother AB wanted roast suckling pig for the Christmas dinner but it is not easy to source it in the UK - so half a roast suckling pig was bundled into the luggage and the whole clan feasted on it on New Year's day 2010. The crackling was crispy and crackly and the meat so tender that it was 'spoonable'.

suckling pig for sale in Portimao, Portugal

By the time we arrived on New Year's Eve, it was too late to go shopping. So had to make do with what was available in the house for New Year's day dinner. Potatoes were boiled to make a potato salad. Unfortunately, they were not new potatoes or the anya potatoes that I like. The potatoes got a little overcooked but someone added mayonnaise to it anyway - it was terrible to look at. Brain ticking away - Ping!!!! Mash up the potatoes with the mayonnaise, add some more butter and thus was born a hybridised version of 'duchess' potatoes but shaped into 'quenelles' for speed - no hunting around for an 'icing bag' or a food bag with a corner cut off. They were light, they were delicious, everyone loved them but none could figure out the secret ingredient until daughter BG realised that the menu did state 'new potato or Anya potato salad with mayonnaise and spring onions' but of course that dish was invisible!! Brother AB made a spicy chilli relish - garlicky and chilli to accompany the meal as he is not too keen on the chilli Bramley apple chutney that was made out of the apples that were picked during our October half term break.

surveying the spread

getting ready to tuck in - twenty around the table!

Dessert for that evening was sooji (semolina) halwa served with cream and ice-cream. Sister-in-law JB makes this quite often. Her daughter Rhea is quite partial to this dessert - Rhea has severe food allergies and is unable to eat any form of eggs or nuts. This halwa is the ideal dessert for her. The halwa is made in a slightly different way from the one I normally make - not as time consuming as the syrup does not have to be prepared beforehand but it has got a lot of butter! But once in a while .... :)

youngest member of the family waiting to tuck in

Recipe for sooji (semolina) halwa

enough for about six to eight people depending on accompaniments and appetites!!!

Ingredients

1 cup coarse semolina

150 grams butter or 150 ml sunflower oil (I prefer the taste of butter)

125 g sugar

handful of raisins

2 cm piece cinnamon stick or cardamon seeds from about four pods, crushed

Method

• Melt the butter over a low heat in a saucepan.
• Add the semolina and cinnamon or crushed cardamon seeds and roast over a moderate heat for about ten minutes.
• Add the sugar to the semolina and continue stirring for another five to ten minutes till the semolina starts to change colour and the sugar begins to caramelize - little bits of sugar melt and get stuck at the bottom. It is this caramelization that is peculiar to this recipe and gives it a little crunchy 'bite'.
• Add the raisins and fry for another minute or two.
• Carefully add about a cup of hot water - beware : the mixture will spit and can leave nasty burn marks on the face!!! and keep stirring so that no lumps of semolina form.
• Lower the heat, cover and let it cook over a gentle heat for about ten minutes.
• Transfer to a serving dish and tuck in.

This halwa is not as moist - but one can add more water and adjust the moistness to their liking.

Enjoy the holidays!!