Barbiel
(Recipes from Portugal, Brazil and Germany)


Creamy Mushroom Puff
(from Germany)



1/3 of a cup/60g/2oz of margarine
4 tablespoons of plain white flour
1 onion
4 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped (this can be reduced or left out if desired)
3 cups of mushrooms, sliced
half a litre/500ml of soya milk
1 glass of white wine (or stock)
handful of chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
approx. 500g/18oz of frozen puff pastry (this even comes ready-rolled now for extra laziness!!!)
Melt the margarine and cook the onion and garlic in it for a few minutes and then add the sliced mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes more. Add the flour and stir well. Gradually add the soya milk stirring all the time and then the wine and keep stirring on a low heat until the sauce thickens. Once thick remove from the heat and add your seasoning and the parsley. Allow to cool slightly while you prepare the pastry. Roll out into 2 wide rectangular shapes reserving some pastry for decoration. Place one sheet of pastry on a greased baking tray. Heap the slightly cooled sauce onto it leaving a space round the edges. Place the top sheet on and seal up the edges with some soya milk or water (fold over if needed). Make some small slits on the top of the puff and let your artistic side shine with the reserved pastry! I usually make holly leaves to place on the top but do whatever you like. Glaze with soya milk and then bake in a medium hot oven for about half an hour or until the pastry seems cooked (no soggy bits and nicely puffed up!)
Note: Nice served with gravy, roast potatoes, stuffing, vegan sausages, cranberry sauce and vegetables of your choice.


Parsley Soup
(from Portugal)



25g (1 oz) vegetable margarine
1 large onion
2 celery sticks
100g (4 oz) fresh parsley (this is more than it sounds)
4 teaspoons plain flour
900ml (1 1/2 pints) vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of soya cream
Finely chop the onion and slice the celery. Chop the parsley roughly and discard any long stalks. Heat oil or margarine and add the onion, celery and parsley. Cook until soft, then stir in the flour and cook for a minute or two before adding the stock. Simmer for 25 minutes then allow to cool slightly and purée with a blender. Reheat, season, and add soya cream before serving with a sprig of parsley. Serves 3 - 4.


Empadinhas - Brazilian Shrimp Pies
(from Brazil)



Crust:
4 cups flour
1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature
1 cup shortening (Crisco)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 cup cold water
Filling:
1 pound shrimp
1 tablespoon oil
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 cup cooked peas
8 pitted green olives, chopped
cayenne pepper
1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt for glaze
50 small tartlet molds
Make the Crust: Place the flour in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Place the butter, shortening, eggs, salt, and 1 cup water in the well. Using one hand to mix, squeeze these ingredients through your fingers to make a paste. Gradually work in the flour, squeezing the  dough between your fingers to mix it. Add water as necessary: the dough should be quite soft. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
Prepare the Filling: Peel and devein the shrimp. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until soft but not brown. Add the shrimp, bay leaf, tomato paste, salt, and pepper, plus water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the shrimp is cooked. Strain the shrimp, reserving the broth.
Finely chop the shrimp by hand or in the food processor. Stir in the flour, peas, and olives. Stir in 3-4 tablespoons of the reserved broth: the filling should be moist but not runny. Add enough cayenne to give the shrimp mixture a little bite. Pinch off cherry-sized pieces of dough and use them to line the tartlet molds. Push the dough in with your thumb. The dough should just reach over the top of the mold. Place a spoonful of filling in each crust. Roll out the remaining dough and cut out tops for the empadinhas. Try to capture an air bubble when you place the top over the filling: this is what makes the pie light. Seal the tartlets by pinching together the top and bottom crust (the empadinhas can be prepared ahead to this stage and frozen). Preheat the oven to 375°F. Brush the tops of the empadinhas with egg glaze. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Unmold and serve, warm or cold.
Note: Empadinhas are totally yummy tiny pies filled with shrimp, chicken or hearts of palm. It yields 50 tiny pies, perfect for a get-together or cocktail party. They can be prepared ahed of time, frozen and then all you need to do is put them in the oven for 15 minutes before serving.


Stoved Potatoes with Chive
(from Germany)



1 1/2 tablespoons light olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon rosemary, finely chopped
600g miniature new potatoes scrubbed (or any waxy ones cut into approx 3 cm dice)
300ml light vegetable stock
12 small cloves garlic, peeled and left whole
To serve: 2 tablespoons chives, chopped
Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan. Add the paprika and rosemary and then the potatoes. Take to a high heat and stir the potatoes for 2 or 3 minutes to make sure they are coated with the spices. Add the stock and the whole garlic and bring to the boil. Cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the cover and boil rapidly until the liquid has evaporated, stirring the potatoes occasionally to ensure they don’t stick. Once cooked they will have an almost “roasted” appearance, similar to patatas bravas. Serves 4.



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