Carly Ellen Kramer's Blog, page 4

Ivan’s Shrimp Stock

If a recipe ever calls for fish stock, chicken stock or bullion cubes will often work just fine. If you really want to be fancy, here’s how to make a decent shrimp stock. Next time on Crowded Earth Kitchen, we’ll use this shrimp stock to make an awesome clam chowder! Ingredients Shrimp shells and heads […]

15 Minute Apple Tart

At a market in Portugal, I bought this frozen dough without knowing for certain what it actually was. My Portuguese is very limited (“Where is the restroom? Do you accept credit cards? Will you please clean the fish? Excuse me, thank you, have a good afternoon.”), and while I know the words for market basics […]

Portuguese Jambalaya

No, I’m not confused. Yes, I understand that at home in the US, jambalaya is synonymous with Louisiana. Here in Portugal, however, there are multiple rice dishes with the same flavor profiles as jambalayas. Some, such as cajun jambalaya, are made without tomatoes. Some, such as creole jambalaya, are made with tomatoes. Many are made […]

Guest Post! Ivan’s Artisanal Lemonade

We are in Albufeira, Portugal, and we happen to have a Mediterranean lemon tree in our backyard. Portugal is not in the Mediterranean Sea, but Albufeira is about 5 hours by car from the Strait of Gibraltar, which is the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. The lemons produced in the Mediterranean just can’t be beat. They’re more sour, […]

Piri Piri Chicken Soup

Piri means pepper, and piri-piri is simply a pepper sauce common in Portugal. Today we are baking boneless, skinless piri piri chicken (as opposed to the more common bone-in, grilled piri piri chicken) and using that chicken as the star ingredient of a delicious soup. Enjoy! Ingredients (Makes one big pot) 2 pounds boneless, skinless […]

Algarve Cataplana

Cataplana is both a pan (looks like a wok with a hinged lid) and the dish cooked within the pan, although a large pot with a tight fitting lid will suffice. Some say that cataplana is Portugal’s answer to Spanish paella. Others will assert that, as Portugal is in fact older than Spain, paella is […]

Lemon Crepes

Here in Portugal, there is a lemon tree in our backyard. I am enchanted. Determined to use lemon in the kitchen everyday, today I made these simple yet cheerful lemon crepes for breakfast. Enjoy! Ingredients and Directions (makes 4 generous servings) Step 1) Add these ingredients to a blender, in the order shown: 3 eggs […]

Portuguese Grilled Hake

One of the very best parts of world travel is eating like a local. Portugal makes this easy, with it’s long Atlantic coastlines and semi-Mediterranean climate. Fresh fish, local olive oil, good quality sea salt, and many varieties of citrus fruits are abundant and inexpensive. Dinner, anyone? Fish counters in Portuguese markets are an experience; […]

Pastéis de Bacalhau

Bom dia! Crowded Earth Kitchen is writing today from Belém, Portugal. For food history buffs, Belém is a heady location. Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan both set sail from the port just down the cobblestone road from our kitchen. These giants of the Age of Discovery set food cultures on a collision course, bringing […]

National Chopsticks Day!

Yes, yes, it’s an entirely silly “holiday,” and yet perfect for the perky looking bin of fresh, bright green baby Brussels sprouts I found at the market.  Fabulous!  It’s a wonder these little gems are so small, for all of the nutrition they manage to contain.  A single cup of Brussels sprouts contains 4 grams of fiber, […]