❤ ❤ SANGRIA OF RED WINE - S. VALENTINE'S DAY ❤ ❤

St. Valentine's Day is celebrated due to a Roman Bishop named Valentim (3rd century) who secretly celebrated marriages due to the banning of these by the Emperor Claudius II. Upon the discovery of this fact, Valentim was arrested and sentenced to death on February 14, 270.

Today's suggestion is a fresh and delicious alcoholic beverage called Sangria.

Sangria is a drink made with a mixture of red or white wine, juice and pieces of fruit and sugar. Other drinks like brandy, sparkling wine can be used too.

The drink has to be really fresh, therefore ice can be added if necessary.Traditionally, in Portugal, spices (cinnamon stick) and aromatic fresh herbs (mint, basil) are added to the beverage.

RECIPE (for 1 Lt of sangria) 


  Ingredientes : 

• 0,75 l of quality red wine
• 0,20 l of soda, 7up or Sprite; 
• 100 gr. yellow sugar; 
• 1 large orange cut into pieces; 
•  6 strawberries cut in halves; 
• 1 lemon cut into pieces; 
• 1 apple cut into pieces; 
• 1 cinnamon stick 
• 2 mint leaves; 
• 4 leaves of basil. 

   Method  : 

In a jar for 1.5 Lt., place the cut fruit. 
Add the sugar and the wine and stir well until the sugar dissolves. 

Add in the cinnamon stick and leave in the refrigerator for at least one hour. 

At serving time, join the soda, mint and basil, mixing to combine the the flavours. 


ENJOY YOUR DRINK!


 

WONDERLAND LISBOA AND EDUARD VII PARK

Yesterday I was at the Christmas Market of the Wonderland Lisbon 2017, located at Parque Eduardo VII and I really enjoyed it. Being a typically cold and sunny winter day, I was able to see many fun options for the whole family. 

An Ecological Ice Rink, a Giant Wheel, a Christmas Tree, Santa's Village, Carousels, Music, Entertainment, Animation and Children's Culture with free entry and a Christmas market with various exhibitors of fashion, handicrafts, regional products and Christmas confectionery.

In addition to this Christmas Market you can enjoy the beautiful Parque Eduardo VII which is the largest park in the center of Lisbon with a privileged view of the Tagus River. 

It was baptized in 1903 in honor of Edward VII of England, who had visited Lisbon the previous year to reaffirm the alliance between the two countries. Until then, it was nameded Parque da Liberdade (Freedom Park.). 

The center of the park is covered with grass, flanked by long walks of Portuguese sidewalk, dividing the park into two green, afforested areas.  

To the northwest of the park is the beautiful Cold Greenhouse, with a variety of exotic plants, streams, waterfalls, palm trees and rails, fuchsia, flowering shrubs and banana trees, and the Hot Greenhouse with lush plants, lakes and cacti as well as tropical birds. 

A great option for a different tour!

CULINARY EXTRAVAGANZA - HOTEL CONRAD ALGARVE - 4 to 6 NOVEMBER

This weekend will be the second edition of the culinary event "Culinary Extravaganza" at the Hotel Conrad ALGARVE - Quinta do Lago.

15 CHEFS | 15 STARS MICHELIN | 5 EVENTS Extravaganza Culinary joins the celebrated Michelin Star and International Chefs in November.

This month, culinary extravaganza will bring a constellation of selected michelin stars and world-famous chefs, scones and mixers from the Hilton Portfolio!

This three-day gourmet showcase will take place from the 4th to the 6th of November. A total of 16 Michelin-starred, globally renowned chefs will descend on the Conrad Algarve to create a series of exclusive ticketed culinary events across the weekend, hosted by one of the world’s leading chefs, Heinz Beck. 

Already established as a gourmet hotspot, with GUSTO headed up by 3 Michelin-Starred Chef Heinz Beck, Conrad Algarve reached new culinary heights in 2016 with the inaugural Culinary Extravaganza. Following the huge success of the event, Conrad Algarve hosts this food lover’s paradise for a second year running, now as part of an annual gourmet initiative to encompass the Hilton brand. 

Hosted by the Master of gastronomy Chef Heinz Beck, the Culinary Extravaganza 2017 line-up will bring together a top selection of Chefs, Sommeliers, and Mixologists from Hilton’s worldwide global fine dining portfolio. There will be a plethora of 5 glamorous events on offer including the Grand Opening Event with live performances, a BBQ Brunch at Dado Q, and a Roof Garden Suite lunch to name a few. The weekend makes the most of all of Conrad 

Algarve’s outlets and the stunning surroundings, as well as showing off the famed Hilton gourmet offering. Several Hilton Chefs who take up residence in various Hilton hotels across the world will host the weekend alongside Heinz Beck, as well as renowned international chefs hailing from destinations in every corner of the world, including Prague, Istanbul, Netherlands, Cairo and Dublin. 

This year’s Culinary Extravaganza promises to be another three days boasting a unique fusion of flavours, technique, and gastronomic finesse to tantalise all the senses.



Source: 
Site: http://www.culinary-extravaganza.com/en/blog/
Photos: https://www.facebook.com/ConradAlgarve/

NATIONAL TEARS

 

Unfortunately, Portugal was hit by a huge tragedy this year resulting from gigantic fires taking the lives of more than a hundred people and destroying a huge part of the national forest. Serious mismanagement, miscoordination and criminal hand-over have culminated in this tragic outcome.

I want to pay tribute to all who defended and did what they could to save people, animals, nature and goods. A great thank you to the Portuguese firefighters, doctors, nurses, Police PSP, GNR guards, military and civilians who did everything to help.

I share this beautiful text from the site "Aldeias de Portugal (Villages of Portugal)" because it is a wonderful apology and homage to all the people who suffer the hardships resulting from the evils of this world.

NATIONAL TEARS
My dear sir, I do not know you but I dare to write you these words as I felt as this look that embraces us all! I am crying as I write to you, do you know? Because I see in this gaze a total emptiness of hope, the hope that one day, with your sweat, all of you who have worked since you began to walk,and everything you offered to the generations, these same generations that today treat you like garbage! I cry, I cry a lot, because I know how isolated and abandoned you live, as if you were worthless, that shames those who wear ties and that never worked seriously in life! I weep because I know that many of you die between sighs of cries and cries for help, without any of us even trying to listen to you! I cry because what burned down today was not just the simple homes that protected you from the rain, what was discovered today was the social horror in which millions of you in the Interior live daily! I cry because I know that many of you have never had a vacation, cultivating soils under sun, rain and even hail, treating animals that fed us day by day, treating the Earth as one who treats a child, the same Earth who today uses you to shout to the world that you are sorry for what happened to you! How can you not weep at the tender empty look at life !? How can you not weep at the simplicity of a dirty shirt that should cover the shame of those who wear a tie and of cars that cost more than building a house? As a Portuguese born in the "modern" times, who uses and abuses the luxuries built with the money of your sweat, I can not help crying for your forgiveness! Sorry! Forgive us for all the evil that we are doing to you! Sorry for our apathy at all this! Pardon! A thousand times forgiveness! A fair country and good people would never abandon you to your fate! I could say here that you should be more proactive, but that would be no shame to anyone who worked a lifetime, and old enough, deserved more than respect, deserved consideration, dedication and passion. Excuse me, my rich master, in my name, in the name of a country that I love because you made me love it, but not this country that wants to foist on us, a country without values, without respect and without love for those who gave so much to the homeland of all of us. Excuse me, my rich master! How I would like to know you, hold you and listen, and give you a little of me to comfort you. Hoping that life brings us together. 

Source: 
Website: https://www.facebook.com/AldeiasPortugal/
Text: Paulo Costa 
Photo: Adriano Miranda - Public Newspaper

BAIN-MARIE OR WATER BATH METHOD

Bain-Marie or water bath is a scientific and culinary method of cooking, heating or melting food through the heat of water.


Origin:

Regarding the origins, it is thought that it must have arisen by the hand of a Jewish alchemist who lived somewhere between the XIII and XIV centuries B.C., whose name would be Mary.

But there are other theses that refer to its origin to the Virgin Mary, since the name evokes "the sweetest of cooking."


Method of use:

Put a pot on the fire with water and allow to warm without boiling. Place in it´s interior a bowl (stainless or glass) that supports high temperatures with the desired ingredient. Let it just touch the surface of the water.

When melting food, simply place the ingredient and stir until you get the desired consistency.

When oven cooking, this method is also frequently used formaking puddings, Molotovs, cakes, etc.


Good cooking!

WINE - VINHAS DE PEGÕES

For some years now, I´ ve been enjoying wine, and therefore I have several wines I choose as favourites. Today I will be describing one that I greatly appreciate.

The wine which is sold in the market consists of one or more grape castes. A caste is the quality or variety of grapes used in the making of a wine.

Portugal prides itself on producing high quality wine and has around 300 native grape varieties and other designations for wine varieties.

As for the "Vines of Pegões" - Vinhas de Pegões Wine - Touriga Nacional 2016 PORTUGAL, is in my opinion, a wonderful wine. Made from the Touriga Nacional mono caste, a noble and highly prized breed of grapes in Portugal. I consider it to have an aroma and flavour which is very mild, fruity and floral.

This wine, served at room temperature, accompanies in perfection meat dishes and especially red meats and cheeses.

I recommend a late-afternoon snack with goat's or sheep's cheese, honey, bread, olives and a glass of red wine.

It's so Portuguese!

I would like to inform you that this wine will be on sale at the PINGO DOCE supermarket Wine Fair until October 2, 2017.

Enjoy and have a great wine tasting!





 

CAIXA ALFAMA - FADO IN LISBON 2017

The 5th edition of the Caixa Alfama Festival will once again celebrate Fado in the heart of Alfama. In 2013, "Caixa Geral de Depósitos Bank" and "Música a Coração" joined together  in the challenge of creating the first great Festival of music that transports the identity and the Portuguese soul, Fado.

Fado returns this year to another Caixa Alfama, in honor of Portuguese culture with the greatest interpreters of Fado.

Caixa Alfama is a music festival in Lisbon's oldest district. Filled with magnificent architecture, this reflects well the music on offer. The event takes place in a wide variety of buildings, from churches to museums, and it is this variety that gives visitors an artistic range worthy of appreciation.

The special characteristics of Caixa Alfama promote movement and organization, seeking to make the public a major protagonist, giving life to the streets and belvederes of the Alfama district - the oldest in the capital -, a place that breathes the history of Fado. The nights of September 15 and 16, 2017 will remain in memory of all those who attend the concerts, which will fill this year's poster and reinforce the reason why in 2011, Fado was elevated to the category of Oral Heritage and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.This year, in addition to the 2-day pass, the daily ticket is also available, both at very attractive prices: the 2-day pass is priced at € 25 and the daily ticket costs € 15.The pass should be changed for a bracelet, by the owner, in the ticket offices based in the Museum of Fado from September 14. The bracelet will give access to all the spaces of the festival up to the limit of capacity of each one. Caixa Geral de Depósitos clients will receive a 10% discount on tickets purchased with any debit or credit card at the Fado Museum ticket office.

Associated Restaurants:

Caixa Alfama recommends eleven official restaurants that will help you as well cook the taste for Fado with that of delicious Portuguese food with menus between 10 € and 37 €. The restaurants are:

• Barracão de Alfama
• Fora de Moda
• Grandes Cantorias
• Lautasco
• Má Fama
• Muralha Tasca Típica
• O Cantinho da Rute
• Santo António de Alfama
• São Miguel de Alfama
• Vamos ao Algarve
• Travessa do Fado

See the menu of each associated restaurant.

 We recommend you confirm all the information with the official promoter of this event.  
 - Promoter:   http://caixaalfama.pt/

TASTING FADO - TIVOLI THEATRE LISBOA

Fado is a form of Portuguese singing and was born in the popular alleys of Lisbon, but is not limited to them. Evoking the Portuguese soul, Fado is melancholic, sings nostalgia and is accompanied by viola and Portuguese guitar.

National Symbol and Cultural and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (Unesco, 2011), Fado is much more than a song. It is an experience of the senses, a journey through history, arts and gastronomy of Portugal. It has a special flavour, a unique glamour, its own environment.

"Tasting Fado" offers the best of Lisbon city: a visit to the theatre, national monument and considered one of the most beautiful buildings of cultural Lisbon, the most appropriate scenario for this experience, where our "fadistas" (Fado singers) and musicians (Joana Amendoeira, Henrique Leitão and João Filipe), will lead you through the essence of being Portuguese enjoying the Fado as a whole, animatedly accompanied by a glass of Port Wine and a "Pastel de nata" (Cream pie).
From Wednesdays to Saturdays at 7:00 pm, at the Teatro Tivoli BBVA.
M/6

 

https://www.teatrotivolibbva.pt/pt/event/116/tasting-fado

We recommend you confirm all the information with the official promoter of this event.
- Promoter: Tasting Fado