Cavacas, Fond Memories, And The Recipe!

Hello dear friends,

Thank you for stopping in.  I love when you come to visit!  Yesterday afternoon, I posted a photo of the "cavacas" I made on my facebook page. I was so overwhelmed with comments, questions, and requests for the recipe, I wanted to share it with all of you. 

First of all, for those of you who don't know, what is a cavaca? It's a traditional Portuguese confection whose origins date back as far as anyone can remember, but there is no documented proof of where or when it originated. 

Cavacas are simple to make and require very few ingredients, usually only eggs, flour and oil, as well as a rich sugar coating.  You can find these popular sweets all over Portugal in bakeries and markets. Although the ingredients don't vary much from one recipe to another, the baking technique, shapes and sizes can vary from one village to the next. 

Outside of Portugal, cavacas are sometimes called Portuguese popovers, as they are somewhat similar in texture.  Cavacas, however, are drier, contain oil and are much sweeter.   Yes, they are similar, but still very different. 

The recipe I used to make my cavacas comes from the facebook page Azorean Green Bean.  You can find the recipe there on her page.  I saw the photo she posted; they looked so yummy, I had to try them for myself.  Indeed they were delicious!   Thank you to Azorean Green Bean for the inspiration!

My husband has enjoyed cavacas since his childhood days in Portugal. I was introduced to them many years ago, when his grandmother, Avo Emilia, brought them over from Portugal to Canada on her yearly visits.  She also adored them.  I vividly remember her thorough enjoyment of the sugary confection!  Baking these brought back memories of those days long ago.  I miss her and think of her often.  Most times, memories of Avo Emilia come to me when I eat foods that she enjoyed, like leafy greens, fish, potatoes, salad, and homemade bread.  One thing she couldn't stand was reheated potatoes.  I will never forget that.  She is dearly missed and thought of often. 



Here she is displaying her homemade bread.
I took this photo of her.  She loved taking pictures!

Here is Azorean Green Bean's recipe including my changes/additions/comments in red

Cavacas:

2 cups of flour *all-purpose
1 cup of oil  * I used olive oil
½ cup of whole milk *I used milk, but can be replaced with oil/olive oil

8 eggs at room temp

 

Sugar Glaze:

 2 cups of Confectioner’s Sugar
 zest of one lemon
 2 tablespoons of milk (more or less depending on the thickness you like)  * I used 1/4 cup of milk as I prefer the glaze thinner. 

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease regular size muffin tins or popover tins. *I used butter to grease. I tried the recipe twice, first using popover pan, second using muffin tins.  I preferred the muffin tins.
Using an electric mixer beat all ingredients for at least 20 minutes without stopping.
I highly recommend using a stand mixer on this recipe with the mixer set on level 6.
Fill the muffin or popover tins no more then half way.  *I filled mine using a 1/4 measuring cup, which was less than half way.  These really rise!  Be careful not to overfill them!
Bake on the middle rack; for moist Cavacas, bake for about 45 minutes; but if you like them on the dry side, bake for 1 hour. They will get to a nice golden color and “popover“ the pans.
While they are still warm, spoon the glaze over each one or just submerge each one in the glaze. Either way you can’t go wrong.
Serve on the same day, since it will dry even more for the following day.  Mine are on day 2 and tasting fabulous still!

 

If any of you decide to make the recipe.  Please let me know how they turned out!  Maybe you can send me a photo and I can share it here on my blog!   Wouldn't that be wonderful?!

 

Wishing everyone a happy November.  Santa Claus is coming to town this weekend.  Can you believe there are only 39 days, 12 hours, 58 minutes until Christmas.  Have you started your Christmas shopping yet?  I haven't!  EEK!

A Taste of Portugal

As some of you may already know, I was born on the Island of Sao Miguel, the largest Island in the Portuguese Azores Archipelago. I came to Canada with my parents at sixteen months of age, as my parents were looking for a better life and a good place to work and raise a family.  Six years later, at the age of seven, I became a Canadian Citizen, along with my parents.  I have been back to Sao Miguel and Portugal several times in my life.  Although I feel more Canadian than Portuguese, Sao Miguel holds a special place in my heart.  It is where my roots are, my family, my history, it all began there.  And with that, comes my love for traditional Portuguese food.  At our house, on our table, the influence is always there, in the ingredients, the spices, even the tableware.
Fish is eaten regularly in Portugal and among the most popular is bacalhau (cod fish).  In Portugal, cod is always sold dry and salted. This is how they keep the fish fresh without needing refrigeration. We can find the same dry, salted fish here in many supermarkets. I would like to share with you my recipe for a typical Portuguese dish I made last week, while my Mom was staying with us. 

Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa (serves 4-6)

2 pounds deboned salt-cod (soaked in water for 24-36 hrs prior, making sure to change the water 3-4 times)
8 medium potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 eggs
2 large onions, sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 extra virgin olive oil (divided)
black olives, pitted
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
salt to taste


First cook cod in a large pot of boiling water for 8-10 minutes.  Allow to cool and flake into small pieces.  While cod is cooling, you can boil potatoes (1/4 inch thickness) and eggs in a separate pot.

 

Boil potatoes

 Flaked cod

Once cooked, drain water from the potatoes.  Set aside.  Peel hard-boiled eggs and slice for garnish.  Set aside. 

 Pour 1/4 cup of olive oil into large skillet.  Saute onions and garlic until golden, over medium heat. 

In a large baking dish, brush bottom with olive oil.  Add half of your potatoes, half the cod fish, half the onions, potatoes again, cod again, and top with onions.  Drizzle the leftover half cup of olive oil over the entire dish. ( I also sprinkle a little salt over the potatoes, after each layer)

 

 Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove.  Decorate with sliced eggs, black olives, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

And here you have it, Bacalhau a Gomes de Sa.  I hope you can try my recipe some day and tell me what you think!  Thank you for visiting my kitchen! Have a wonderful day!