Comments on: Lost in the Atlantic: The Azores and Its Hearty Food

By: Pam

Pam — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:09:45 +0000

It is linguica and it is delicious, they carried it for a period of time here in Virginia, but failed to market it, people do not realize it is a very tasty and versatile meat! I can be fried, baked, broiled, boiled, more tasty and similar to kielbasa. They can ship it direct to your home Amarals and Gaspars. There may be more, but these are the two companies that were there when I lived there.

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 20:11:22 +0000

Hi, Sylvia. The dish sounds fantastic. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of it, but it’s not uncommon for families to use familiar ingredients to make new dishes–especially if the cook is an immigrant from the Old Country. Just look what the Portuguese did with shellfish–stuffed quahogs. Something that is completely unknown in the Portuguese repertoire back in Portugal, but is nonetheless delicious.

By: Sylvia Viera

Sylvia Viera — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:22:11 +0000

This was so much fun to read. My Mother was from Faial, Father from San Miguel. I was born in N. Dartmouth, Mass. Right near New Bedford. Fortunately, I paid attention to the recipes that I really loved and make vinha d’alhos with pork chops, kale soup, and a chicken dish I’ve never seen anywhere. It’s cooked in wine, cumin, celery, onions…and is awesome. The chicken is dredged in flour, cumin, paprika and garlic powder, then fried till brown. Ever heard of this?

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 18:56:20 +0000

Daniel, you have stumbled upon the truth in cooking: there is no genuine article, only what you like. The recipe in my book is based upon my grandmother’s. It’s got a somewhat moist interior with a lacquered-looking thin crust. The best thing you can do is decide the kind of sweet bread you like and alter a favorite recipe until it’s what you deem authentic.

By: Daniel Evangelho

Daniel Evangelho — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 07:29:08 +0000

After giving sweet bread another try today (it was just fair…too crusty and a little too dense) I’ve been searching the internet and just about every recipe is a little different! Even the recipes from each side of my family (the Evangelhos from Terceira and the Martinhos from Faial) are different. Is there a recipe in your book that is considered the “genuine” article?

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 03:21:56 +0000

Gloria, so glad you enjoyed the article. I'm sorry about your mom passing. It's so tough when a parent dies. I have a recipe for arroz doce in my cookbook, The New Portuguese Table. If you don't have it, you can buy it on this site or take it out of the library. I dont know how it stacks up to your mom's, but it's the closest I got to my avó's version. Let me know how it turns out!

By: Gloria Paiva-Martin

Gloria Paiva-Martin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 05:59:13 +0000

My mom just passed away, and I am so upset that I never learned how to make her arroz doce. She is from São Miguel, and I know the ingredients, which included egg yolks, but it was her technique that really made it so rich and thick. Do you have a recipe for this rice pudding? I have noticed variations on different websites–some w/o egg, some adding hot milk separately instead of initially with the water, etc.

Loved this article!

By: David Leite

David Leite — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:56:55 +0000

Hi Debbie, I think you mean alcatra. It's a popular Azorean dish. At the moment we don't have any the site. Here are two recipes that I found on the Web. Jacinta's Alcatra and classic Alcatra.

By: Debbie

Debbie — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 14:39:22 +0000

I am of Portuguese decent. I am half Portuguese, my grandmother was from the island of Terceira. My mom is not Portuguese but learned to cook from my grandma Trovao. She died 6 years ago and all her recipes have disappeared. I am looking for a recipe for al carte (I apoligize for the spelling). My husband and I love to cook this style. We are from California and have some sources for recipes, but would love some others.

By: Ana Cristina Silveira

Ana Cristina Silveira — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:23:43 +0000

I am so glad I came across this site. I was born on the beautiful island of Terceira. My family moved to New Jersey when I was 7. I realized I had been taking everything for granted when my mom passed away 2 years ago. My mom was a great cook but I never took the time to write down the recipes, so thank you for your book! It will certainly fill the void.