One-half cup of milk is correct for the recipe I was given. But here’s the thing our American measurements: we use volume rather than weight. It’s possible your 4 cups of flour were packed more densely than mine, or those of my testers. I always stir my flour with a spoon, lightly scoop it, and level it off with a knife. But the good thing is you know what the dough should feel like. Next time try a lighter hand with the flour and see if that doesn’t help.

I wanted to let you know how beautiful your book is. I am thoroughly enjoying trying some of the recipes. Although I’m Azorean, some of the recipes are old family favorites which I can prepare with confidence now.

I recently made your massa sovada, which is an old favorite, however I think there’s a typo in terms of the quantity of the milk. The first time I made it I followed the recipe exactly even though I felt that it needed more milk because the dough was too hard. I did the entire process and when I cut it it was extremely dense. The following day I decided to try it again and this time I added more milk for a total of 1 1/2 cups. This time the massa was superb. I thought I would bring this to your attention and that perhaps you might want to check it.

Many thanks for a beautiful book.

The other thing I like about your book is that you described what certain Portuguese ingredients would be called in the US. That has been the most difficult for me. Back in Portugal, there were two types of potatoes like you say, red and white. When I got here, it was hard to figure out which potatoes corresponded to the ones I knew.

I would also like to say how happy I was to find that certain recipes in your book, when described in the classic way, were pretty much as I cook them. So many times, I find recipes online or in cookbooks, where Caldo Verde, for example, is done in a totally different way. This just validated my Portuguese recipe knowledge and expertise.

Your book is certainly a precious gem in my kitchen. I appreciate all your efforts to bring to the forefront of the cooking world our wonderful cuisine. I feel like all of us, Portuguese of the world, are ambassadors of this beautiful country, and as such, we need to let people know about this amazing culture. I was never so proud of being Portuguese.

Muito obrigada pelo teu fantástico livro.