The name of this main course starts with the letter 'X"

Louise at the blog Months of Edible Celebrations is hosting a picnic. I am a late comer to the game. 

When I wrote to Louise to ask her if I can join in the fun and asked if I could take the letter V, she reverted and said there is only one letter left and that was the X.  Without wasting time, I quickly googled for recipes that start with an X. I was surprised to find a Portuguese dish called “Xerem”. I immediately wrote back to confirmed that I would take the letter X and "bring" Xerem to the picnic party.

Xerem is a traditional stew from the Algarve region of Portugal with ingredients that reflect the region's seaside location and fishing and farming traditions. There is no single list of ingredients but all that I have read list start with a thick porridge made with coarse-ground yellow maize (corn) meal as the base. From that base, there is a departure into many variations that feature combinations of  clams, bacon, sausage and ham.  This was the first time I had heard of this dish and after looking through the ingredients, I suspected it would be a hearty, simple food, that would taste good. After assembling and cooking the stew according to the recipe, I submitted a sample to my Quay Lo for a quick taste test. He suggested that I enhance the flavors by adding garlic, onion and some spices which I did. True enough the dish was considerably more tasty after modification. I served this with crusty whole grain bread and green peas sauteed with butter for lunch. Pei-Lin of Dodol Mochi joined us for lunch and she brought with her a decadent pumpkin pie, which we enjoyed with a large dollop of freshly whipped cream.  I am sure she will soon be sharing with you the recipe. 

Well so much for our lunch. 


I am going to the virtual picnic party now and I am bringing Xerem ..
A. Apricot Cobbler
B. Banana Cream Pie
C. Cherry Bars in a Jar 
D. Diva Doggie Bites 
E. Emeril's Strawberry Lemonade
F. Fingerling Potato Salad w/ Honey-Thyme Vinaigrette
G. Gugelhopf Twister
H. Honey Graham Roll-ups 
I.  Incredible "Rabbit" Pineapple Tarts/Rolls
J. Jam Jewels-Tiffanee 
K. Kirschmichel
L. Lime Cranberry Fizz 
M. Mint Sundae brownie squares
N. Nice Mini Biscuit Sandwiches 
O. Orange Nut Ring 
P. Pan-Bagnat Provencal  
Q. Quick Lemon Bread
R. Rhubarb Ruguh-Love
S. Salmon Salad 
T. Tequila Truffles 
V. Venus Is Out Tonight Radish, Black Olive, & Feta Salad 
W. White Chocolate Cherry Almond Sour Cream Scones 
X.  Xerem


Xerem

Adapted from Celtnet recipes with modification

Ingredients with corn meal soaked in water

Ingredients:

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 medium chopped onion

1kg fresh white clams

100g fried bacon

100g chiriso sausage, sliced

100g ham, sliced into strips

200g coarse-ground yellow corn meal

150ml white wine

1 tsp cardamom

1 tsp sea salt

1 tbs ground black pepper

1 tsp paprika

Method:

Wash the clams thoroughly then leave in a large pan of salted water for at least 2 hours to clean. Mix the maize meal with 250ml water and set aside. Sautee garlic and onion till fragrance and add to the corn mixture. Fry bacon and place on paper towels to absorb the oil and set aside. Add a little butter to a sausage and ham for a few minutes. Add half the wine and continue cooking until the wine has evaporated then take off the heat and set aside. In the meantime, drain the clams and add to a second pan along with the remaining wine and a little water. Cover and steam the clams for about 8 to 10 minutes, or until opened. Remove the clams and extract the meat from the shells (discard any unopened clams). Strain the cooking liquid and retain. Add the clam meat and cooking liquid to a pan and bring to a simmer. Stir-in the soaked maize meal (with the soaking water) and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the maize meal has swelled and is cooked through (the consistency should be that of a thick porridge). Add salt, ground pepper, cardomom and paprika. Transfer to a serving dish, arrange the fried sausage and bacon mix over the top and serve.

Be a couch potato but don’t blame me

This soup had all the necessary nutrients in it and it is so easy to make. I ate with half a bowl of cooked fragrant white rice in it while my Quay Lo ate with crusty bread.  This is another quick and simple meal for a lazy evening. Definitely “An in-front of TV” meal. Use disposable bowls and cutleries if you don’t even want to get up and wash dishes.

I do not recommend that you do this often because I do not want to be responsible for you turning into a couch potato. I think once in a while is fun. One thing I would like to mention though is not to snack in front of the TV.  Studies have proven that people who watch TV and snack at the same time consume many calories without knowing it and tend to overeat.  The chances of you gaining weight is very high. I have told you so, if you don’t listen, don’t blame me. LOL!

French beans, potato, bacon and ham soup

Ingredients:

300 gm French beans, cut into 1 ½ in pieces

3 medium size yellow potatoes, cut into chunks

1 medium onions, cut lengthwise into six

2 pc of bacon

100 gm diced ham

4 C chicken stock or enough to cover all the ingredients

1 tsp ground black pepper

salt to taste

Method:

Throw all the above into the soup pot except salt and ground black pepper and bring to boil.  Turn heat to medium and let it boil till French beans are limp and onions are translucent. Reduce heat to low and let it simmer till potatoes are soft.  Add salt and ground pepper and serve hot.