Having a Portuguese Dinner During Christmas Time

During the Portuguese Christmas season, Portuguese families eat dinner on Christmas Eve. After the Christmas Eve dinner, they usually go to the church for the "Mass of the Rooster Service," then return home and open their gifts. Portuguese Christmas dinner usually consists of some type of cod and vegetables. Usually following dinner, wine is consumed with treats and biscuits. Everything is left the same overnight and the next morning Christmas Day is celebrated and leftovers are eaten.

Portuguese Golden Soup

6 Slices of Sponge Cake

1 ½ Cups Sugar

7 Egg Yolks

Cinnamon

½ Cup Water

Mix sugar and water in a saucepan that is medium hot. Continue to heat until the sugar water is formed into a syrup. Next you are going to dip the thinly sliced sponge cake into the syrup. With the rest of the syrup, you are going to add in the 7 egg yolks beaten and heat over a medium temperature until thick.

Finally pour this mixture over the sponge cake and lightly add cinnamon over the tops of the slices.

Salted Cod Fish

1 Lb. Salted Cod

1 Thinly Sliced Onion

1/3 Cup Olive Oil

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Tsp. Crushed Red Pepper

2 Tbsp. Dried Parsley

Before cooking, you should soak your cod overnight or 24 hours. After the overnight soaking, put the cod into fresh water and boil on low for half an hour. In a separate bowl combine the onion, parsley, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Next, transfer the fish into another container and add the olive oil to cover the fish. After this, add the onion mixture to the cod. It is important after this step to let the cod sit for a few hours and then it is ready to serve. If you like it crispy, then turn on the broiler and place underneath for 2 to 3 minutes just to crisp the top. This dish can be served with boiled potatoes.

Portuguese Biscuits

1 ¼ Cup Sugar

3 Eggs

¼ Cup Butter

1 Tsp. Salt

3 ½ Cups Flour

3 Tsp. Baking Powder

The first step it to mix the butter and the sugar followed by mixing the eggs one at a time. Next, add baking powder, salt and flour until it creates a dough. Roll the dough into small balls. Prepare a slightly greased baking sheet and place the dough balls on the sheet. Bake in 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.