quinta-feira, 31 de março de 2011

HUSH-HUSH GARDEN MENU

2nd April 2011


 

To Start

Porto Tonic

Tapenade

Home-made liver pâté with Adega Velha’s brandy from Vinhos Verdes

Beetroot hummus

Mafra bread

To Continue

Quail hot salad with its eggs

Turnip cream soup with Azores’s home-made cheese crackers

Chickpeas from Serpa with salt cod chunks and fresh coriander, roasted with olive oil from Serpa in traditional pottery

To Drink

Red wine: Casa da Carvalha, Dão

Dessert wine: Gold medal awarded Moscatel de Setúbal, Venâncio da Costa Lima


To Finish

Orange wet cake with hush-hush garden’s tangerine ice cream
Rose jelly

Coffee and Hush- Hush Garden’s tea and

Almond pie cubes

quinta-feira, 3 de março de 2011

Flower Power

Hush-hush garden is blossoming inviting us to enjoy the sweet warm breeze of spring.

We are ready for the next dinner party, march the 12th. Join us!

quarta-feira, 26 de janeiro de 2011




 TANGERINE SEASON


This year the tangerine tree was generous rewarding us with wonderful, sweet, juicy fruits.
The harvest started in early November and we still have fruits hanging waiting to be picked.
So we have to be very creative to figure out how to preserve all the precious fruits!
They’ve been transformed into juice, ice cream, jam, curds and candied tangerine zest stripes coated with dark chocolate. Here’s the recipe:


Candied Tangerine Zest Stripes Coated with Dark Chocolate
Ingredients
Tangerines - 6
Sugar - 5 to 6 tablespoons
Unsalted butter – 50 g
Good quality organic dark chocolate – 100 g

Cut the tangerines in half, squeeze the juice and keep the skins.
With a sharp knife, remove the white from the skins to avoid bitter taste later.
Cut the tangerine skins into thin strips (linguini like).
Poach the stripes into the pan where you previously dissolved the sugar with the tangerine juice. Take it to a boil point until the syrup bubbles. Let the stripes soften, and after a few minutes, take the stripes from the pan, and spread them on a baking paper to cool and absorb the syrup.
When the stripes are dry, repeat the process once or twice, depending on the hardiness of the skins.
Let the stripes dry for at least 1 day before you coat them with chocolate.
Melt the chocolate with the butter and, with the help of a clamp, plunge the candied tangerine stripes into the chocolate. Spread on a baking paper to cool.
 

sexta-feira, 17 de dezembro de 2010

OM SHANTI - JANTAR DE NATAL

Desde 2007 o ioga e a Luísa entraram na minha vida para a a fazer melhor. O grupo da 7 da tarde mantém-se fiel a estes encontros onde nos descobrimos e de onde saímos renovados. A amizade vai-se instalando, devagar, sólida, para sempre.

Já vem sendo hábito finalizar o ano com um jantar de Natal. Este ano reunímo-nos no Hush-hush e para mim foi uma honra receber na nossa casa estes amigos especiais!

O mote para definir o menú foi, claro, o Natal e as comidas que se comem nesta altura do ano em diferentes partes do país.


Welcome drink - Porto tonic
Tapas de pátê de fígados e de hummus de beterraba

Entradas
Shot de urtiga com bolachas de queijo da ilha
Wrap de massa de arroz com polvo, batata doce e grelos de nabo

Conduto
Perna de perú assada da Herdade do Freixo do Meio acompanhada por puré de abóbora, couve portuguesa e grelos salteados com batatinha nova

Sobremesa
Suflé de chocolate e tangerina com gelado de tangerinas do Hush-Hush Garden

O vinho tinto Casa da Carvalha 2005 casou na perfeição com os comes. Para terminar, um madeira meio seco que acompanhou passas de vários frutos.



Foi mais uma noite inesquecível no nosso Hush-Hush Garden.
Obrigado por terem vindo!


segunda-feira, 15 de novembro de 2010


A Memorable Evening!

By 8:15 pm we were in panic – What have we got into?!
We didn’t know our guests, we’re not trained chefs and we have so little experience in the underground restaurant scene...
 Everything could go wrong…But it didn´t!
It was the most wonderful experience. The food didn’t embarrass us, João selected lovely music to go along and the guests were the most perfect group we could ever wish to receive at our house and share our table.
Simply divine, after all!

Setting the table I

Setting the table II
Judeítos
 
Partridge with "Molho Vilão"

Recipe:
 2 partridges 
3 table spoons of butter
Salt, pepper, fresh thyme
6 slices of bacon
Season the birds with salt, pepper and thyme, cover with butter.
Set the oven to 180 ºC. Let the birds roast for 10 to 15 min. Warp them in bacon and cover with tin foil.
After 1 hour, remove the tin sheet and leave for more 10 to 15 min. If necessary, use the juices to moist the partridges.
Debone all the meat, and accommodate in a plate.
Molho Vilão:
Olive oil (3 parts)
Good quality vinegar (1 part)
Salt, pepper, fresh parsley
1 small onion
1 garlic clove
Finely chop the onion and the garlic clove. Add the vinegar, stir and add the olive oil. Stir again. Season with salt, pepper and chopped fresh parsley.
Pour this dressing over the ripped partridges. Lovely!

Chickpeas with cod fish chunks and fresh coriander

Around the table I

Around the table II
 
Home made pinhoada de Alcácer (Regional sweet from Alcácer, made with pinenuts and honey)

Around the table III
Poached pear in red wine and chestnut mont blanc

 
"Quentes e Boas!" - Chestnuts, come il faut!

Outside I

Outside

What makes us feel the luckiest people on earth!
 Luisa wrote: Foi uma experiência bem divertida entre americanos, belgas, brasileiros, bracarenses e lisboetas. Do mais divertido! A decoração a rigor, e a comida não podia estar mellhor. PARABÉNS à equipa Hush Hush :).
Beth wrote: Dear Susana, Joao, and Rita, Thank you so much for the wonderful dinner.  You are excellent hosts and made us feel very welcome.  We felt like we were at a lovely party with friends.  We salute your efforts!  I meant it when I said that your hush hush garden was the best hidden kitchen experience we’ve had!   We really appreciated the effort everyone made to speak English, which I know is very tiring after a while. We felt especially lucky to have had so many wonderful things from Rita’s grandfather’s garden and vineyard.  Everything was perfect.   

sexta-feira, 5 de novembro de 2010


HUSH-HUSH GARDEN MENU
11th November

To Start

Porto Tonic
Tapenade
Home-made liver pâté with Adega Velha’s brandy from Vinhos Verdes
Beetroot hummus
Mafra bread

To Continue

Wild partridge from Monfortinho with special sauce “Vilão”
“Judeítos”- Game alheira deep fried croquettes with honey and mustard dip
Chickpeas from Serpa with salt cod chunks and fresh coriander, roasted with olive oil from Serpa in clay pottery
To Finish

Tipsy pear from Alcobaça and chestnut Mont blanc
Little Magusto - Chestnuts roasted in traditional clay pots on coal bed

To Drink

Red wine: Casa da Carvalha, 2005, Dão
Dessert wine: Moscatel de Setúbal, Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal, 2007
 
Coffee
Hush- Hush Garden Tea


MENU HUSH-HUSH GARDEN
11 de Novembro

Para Começar

Porto tonic
Tapenade
Pâté caseiro de fígados e Adega Velha
Hummus de beterraba
Pão de Mafra

Para Continuar

Perdiz brava de Monfortinho com molho Vilão
“Judeítos”- Croquetes de alheira de caça com molho de mostarda e mel
Grão de Serpa com bacalhau e coentros, assados no barro com azeite de Serpa
Para Terminar

Pera bêbeda de Alcobaça com Mont blanc de castanhas
Magusto – Castanha assada no carvão em pote de barro tradicional
Para Beber

Vinho tinto: Casa da Carvalha, 2005, Dão
Vinho de sobremesa: Moscatel de Setúbal, Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal, 2007
Café
Chá do Hush- Hush Garden


quinta-feira, 28 de outubro de 2010

MAGUSTO


Martinho was a roman soldier who, in a stormy day, passed by a humble man. He felt sorry for the man and shared his coat with him. Suddenly, the cold and the wind disappeared and gave place to a warm and sunny summer day.


Is popular believe that god rewarded Martinho for his kindness towards the beggar offering them a comforting and warm sun.

Since then, at this time of the year, although is autumn, is always hot and the sun shines like in the summer time. That is why this season is called S. Martinho’s summer.

Traditionally we eat roasted chestnuts and taste the new wine. It is the Magusto!

Next 11th November we will have a Magusto party at Hush-hush garden with good food and Portuguese wines to celebrate the season. We hope you join us!