Dia de Portugal

Feliz Dia de Portugal!

Happy Portugal Day!

According to Wikkipedia -- that always reliable font of information -- June 10 is the National Day of Portugal. This is the day which marks the anniversary of the death of Luis de Camoes, writer of Os Lusiadas, the epic poem of Portuguese history. Yep, I'll admit it - I didn't know it was Portugal Day until a friend posted something about on facebook, then I had to do a little research to see what exactly it celebrated. But little knowledge late is no reason not to celebrate, right?!





So away we went - an impromptu Portuguese dinner party with some American friends we met in Portugal. They brought the Vinho Verde and I provided the codfish! Not the salted and dried variety, though, that would have taken a little more preparation.


Since we couldn't exactly come up with fresh sardines to grill at the last minute (I know, it doesn't sound that appealing, but fresh, grilled sardines with yummy bread and sangria on a summer day in Portugal - lovely memories and very tasty!), I decided to try a recipe I found for one of my favorite dishes from Portugal - a very simple pasta, tomato & fish soup. It isn't exactly a famous dish - just a good, solid, homey meal, but I love it and loved it so much when I was there that I made sure to remember the name and to look for it on menus.



Massada de Peixe -- Fish Pasta, I guess is more or less the translation because massa is pasta in Portuguese. It can be made with fish, shrimp, lobster, whatever...the basic broth and pasta is the same. Since we had little ones eating who don't get shellfish yet, I decided to go with the cod I had in my freezer - so there you go...more Portugues influence of a sort.







What a treat to have an evening of celebration with friends whose lives have changed as much as our since our early married days in Portugal. We will miss them as we move in different directions with this crazy career. And Marshall will miss his sweet friend.



Obrigada, Porgual!