FUSION: Remake alert! Portuguese Egg Rolls IN THE AIR FRYER!

So as you may or may not know, we have done the Portuguese Egg Rolls before, but now with an air fryer, we can make it healthier and faster! Which I know we could all use.


I also went ahead and tweaked it a little bit to make it even better.

Portuguese Egg Rolls-Air Fryer

1 lb. of Michael's ground chourico (BUY IT HERE)
2 red bell peppers, chopped
2 onions, chopped
2 teaspoons of Corisca Pimenta Moida (BUY IT HERE)
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 package of Topo Queijo Sao Jorge, Shredded (BUY IT HERE)
1 packages of Egg Roll Wrappers (these are found in the product section in the fridge part-usually where you find the hummus and stuff)
Egg Wash


1. Heat your skillet to med-high heat. Once hot add your bell peppers and onions. Cook until tender. about 7 minutes. Add in your ground chourico
2. Add in your spices and pimenta moida, turn skillet to low and allowed to cook together for about 10 minutes, to get all the flavors to melt together.
3. LET IT COOL! This is important, or you will have a mess!
4. Put the mixture in a blender and blend until you have a paste.
5. Now it's time to start making your egg rolls. Put one done and spoon about 1-2 tablespoons of the paste on the egg roll wrapper. Top with your cheese. Now put a little of the egg wash on your finger and rub it on the edges of the wrapper. Fold the ends in and then roll until your egg roll is created.
6. Put your rolls in the Air Fryer (400 Degrees) for about 10 minutes. If you want a nice golden crisp look, you can spray with Olive Oil to get that look. For myself, it was just going to be eaten right away, so I wasn't cooking for looks!
7. Pull them out and let cool for a few minutes.

Lombo de porco recheado com chourico

My mom and dad still host lunch on Sundays for all of us.  We all head into Taunton to hang out as a family, and do what Portuguese families do best, EAT GOOD FOOD!  My mom and dad were kind enough to measure (!!!) and take pictures of the process from this past Sunday's meal!  So here you go! Courtesy of Fatima & Daniel.


Lombo de porco recheado com chourico
4lbs. of pork loin
tablespoon of pimenta moida
tablespoon of paprika
3-4 cloves of garlic
salt to taste
12 oz can of beer
8 potatoes (or more if you want more)
1-2 links of chourico

Place all ingredients (except potatoes) in a freezer bag and marinate overnight. (if the loin is too big, use a deep bowl.  You want me to make sure the mixture covers it.)

Cut the pork open so it lays flat and is about 1 inch thick (you can actually do this before marinating, and it will taste even better!)

like this.

place your chourico links inside

roll it up and tie it.  place in a roasting pan with the marinate you used earlier.  cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

after an hour, quarter your potatoes and place in the marinate in the roasting pan.  return to the oven for another 30 min.

Pull it out and slice it up!

pretty dish, and it's super yummy and full of flavor!  The marinate is now safe to eat, and can be used at the gravy for the dish.  Perfect to dip your bread in :)

FUSION FRIDAY: Portuguese Macaroni and Cheese

This idea of Fusion Friday seriously has the creative juices flowing.  
What's everyone's favorite comfort food?  About 85% of the country would answer Macaroni and Cheese!  So why not take it, and twist it just a little bit.  PORTUGUESE STYLE of course!
This was seriously amazing.  The cheese with the hint of mustard made it taste like it was made with Quejio Sao Jorge.  The next time I make it, I will be using the Quejio Sao Jorge instead of the 4oz of American and the mustard.   I also will add  bread crumbs and throw it in the oven for a bit to make it all crunchy on top :)

Portuguese Macaroni and Cheese

1 pkg of elbow macaroni
2 links of chourico-We love Mello's as you already know, because it's just so lean! (about 1-1 1/2lbs)
1/4 cup of butter
1/3 cup of flour
2 1/2 cups cream (or milk if you want to lighten it up)
4 oz. American Cheese-shredded
8 oz. of Extra Sharp white cheddar-shredded
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
1 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of hot sauce
2 teaspoons of pimenta moida

1. Cover macaroni to directions on box, once done reserve about 1/2 cup of water for sauce
2. Cut your chourico into slices and then cut into quarters, giving you little triangles
3.  Melt the butter on med-low heat.  Once melted add in the flour and whisk until smooth.  Let it cook for a minute or two to break up the starches. 
4.  Whisk in cream slowly.  Continue to whisk until smooth.  Add in dijon mustard, hot sauce, salt, and pimenta moida and whisk.
5. Add in cheese and continue to stir until completely melted.  
6.  Add in chourico and let it simmer on low for about 5-7 minutes.
7.  Add cheese sauce to macaroni and combine completely.  If your sauce is too thick, add in some of your reserved water until the sauce is the consistency you'd like.
8.  Once completely mixed, put into a 9x13 pyrex and serve!

FUSION FRIDAY: Portuguese Egg Rolls

I'm not sure when this stroke of brilliance hit me, but I'm so happy it did, because these were amazing!!
I once again stopped in at Mello's Chourico and grabbed a couple pounds and away I went.  I even brought these to my parents' house for a taste test, and everyone gobbled them right up.

Portuguese Egg Rolls
2 lbs. of chourico-I cut it into chucks and then put it in the blender along with the pepper and onion to mix and chop very very small.
3 red bell peppers-pop in blender after you de-seed them
2 onions-cut in quarters and pop into blender
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 package of shredded cheddar jack cheese
3-4 packages of Egg Roll Wrappers (these are found in the product section in the fridge part-usually where you find the hummus and stuff)
Egg Wash (2 eggs beat with 4 tablespoons of water in it)
Oil to fry in (you'll need it to be about 3 inches deep.

Heat oil to medium in a dutch oven or a deep enough pan. If you own a fryer, you could also do these there.
Saute to your blender mixer for about 5 minutes to cook it, this happens pretty fast because the pieces are so small so keep your eye on it.  Once it is almost cooked through, add in your chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder.  Stir and let it cook for another min or 2.  Once it's just about done, add in your cheese and stir it through until it melts.  This will bring together the mixture and almost create a paste.  Once it's thoroughly mixed you are ready to go.
Take your egg rolls and brush your egg wash all the way around the edges so that when you fold it gives you a nice tight seal. Place your mixture in the middle of one of the wrappers.  Then follow the directions on the package of how to roll it.  It has picture directions on the inside that will help you out.
Places the rolls that are ready to fry on wax paper and continue until you have finished wrapping all of them.
Now you're ready to fry!
Drop each egg roll in and let it sit for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once you have a nice dark brown color you're ready to remove.  Pull them out and place on a platter with a few paper towels so that it can soak up the excess oil.
These taste best HOT, but if you have to make them ahead of time, you can pop them into a cold oven and turn it to 400 degrees, once it preheats, they are ready to take out and will be crispy again.
If you would like to freeze these, freeze them before you fry them.  It's great to make on a rainy Saturday and then you'll have them on hand for whenever you need them :)  Make sure before you fry the frozen ones you let me thaw out completely.

Hope you guys like these, because they are delicious!!

Chourico & Peppers

This past weekend, I took a trip to Mello's Chourico to pick up my supplies for the couple of recipes I had on board.  Every time I go there I'm more and more impressed.  The chourico is just so fresh!  The family who owns the company also runs the store, so you'll meet them if you stop in :)  Local and fresh is always best!  (You can buy chourico from Mello's online!  They will deliver it to your door step....nothing better than that! http://www.melloschourico.com/)
This recipe can be made in a crockpot or a dutch oven, but the key is the longer it cooks the better.

Chourico & Peppers

2 lbs. of chourico ( we like to use Mello's hot chourico-gives it an amazing kick ) cubed
2 green peppers cubed
2 onions cubed
1  14oz can of diced tomatoes with the liquid
2 cans of tomato paste
3/4 cup of red wine ( we always use Casal Garcia! )
Salt to taste

Brown your chourico, peppers, and onions together.  Once they have cooked a little (not all the way, you just want a browning to them for flavor)  Add all the ingredients except the salt.  Mix together and let it sit in the crockpot on low for about 6 hours, or on low-med heat in your dutch oven for about 3 hours.  Once it's just about done, add salt to taste.  You can serve this in a roll, as shown, or over rice or pasta!

You can really adjust this recipe anyway you want.  Want it to have more liquid?  Try adding some tomato sauce or more red wine.  Want more veggies?  Add some red and orange peppers as well.