Cuisine Featured: Portugese
The Melting Pot section is where we have placed recipes for cuisines brought to America by the many immigrants to our shores. Over the years these cuisines have been Americanized, i.e., most viewers of our site have probably been exposed to many of these cuisines, either via the dining-out route or, perhaps, directly within our own families due to the multi-ethnic makeup therein. As an example of this multi-ethnicity within a single family, I can cite my own case-- My family consists of the following ethnicities: English, Irish, Scottish, German, Polish and Greek. Is it any wonder then that America is called the Melting Pot?
At the bottom of this page, you will have an opportunity to E-mail us and give us your thoughts on this page. We encourage this. After all, we will be tailoring this "Cooking Around the World" series according to the wishes of our viewers.
¾ pound sweet potatoes 1½ tsp grated lemon rind
6 T sugar ½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
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FILLING: Drop the sweet potatoes into enough boiling salted water to
cover them by at least 1 inch and boil briskly until they are tender and
offer no resistance when pierced with the tip of a knife. Drain and peel
the potatoes and put them through a ricer, or mash them in a bowl with a
fork. (You should have 1½ c of mashed potatoes.) With a wooden spoon,
beat in the sugar, cinnamon, lemon rind and ½ tsp of salt, and set the
filling aside.DOUGH:
2½ c all-purpose flour 1/3 c vegetable shortening
½ tsp salt 2 T brandy
8 T unsalted butter, softened and
cut into bits Vegetable oil for deep frying
½ c strained fresh orange juice Confectioners' sugar
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DOUGH: Place the flour and ½ tsp salt in a large mixing bowl and make
a well in the center. Drop in the butter, orange juice, vegetable shortening
and brandy and, with a large spoon, gradually incorporate the dry ingredients
into the liquid. Then beat vigorously until the dough is smooth and can be
gathered into a ball.Cut the dough in half and cover one half with a damp towel to prevent it from drying out. Roll out the other half to a 9-by-18-inch rectangle 1/16 inch thick. With a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut out 18 three-inch squares. Top each square with 1 tsp of the filling, then brush the edges of the dough with a finger dipped in cold water. Fold each square in half and press down firmly on the edges to seal securely. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
Pour the oil into a deep fryer or large heavy saucepan to a depth of 2 or 3 inches, and heat it to 350° on a deep-frying thermometer. Fry the fritters, four or five at a time, for 3 to 4 minutes, turning them with a spoon until they are golden brown on both sides. As they brown, transfer them to paper towels to drain. Mound the trutas on a heated platter, sprinkle them with confectioners' sugar, and serve at once. Makes 36 fritters.
