Everyone has their own style of picnicking – especially with kids, and for the Portuguese, it’s unique onto themselves. A traditional Portuguese picnic will typically include: salgadinhos/panados (breaded and fried finger food), rissois de camarão (breaded “hot pockets” usually filled with creamed shrimp), croquetes (minced beef/pork croquettes) and pasteis/bolinhos or pataniscas de bacalhau (salt cod croquettes and fritters). Batatas fritas (potato chips) are also a must, alongside piping hot Portuguese baked bread. But the Bola de Carne is not only a prerequisite at a Portuguese picnic, it’s a recinding of an invitation if you don’t bring it! So here’s an easy recipe to whip up at home.
- 8 eggs
- 4 cups flour (they use actual ceramic tea cups as a measurement, see video in link above)
- 1 cup margarine or butter, melted
- 2 cups of milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Margarine or butter to coat pan
- Flour to coat pan
- 100g (1 – 1.5 cups) presunto chopped into small pieces (you can sub proscuitto or jamón iberico) de presunto cortado em pedacinhos
- 100g (1 – 1.5 cups) cubed ham
- 100g (1 – 1.5 cups) cubed chouriço (or linguiça or a similiar smoked sausage)
- 100g (1 – 1.5 cups) cubed bacon
- 100g (1 – 1.5 cups) cooked, shredded chicken breast
- Salt (fine grain)
