This evening’s blog is going to be brief because it is late and I must try to squeeze in as much sleep as possible before my newborn son wakes for his next feed. My little one’s older siblings were certainly enthusiastic about the meal I prepared for dinner especially when the aroma of cumin and smoked paprika filled the air. We enjoyed aromatic and tasty Portuguese Pork Patties with a Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad and a plate of crunchy cos lettuce with verjuice. 

The recipe for the patties came courtesy of a cookbook called Grill, by Sydney based chef Pete Evans. If you own a barbecue then I recommend also owning a copy this cookbook. Not only does it cover the basics of cooking outdoors over a hotplate or grill, but also includes recipes for barbecued meat, chicken, seafood and veggies with a delicious and exciting twist.

Portuguese Pork Patties 
The recipe below serves 4 adults, although I doubled this to suit the needs of my family. You could do the same and freeze the uncooked patties you don’t need, for later use. We had a couple left over which I packed up with salad as tomorrow’s school lunches for my two eldest children. 

Ingredients
2 tablespoons Spanish sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
olive oil
1 kg pork mince (I minced up the pork fillets I had in the fridge)
1 teaspoon chilli powder (I used a quarter of this because I was cooking for children as well as adults)
3 garlic cloves crushed
sea salt and black pepper to taste
2 eggs
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 small carrot grated (I added this, although it is not in the original recipe)

Preheat the barbecue to a medium heat. 

Over a low heat, cook the spices and garlic for 2 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool slightly. 

Add the salt, pepper, eggs, breadcrumbs and pork mince and using clean hands, mix together until completely combined. 

Take small handfuls of the mixture, and roll into tennis ball sized portions. Place on a clean plate. When all of the mixture has been rolled into these balls, brush over the BBQ with a little oil. Carefully put each mince pattie on the preheated BBQ plate and flatten slightly. Cook for about 5 minutes on each side or until they are cooked through. 

Serve on good quality buns or bread, piled high with lettuce, chutney or garlic mayonnaise or with the side dishes such as the Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad outlined below. 

Warm Potato and Fresh Pea Salad to serve 4 people. This is my favourite recipe for potato salad inspired by a Jamie Oliver version. I hope you like it too. Again I doubled this for my family. 

Ingredients
500 g baby chat potatoes sliced in half
1 tablespoon EACH of sour light cream, mayonnaise and olive oil
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley finely chopped
finely grated rind of half a lemon or half a small orange, plus the juice. 
100 g freshly podded peas

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold, salted water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for another 20 minutes until cooked. 5 minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the fresh peas. When ready, drain in a colander, then tip into a large serving bowl. 

Add the remaining ingredients and toss thorough immediately. This salad can be eaten warm, or refrigerated, stored until later and eaten cold.