Lamb Baked with Rice in the Oven
The sheep or the baked lamb and rice in the oven are a local tradition.
The meat is placed in salted water for some time. At night, it remains bathed in a garlic sauce (made with wine, garlic, salt, lemon, laurel and pepper). In the morning the oven is prepared, along with a fry base while it is heated. A fry indeed, with fat lard meat, paprika and pepper. The meat is seasoned in it and put in the oven.
Aside, a sauce with fat meat and bits of stewed hen is also made. The desired rice amount is lain down in an appropriate earthenware bowl, placing onion rings, parsley and a bit of olive oil on top so that the rice is loose. Finally, all is mixed and put in the oven.

Portuguese Stew
The Portuguese stew is a speciality eaten all year round, but it always has its place in local festivities.
This dish takes a wide variety of meat.
In a pan with boiling water, ham, hen, pepperoni, meat sausage, fresh lard and beef are put. It is then taken off the pan and separated. Finally the potatoes are added.
It is served with rice in the oven.

"Rojões" (Kebabs)
Also a traditional dish. One can hardly resist it.
A frequent local specialty during the slaughter of the pig, taking place in Saint André "when the little pig makes qué, qué". Day for celebrating, 'tis, and of abundance to all!
The kebabs are from pieces of meat previously seasoned with salt and garlic, all put in a pot with a bit of butter melting in slow fire. Time and patience to wait for the small potatoes to boil and become toasted are required. A dish to be served with rice in the oven.

"Sarrabulho"
It is a specialty made from the pig's cooked blood. More or less half a kilo, together with a spoon of butter and a litre and a half of water, cinnamon, lemon, wheat bread, (corner slices), a spoon of honey and 200 grams of sugar. After the water has boiled, cinnamon is added along with scraps of lemon, sugar, butter, honey and pieces of bread until reaching boiling point. Finally the cooked blood is threaded and, after being left to boil for one minute, it is done.

Macieira Specialties

"Pão-de-ló" (spongecake)
"Pão-de-ló" is a delicious dessert, with a well established name in time and better spread in space, it is so sweet "as a damsel's kisses", it is said. It comes as no surprise after seing how it is prepared:
We take about 18 eggs, six to beat whole and twelve with the egg yolk only.
They are beaten for an hour with half a kilo of sugar. Only then the wheat flour (half a kilo) is mixed and a few scraps of lemon. The form must be made of clay and covered with brown paper before lying down the dough on it. Later, everything is covered with the other half of the form and the oven temperature is checked: it must be exactly the one capable of rendering a bit of the paper yellow without burning it. And it is in this heat that the bread is baked for 45 minutes. That's all!

"Little Love Kisses"
Beat 18 eggs, three whole and the remaining egg's yolk, together with 300 grams of sugar and a bit of salt. Beat it hardly, never less than 45 minutes! After this, the egg yolks are added, along with the scraps of lemon and 275 grams of leavened flour without beating. In a floured tray, the dough is put in spoon fulls, separating each, and everything goes to the oven for three to four minutes. In a pot aside, prepare the sugar in caramel point to serve as the cakes' covering after cooling. It is done this way, but there are those who say that secrets of hand are necessary...

"Rosquilhos" (Meinedo specialty sweets)
Some are big, others small and appear in all festivity or pilgrimage occasions.
Prepared with a dozen eggs beaten with salt and a scrap of lemon, to which 600 grams of leavened flour are added until the dough is hard and fit to be strained and curled in the desired way. It then goes in a floured tray into the hot oven for twenty minutes. The covering is made with melted sugar, and when the sugar is still hot, the cookies are well dipped in it one by one.

"Sweet Dry Soup" (Typical recipe of Boim)
Such a famous recipe that even Maria de Lurdes Modesto came to collect it to the municipality to mention it in her book about Regional Cuisine.
One takes a hen, 100 grams of lard, 300 grams of fatless beef, a mint leaf, 3 table spoons of honey, sugar, cinnamon and 250 grams of first quality wheat, a clay bowl, and on to the preparation!
The meats are cooked in water, slightly seasoned with salt. Afterwards, the water is drained, joining in the mint leaf, cinnamon and sugar, in order to become truly sweet. Spread sugar and cinnamon in the bottom of the bowl that is to go to the oven and the well dipped slices, separated with sugar and cinnamon, the last layer being necessarily sugar. The bowl is covered with brown paper and goes to the oven until being well roasted.
Afterwards, all you have to do is savour this dainty and bon appetit!

 

"Sweet Dry Soup" (Typical recipe of Boim)
Such a famous recipe that even Maria de Lurdes Modesto came to collect it to the municipality to mention it in her book about Regional Cuisine.
One takes a hen, 100 grams of lard, 300 grams of fatless beef, a mint leaf, 3 table spoons of honey, sugar, cinnamon and 250 grams of first quality wheat, a clay bowl, and on to the preparation!
The meats are cooked in water, slightly seasoned with salt. Afterwards, the water is drained, joining in the mint leaf, cinnamon and sugar, in order to become truly sweet. Spread sugar and cinnamon in the bottom of the bowl that is to go to the oven and the well dipped slices, separated with sugar and cinnamon, the last layer being necessarily sugar. The bowl is covered with brown paper and goes to the oven until being well roasted.
Afterwards, all you have to do is savour this dainty and bon appetit!