We Used To Do This
Before we moved to Portugal, we lived in Indiana for almost 23 years. Three of those years we lived in a small condo in downtown Indianapolis. We enjoyed being in the city, with a grocery store right across the street and almost everything we needed within walking distance. (We enjoy the same conveniences now in Porto.)
A highlight of our weekends in Indy was to pick up a copy of the Sunday New York Times. At first we bought it at the corner market. Then we subscribed and had it delivered to our front door. We got an entire week’s worth of reading for five or six bucks. On Sunday mornings we would relax in the condo, spread out the sections of the paper, and enjoy it with our morning coffee.
When we moved back to Columbus, Indiana, a small town south of Indianapolis, we found it increasingly difficult to get our weekly NYT fix. One of the local grocery stores might have it or might not. And after we moved to Second Act Farm, delivery was out of the question. We could have gotten it by mail, but it wouldn’t come until Thursday and the news would be almost a week old.
So we mostly did without. But since we were remodeling the house and maintaining the farm, we didn’t have much leisure time anyway. We found a workable solution by subscribing to the online version of The Times. It was good because it allowed us to see the news every day, but it lacked the tactile appeal of the big, thick newspaper. We’ve been digital subscribers for years now.
One of our favorite columns is “Sunday Routine”. Each week it profiles the life of a person from New York City by describing how they spend a typical Sunday.
Sometimes the subject is someone famous, or nearly so. Other times we learn about people you might never hear about. Sometimes it is interesting, other times it is enlightening, but it always lets you peek into someone else’s life. Mary says it’s like voyeurism without the negative consequences.
For today’s post, we’re doing our own Sunday Routine column.
Sunday, August 22, 2021
Porto Parody Edition
How Two Not-So-Newsworthy Immigrants in Porto, Portugal Spend Their Sunday
Surprise: They eat stuff! Some of it surprises them.
QUIET MORNINGS Sundays in our neighborhood are unusually quiet. Most businesses are closed, except for the grocery stores, the padarias (bakeries), and some of the restaurants. Our bedroom faces a busy street and we keep our windows open all the time, so we are often awakened by traffic noise. But on Sunday mornings, not many cars or trucks drive by, so sometimes we can sleep in.
The quiet of the morning is interrupted by distant church bells around 9:30. By then, we’ve taken Sox, our Boston Terrier, for her morning walk. We’ve had a cup of coffee and had a look at the headlines on the New York Times website.
BRUNCH IS THE FOCUS Mary starts planning Sunday brunch on Saturday. She decides on the menu and shops for most of the ingredients. Then on Sunday morning, I go out to one of the local padarias for bread and a couple pastries.
Mary usually tells me what type of bread to look for, like croissants one week or a good loaf for toast. But there is always an element of chance, because my Portuguese is very limited and most items in the padarias are not labeled. Some of the pastries have visible fruit, like apple or mango, so I have a pretty good idea of what I’m getting. But sometimes I don’t know what I’ve bought until I get it home. We’ve been surprised a couple of times, like the week I bought two flaky, puff pastries without knowing they had a rich filling of meat and cheese.
Last weekend, I went out armed with a new phrase, “Gostaria um pao, por favor” – I’d like one bread please. The lady behind the counter looked confused, even after I repeated it (Gotta work on my pronunciation!), so I resorted to my usual routine of smiling, pointing at what I wanted and holding up one finger.
I’ll keep trying.
THE MAIN COURSE By the time I return, Mary usually has the main dishes cooking. This is a test of her creativity, since she’s working in a kitchen the size of a postage stamp, with a handful of rental apartment pots and pans, a stovetop that has its own ideas about when it should be on and how hot it should be, and a limited inventory of spices and ingredients.
The results, though, have been wonderful. Usually around noon I brew some more coffee and find a French cafe playlist on Spotify. Then we sit down to a leisurely meal.
In the last few weeks, we have enjoyed these dishes.
Gordon Ramsey’s Soft Scramble with Bacon Jam Toast
Mary says these are the best scrambled eggs she’s ever tasted. The bacon jam is crazy good.
Baked Eggs With Crème Fraîche and Smoked Salmon
Runny-yolk eggs bathed in shallot-steeped crème fraîche. What’s not to like? That’s Mary’s special zucchini bread at the back.
Portuguese Baked Eggs
So much goodness here! Eggs, plenty of cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, garlic, jalapeños…oh my.
THE REST OF THE DAY After brunch, there is always the temptation to take a long nap, but we push through and get outdoors. We’ll take Sox out for a Frisbee game. Then we’ll go out for a long walk or a bus/metro ride to see something new. Late afternoon, we’ll catch up on emails and read.
Dinner is something light – either a “clean out the fridge” meal of leftovers or popcorn in the Atom Pop. (The absolute best popcorn popper on the planet! You should get one.)
We probably won’t ever make it into the New York Times, but that’s OK with us.
What’s your favorite Sunday brunch dish? Share your thoughts in the comments below or send one via the Contact Form. We’re always on the lookout for new weekend treats!
All our best / Todos os nossos melhores,
Mary and Mike
The Cook and The Writer
Wow that all looked good and I love the NYtimes parody approach. Really what is bacon jam?
Denise
Denise, click on the recipe link to see all the ingredients for bacon jam. It is so good but be careful it will burn you fingers and your tongue. Let it cool before giving it a taste. It will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator – brunch for two weekends in a row!
Hi Denise,
You should follow the link to Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for bacon jam. It starts with a pound of bacon, a half cup of maple syrup, and a half cup of brown sugar. Do I need to say more? Maple syrup is surprisingly hard to find in Portugal. There are apparently no maple trees in Europe. We got lucky in one of the local groceries that had a few bottles from Canada. This stuff is soooooo good!
All the best,
Mike
I’ll have to check out the Sunday Routines section in the NY Times as I am also a digital subscriber. My routine since COVID is to relax on my screened porch (weather permitting) with coffee and the NY Times digital to read, play Spelling Bee, and the mini crossword. Then I’ll go for a bike ride, read, and join a yoga class. Now that I am working full-time and commuting to Indy, keeping Sunday for just relaxing and doing what I love, is my goal. Thanks for the yummy looking recipes and sharing about your Sunday routine! I love how you created your own Sunday Routine NYTimes article. Take care!
Kelly, I’m so glad you are finding down time for yourself now that you are working full time. The mini crossword is my bomb, although I did complete last weeks, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of the regular NYT’s crossword. I can’t get past Wednesday. My best girl friend from college can finish the Sunday Time’s puzzle in about 20 minutes. She was never a blue bird.
The breads look wonderful!! Looks like your Atom Pop started in Kansas the same year as me in 1952!! Yay for Kansas!!
Hi Richard,
A friend brought Atom Pop popcorn to a book club event several years ago. After we tasted it, we had to have one. We gave each of our kids one last Christmas. And ours was one of the few kitchen items we packed with us to Portugal. We’re believers!
All the best to you and Carol,
Mike
It all sounds good. I spent a lot of time in Europe and did enjoy the food. Thanks for sharing.
Hey Pat,
Thanks for your comment. We’ll keep trying new things and writing about them. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!
All the best,
Mike
I really enjoyed your post and the beautiful pictures of your delicious food. It all sounds so relaxing and so happy you are enjoying your new routines. Our downtime is on Saturday, since Eddie works and I have church, so we enjoy pancakes and bacon together before our Saturday chores and food shopping. P.S. Eddie wanted to thank you both for his wonderful birthday gifts and perfect for his local birds!. Enjoy your fun adventures! Love and keep on posting!!
Hey Sue, it doesn’t matter what day you unwind and share a meal with the love of your life (good Lord, am I talking about my brother?). I’m glad that Eddie enjoyed his B-day gift. He is a sucker for a bird. We would love to do a zoom call. How about a day when you are both off? (10:00 am time for you is a 6:00pm time for us.)
I love the twisty bread!! And I love the idea of a Sunday routine. We’ll get there at some point but not quite yet.
Bom dia, Bonnie,
It took us a while to get to a place where we could do this routine. I’m sure you’ll make it!
Our best to you and David,
Mike
The confusion with the bread may because there are so many different types. Not sure…or try Queria (I would like or May I have) instead of gostaria which typically is followed by de. Not sure, after 9 months I am still struggling. Regarding the eggs, I watched Gordon Ramsey make the perfect scrambled eggs once and tried it. OMG! What a difference. I didn’t realize how many things (the pot vs pan), on and off the heat, etc. I was doing wrong. Thanks for the read!
Hi Nancy,
I lived 2/3 of my life in the southern US and haven’t lost some of my accent. I’m sure that my pronunciation must sound strange to the Portuguese. I just have to play the long game and figure I’ll get better over time. Thanks for the suggestions. And we don’t eat scrambled eggs any other way than Gordon’s.
Have a great weekend!
Mike
Nancy, I’m so glad you found and like the Gordon Ramsey scrambled eggs. I can’t believe the difference it has made in our lives. I add a bit of Crème fraîche at the end to add a bit of air and lift to the eggs. It really elevates scrambled eggs.
That bread with all the twists in it looks amazing! What is it?
Hi Shay,
I don’t know what it’s called, but I’d seen it for several weeks and decided to try it. It was pretty, but unremarkable tasting. It was just a good white bread. I’ve had some pastries made in the same way, with what I think was the same dough, but drizzled with a thin icing. As I gain more confidence with my Portuguese, I’m going to try to find a baker to interview. I’ve got questions!
All the best,
Mike
Wonderful post! I’m always so happy to read about your adventures! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Thanks, Nan!