Aletria: Portuguese Noodle Pudding


I considered telling the story of a woman and her granddaughter cooking together, sharing a moment, creating a bond, bridging the generation gap, and making up for lost time. But let's be honest here...at 84 years old, isn't it time to sit back, relax, have a cup of coffee, and let someone cook for you?!

My 84 year old grandmother (Vovó) from Portugal, recently here for an extended visit, was the inspiration for this post. Though we've had few visits throughout my adult life, I hold fond memories of our visits as a child...the snap dragons in her garden, the "giant" pine tree in her yard, the curtains hiding shelves of mystery in her basement, the blown glass (that we dared not touch) in her living room, the stacks and stacks (and stacks) of A Bola in the den, and the dish of aletria in the fridge ~made just for ME! (Well, my cousin Tina always had one too, so ~made just for us!) Sweet noodle pudding always decorated with a perfect diamond pattern of cinnamon...mmm!

Trust me on this one!

Aletria (Gil's Portuguese Recipes)

8 cups of milk ( 1/2 gallon)
6 eggs
1and 1/2 cups of sugar
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
1 ( 12oz) Pkg. of fine egg noodles

Pour milk into a large pan. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Add 1/2 of the sugar and the salt to the milk. Beat the eggs then add the rest of the sugar and all the vanilla to the egg mixture. Slowly blend some heated milk into the eggs to make them thin enough to pour easily. Break the noodles up and add them to the boiling milk. Stir constantly until the noodles are cooked. Remove from the heat. Slowly add egg mixture into the cooked noodles mixture. Pour into platters to cool. Sprinkle with cinnamon. 







As for the story of the woman and her granddaughter...

Moments were shared, bonds were created, gaps were bridged, and as her eyes filled with tears when she whispered her goodbyes, and the sobs grew louder as the door shut behind us, the lost time seemed so very insignificant. New memories had been made.

We'll miss you Vovó!

Oh, and BTW, she gave my aletria 2 thumbs up (with a pinch more salt next time)! ;)

Enjoy!

Comments

  1. I love this! It reminds me of a Jewish Noodle Kugel!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Never heard of anything like this. Looks good. Sounds like a wonderful experience with Grandma!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is soooo delicious! I am loving your presentation and photos..very unique recipe!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts