5 snacks to serve at Easter with Mandriola

Easter is coming and it's the time to gather friends and family around the table. Check out these snacks to surprise the whole family with Mandriola to accompany!

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Mandriola

Easter is just around the corner. Around this time, Portuguese tables are decorated with traditional dishes. It’s the time to get together with family and friends for long leisurely lunches, with typical recipes and well-selected wines to harmonize. Here are some of the main snacks to serve at Easter – with Mandriola of course!

1. Sausages and cheeses, to enter Easter in big

At Easter, the art of snacking starts first thing in the morning. In some parts of the country, it is part of the tradition. In Minho, for example, the compasso takes to the streets with a crowd that goes from house to house, where tables full of appetizers await the visitors. The presence of cheeses and sausages is always a safe option and whets the appetite for what lies ahead. To go with it, select Mandriola red wine.

But if you want to take Easter appetizers to the next level, try some goat cheese with honey, an unforgettable flavor combination. Or some fig cakes, a sweet surprise with lots of flavor, or some cheese and spinach puffs. These starters go perfectly with a chilled white wine.

2. Goat and Lamb, the most tender meat of Easter

Traditionally, and a little all over the country, lamb or mutton is served. The method of preparation is varied, from stew to roast in the oven, to the Alentejo stew. This meat is meant to be tender and juicy, prepared with time in slow-cooking mode to drink in all the flavors. While you wait for it to be ready, go ahead for a wine tasting.

Like goatling, lamb also occupies many ovens around this time. Stewed, roasted in the oven, in a stew…And when it is accompanied with tart peas? As a good meat dish, given its intensity, it goes perfectly with Mandriola red wine.

3. “Folar de Carne”, a must-have that is very easy to prepare at home

Still on the main courses, we cannot leave out of this list an indispensable one – the “folar”! There are sweet and savory “folares”, the latter being filled with meat. With a little patience, this is a dish that you can easily prepare at home.

To prepare this recipe, start by kneading the flour, and open a cavity in the center. Then add salt, butter, olive oil, eggs, and yeast. Knead very well, add a little more flour, and let it rest in a warm, covered place. When it has risen, separate the dough into five equal parts and roll them out with a rolling pin. Now start building up the layers, like a lasagna: one of dough, another of your favorite sausages cut up, and so on. Let it sit like that for about half an hour and bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 40 minutes. This homemade meat puff is ready to serve and to pair with Mandriola red wine.

4. “Folar doce”, give more flavor to Easter gifts

The sweet puff pastry, usually given to godchildren by their godfathers on Easter Sunday, is not far behind the salty ones. In the “Beiras” they taste of cinnamon and fennel, in the Alentejo they are decorated with almonds, in the Algarve you can find layers of cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and lemon. Enjoy and prepare your own version in a few minutes.

Simply add milk, eggs, sugar, flour, and yeast to the vat, and stir. Once the dough has been beaten, divide and shape into a ball. Line a baking tray with baking paper and, using your hand, make the holes for the eggs in the center. Divide the dough into a number equal to the number of eggs, place the eggs in the center, pierce the eggs, and roll out the dough. Then brush it with beaten egg and let it rest for about 15 minutes. Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes.

5. “Pão de ló”, almonds and chocolates, desserts that are the best of Easter

Almonds of all kinds, bunnies, and chocolate eggs, “queijadas”, convent sweets. At the end of the meal, the table is filled with the sweets so typical of Easter. The glasses of red wine are replaced by Mandriola white wine, to be savored slowly afterwards. The usual sponge cake, dry or moist, simple, and light, that melts in the mouth, could not be missing from the list of delicacies. And so, the Easter table is set!

Eating and drinking well is part of the Easter tradition in Portugal. At this time, one wants a good fork and a good glass of Mandriola. Happy Holidays!