Maria Lawton - Azorean Cooking: From My Family Table to Yours

introduction

The Azores has such a special and magical place in my heart. Off the coast of Lisbon, Portugal lays an archipelago of nine Islands called the Azores. Each island is rich with diverse cultures, cooking and customs. But this cookbook is all about one island only: the island of St. Michael (Sao Miguel), also known as the Green Island as well as the largest island. It is on this Island of Sao Miguel that my family has lived for several centuries.

I was born in Sao Miguel in the village of Rosario, Lagoa to a wonderful family that has always surrounded me with lots of laughter, love and joy. I know I am truly blessed to have such wonderful memories, especially of my parents and my grandparents. Most of those memories have us gathered around our dining room table enjoying the most amazing meals. They would always consist of great food (always made fresh), great conversations and laughter, and great debates, since we all love to prove to each other that we are right!

As I worked on this journey of putting together this cookbook, it really became all about recreating those wonderful memories of my life with my family. The idea of putting a cookbook together came to me after my mom passed away. My mother was an amazing cook; her heart and soul was in all her meals and it was her way of showing us how much she loved us. Unfortunately, she never had any of her recipes written down. She did everything by sight and smell. The other problem was that she would only allow one of my older sisters to be with her in the kitchen at a time because she needed a lot of room and we couldnt get in her way. Since I was the youngest, I never got to cook alongside her. When I got older I wouldnt dare try to make her dishes knowing that I would be critiqued. Since it could never taste like hers, I just gave up. As a result, I concentrated on Italian cooking instead. I grew to love the whole process of cooking: the planning, the shopping, the prepping, the cooking, and the serving. My greatest return is to see the enjoyment in everyone eating my dishes. Its a feeling I cant explainit brings me so much joy.

Sadly, it all changed when we lost my mom. After she passed I longed for her homemade meals. I wanted to recreate some of those food memories not only for me but for my children and one day my grandchildren. So at first, my sisters shared some of the recipes they had from my mom. Adeline had some of the soups and roast dishes while Isabel had the stuffing, the baked beans and a few desserts. Then, after our dad passed and we were cleaning out our parents home, I found some actual recipes she had written in a spiral notebook. Thank goodness for my Aunt Lilia, who translated the recipes from Portuguese to English for me in addition to sharing the recipes she also had. It meant so much to me, even though I was still missing some recipes that I loved and longed for.

It was at that moment I really began to want to cook Azorean. I started my journey to learn all I could and to recreate and share all of my food memories with my family and friends. I started to look everywhere for Azorean cookbooks. While I did find cookbooks on Portuguese cooking, mainland cooking uses different spices and techniques than island cooking. Azorean cooking is highly flavored in spices such as safflower, cinnamon, malagueta hot peppers, paprika and bay leaf; we have so many influences in our cooking from Europe, Africa, India and the Muslim world. When I discovered that each Island has their own take on each dish, too, my goal was to find dishes I had grown up withand all roads lead me back to Sao Miguel.

With my husbands support, I went back to visit my family in Sao Miguel and learned how to cook all my childhood dishes with my Aunt Ines (my dads baby sister) as well as several of my cousins, Laureana, Helena and Daniela. One of the most emotional experiences came from cooking with my Aunt Ines. While we were cooking, her kitchen began to smell just like it would have if my mom had been cooking. We talked about my parents and how when my mom married my father she was not a very good cook. My dad would ask his mother to teach my mom some dishes, so it was no wonder that everything would smell the same so many years later: Ines and my mother had the same teacher! The smells were so overwhelming that I began to cry. It was as if I was cooking with my mom for the first time. From that moment on I knew my mom and dad were with me, and through this sometimes very emotional journey they have remained with me. I know they would be proud of me.

Putting together this cookbook took me longer than I imagined. At times it became very overwhelming for me. I found myself reliving everything all over again, and I would mourn the loss of my parents and grandparents with every memory of a celebration that we shared together. My parents and grandparents always celebrated life and loved life to the fullest. Through this effort I realized just how much I am like them. I am proud of who and where I came from. I am proud to be Azorean.

Yes, I am blessed. I am blessed for my beautiful family and for all the wonderful memories. Its these special memories we all have that stay with us forever, and I am so happy that I can share mine with you.

Sincerely,

Maria Lawton

This cookbook is dedicated to my parents and grandparents, who have always surrounded me with love that will always be with me, with the faith that all things are possible, and the hope that what we do will be passed on and never forgotten.

Special Thanks

A special thanks goes to all of you who helped reach my goal.

It started with a thought and you all helped me make it come true.

My husband Bob and my daughters Erica, Rebecca and Sarah, who never lost faith.

My sisters Isabel and Adeline, who kept encouraging me.

My Aunt Lilia, who has always been there for me and helped me with cooking and translating recipes.

My cousins Laureana, Helena, Daniella and Cristina for the timeless help in researching family recipes.

My Aunt Ines, who let me in her kitchen and taught me to cook family recipes.

To my many taste testers: Claudia, Cynthia, David, Michael, Elizabeth, Karen and Ann.

To Jeremy Palmer, owner of CHIC Hair & Makeup Salon, for styling

my hair for the cover and all my important events.

To Steve Nunes & Steve Henriques, owners of

Imagemakers Photographic Artists, for taking the cover photo.

To Peg McGetrick, who allowed me into her home and be photographed in her amazing kitchen.