Last Thursday (26th of November) we have invited the parents to prepare a Portuguese traditional recipe…so we made it with their wonderful help…so we have all decided to prepare the famous -Formigos or Mexidos - There’s no English equivalent for these names! Anyway Formigas are actually ants in Portuguese, but we assure you won’t find any in this delicious Christmas dessert, that is very popular in Northern Portugal, especially in Minho and in Trás-os-montes

INGREDIENTS:
2 l water
500g bread (the bread used in this recipe shouldn’t be too soft)
3 cinnamon sticks
3 eggs
125g of butter
50 g raisins
100 g walnuts, chopped
100 g pine nuts
3 soupspoons of honey
200g of sugar
1 goblet of port wine
1teasoopn of salt
Lemon zest
Ground cinnamon


Instructions:
1. Break the bread into very small pieces with your hands.
2. Boil the water with all the ingredients, except for the bread and the dried fruits, for a while.
3. Add the chopped walnuts, the pine nuts and raisins and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the bread and let it cook for some time until the mixture starts thickening and becomes uniform. Stir several times with a wooden spoon to avoid lumps.
5. Discard the lemon zest. Pour into individual dishes or onto saucers, which is more traditional, and decorate with ground cinnamon forming stencilled patterns on top of the mixture.
6. Serve warm or cold. The mixture will set into a solid mass and can be eaten in small cubes.

Enjoy it!!!