Formigos are a Christmas Eve dessert of the Alentejo and other regions, served alongside Rabanadas (recipe on the site) and Sericaia (recipe on the site). The name comes from formiga, ant, because the finished dish looks covered in little dark crumbs, walnuts and toasted bread all jumbled together.
It starts with stale bread, the kind you would otherwise use for a Pão Alentejano (recipe on the site) panade, torn up and soaked in red wine, then cooked down with honey, cinnamon and orange zest until it turns into something between a compote and a bread pudding, studded with walnuts, pine nuts and plump raisins. It is dense, a little boozy, and exactly what you want after a heavy Christmas Eve dinner.
Every family makes formigos slightly differently, some with eggs stirred in at the end to bind it, some without, so treat this version as a starting point. If you do not have stale Portuguese bread, a day-old baguette or country loaf works fine; just make sure it has dried out enough to soak up the wine without turning to mush.
Formigos Alentejanos Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound stale country bread, crusts removed, torn into small pieces
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tablespoons port or brandy, for soaking raisins
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for dusting
- Zest of 1 orange
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 large eggs, beaten (optional, for a more custardy texture)
Instructions
- Soak the raisins in the port or brandy for at least 20 minutes.
- Place the torn bread in a large bowl and pour the red wine over it. Let it soak until softened, about 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts and pine nuts and toast for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Add the soaked bread to the skillet and cook, stirring and breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the honey, sugar, cinnamon, orange zest and lemon zest, and cook for another 5 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently, until the mixture turns thick and jammy.
- Drain the raisins and fold them in. If using eggs for a custardier version, remove the pan from heat for a moment, stir in the beaten eggs quickly, then return to low heat and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly, until just set.
- Spread onto a platter, dust generously with cinnamon, and serve warm or at room temperature.
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