In Minho, mexidos are the kind of Christmas sweet that tells you exactly how people cooked before recipes were written in grams. Bread, honey, wine, nuts, and dried fruit went into the pot until the mixture looked right and smelled unmistakably like December.
Some families call them formigos, and every version is a little different. Mine is thick enough to mound on a spoon, generous with walnuts and pine nuts, and brightened with orange zest so the sweetness never feels heavy.
Mexidos do Minho (Portuguese Christmas Bread and Nut Pudding) Recipe
What you need
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) day-old bread, torn small
- 3 cups (720 ml) water
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) honey
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) tawny Port
- 1/2 cup (75 g) raisins
- 1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts
- 1/4 cup (35 g) pine nuts
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cook along
Instructions
- Bring the water, honey, sugar, Port, orange zest, and cinnamon stick to a gentle simmer in a heavy saucepan.
- Add the bread and stir until it absorbs the liquid and begins to break down, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Stir in the raisins, walnuts, and pine nuts. Cook over low heat for another 10 to 12 minutes, stirring often, until thick and glossy.
- Remove the cinnamon stick. Spoon into a shallow serving dish and smooth the top.
- Dust with ground cinnamon and cool to room temperature. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
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