Recipe#10921
Title: Portuguese Menu
From: jkain@world.std.com (Jodie Kain)Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes
Subject: Portuguese Dinner for Six
Date: 25 Mar 1996 09:22:31 -0600
Message-ID: <199603202056.AA13596@world.std.com>
Portuguese Dinner for Six
Menu
lots of crusty bread
starters: anchovy butter, cured ham (like prosciutto)
soup: Garlic Bread Pudding
starter: Iscas com Elas (liver with potatoes)
main course
either: Grilled Fish
or: Porco a Alentejana
with: boiled or fried potatoes
and/or: rice
and: side vegetable (Sauteed Spring Greens)
salad
fruit
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Garlic Bread Pudding
(actually a traditional dry soup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tb olive oil
1 Tb paprika
600 ml boiling water or light broth
salt & pepper
400 g stale bread, in 1 inch cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 Tb water
Fry garlic in oil til golden. Add paprika and boiling
water, salt & pepper. Place in an ovenproof dish. Add
the bread, press it in to soak well, and cover the top
with the beaten egg. Bake on the middle shelf of a
preheated oven - 375F. until golden bown, 20-25 mins.
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Iscas com Elas
(Liver with Them)
Marinade:
1 Tb wine vinegar
3 Tb white wine
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
400g (14 oz) pig's liver, thinly sliced
90g (3 oz) spleen - well scraped, using only the pulp
(I omit this, adding a 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2
tsp water at the end)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 oz lard (I use a little butter or olive oil)
boiled potatoes (figure 3-4 small red potatoes per
person)
Marinate the liver 4-5 hours.
In a large frying pan melt the lard & cook the liver
with a little marinade. Simmer on both sides over low
heat until the liver darkens, but not longer than 10
minutes, as it tends to harden. Remove from the pan,
set aside & keep warm.
Mix the spleen pulp in the juices left in the pan & add
the strained marinade. Cook gently 10 minutes to
thicken. (Instead, I add the marinade to pan & deglaze,
boiling briskly for 10 mins,then add cornstarch mixture
for a few minutes to thicken.) Return the liver to the
sauce & reheat gently 2-3 mins. Taste for seasoning &
serve with hot boiled potatoes.
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Portuguese Grilled Fish
One mullet pulled directly from the sea per person. Ok,
the freshest red or grey mullet, red snapper, sardine,
grouper, sea bass, or any sweet white-fleshed fish
available. Gutted & cleaned, with head & tail intact.
Generously sprinkle sea salt or coarse kosher salt all
over the fish. Rub it in with enough strong olive oil
to coat. Sprinkle on a little chopped coriander. Leave
to marinate at least 30 minutes (i.e. cover & chill).
Prepare a very hot charcoal grill. Bring the fish to
room temperature. Grill the fish on both sides until
done, basting with a little marinade.
Serve with more chopped coriander sprinkled on top.
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Porco a Alentejana
Marinade:
300 ml white wine
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 clove
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper
450 g loin of pork, cut into 1 inch cubes
450 g leg of pork cut the same way
110 g lard (or 2-4 Tb butter)
1 tsp concentrated tomato paste (or 1 sun-dried tomato,
soaked, mashed)
2 Tb olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 sprigs parsley, chopped
675 g (1 1/2 lb) cockles (Long Island littleneck clams
are best, but any small clams will do)
Marinate the meat 4-5 hours. Drain meat, reserving
marinade, & fry gently in lard until golden brown all
over. Strain the marinade & add to pan. Cover & boil
with the meat until it is very tender and the sauce is
reduced by half.
Meanwhile, make another sauce with the tomato paste,
oil, onion, parsley, salt & pepper, simmering it on low
heat for 6-8 minutes.
Add the cockles & simmer until they open (discard any
that do not open). Shake the pan & transger contents to
the top of the meat. Cover. Simmer gently for 3 mins &
serve in same pan.
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Side dishes depend on the season:
Spring - sauteed greens (recipe follows) or fresh favas
with coriander
Summer - green peas perhaps cooked with onion, sweet
red pepper, and a splash of vinegar, or braised with
rounds of garlicky sausage.
Fall - cauliflower simmered in milk or water until
faintly tender
Winter - Intensely orange chunks of carrots, boiled
until tender & turned in salty butter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And of course, almost everything is served with boiled
potatoes or fried shoestring potatoes, in any season.
Boiled potatoes are served with a small jug of
olive oil to moisten them.
If not potatoes (or sometimes in addition to) is a
medium grained rice cooked with a very little bit of
lard (it works here).
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Grelos
Sauteed Spring Greens
serves 4-6
2 lb tender young mustard or turnip greens, or spinach
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3 Tb olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
Pick over the greens carefully, removing withered
leaves and all coarse stems and veins. Wash well. Shake
off excess water. Bundle in several thicknesses of
paper toweling & let stand 10-15 mins. Rebundle in dry
paper toweling and store in the refrigerator overnight
or until ready to cook.
Saute the garlic in a large kettle over low heat 10-12
mins, until soft (DO NOT BROWN) Dump in all the greens
& toss well in the garlic oil. Stir-fry 2-3 mins over
high heat, just until greens wilt & are nicely glossed
with oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper, toss again &
taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.