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You will find plenty of fancy restaurants in the Algarve offering Lobster or fillet steaks, but if you ask me what the finest meal on offer is, I'll immediately answer Frango (chicken) Piri Piri!
The origin of this dish is more likely from Angola or Mozambique but is now adopted as being typical Portuguese. The secret behind this delicious meal lies in the use of very small chickens which cooks quickly and of course the spicy piri piri sauce.
The standard dish per person is half a chicken, but can be ordered by the chicken rather than by portion, you might consider adding a portion if there is big eaters in your party! You can ask for Frango sem (without) Piri Piri if you're unsure whether it'll be to spicy and ask for the sauce on the side.
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A cataplana is like two woks placed together and is traditionally made of copper. It is of Moorish design and was introduced to Southern Portugal during their occupation from the 8th Century AD. Food is placed in the bottom half of the dish then the hinged lid is closed enabling the ingredients to simmer together and the flavours develop. It can be used in the oven but often is used on the stove-top. Originally Cataplana was an entirely seafood dish, utilising items such as clams and mussels but meat or fowl also feature in many recipes, it is seasoned with herbs or spices and often cooked with tomatoes, onions and wine.
Cataplanas can be purchased all over the Algarve but they can be quite expensive, i purchased a small one from the Modelo Shopping centre near La Roche for about 25 euro
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Ingredients
650g loin of pork, cubed
50g Portuguese chourico or salpicao sausage (You can use chorizo), chopped
1kg fresh clams (cleaned)
3 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Piri Piri (Chilli)
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 celery stick, diced
1 green pepper cut into strips
400g canned chopped tomatoes (Good quality)
200ml dry white wine
200ml Olive oil
1 bunch of flat-leafed parsley, roughly chopped
Sea Salt and Pepper
Method
1. In a mortar combine the garlic, chilli flakes, sea salt to taste and half of the parsley and pound with the pestle until smooth.
2. Stir in 100ml of olive oil to make a paste.
3. In a bowl, toss the pork with the garlic paste and marinate for at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
4. Heat the remaining olive oil over a high heat in the cataplana or a large, lidded sauté pan.
5. Once the oil is hot, add in the salpicao, onion, celery and green pepper. Season with salt and fry, stirring, for 2 minutes.
6. Add in the marinated pork and fry, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
7. Add in the white wine and chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
8. Add in the clams and season with sea salt.
9. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes, shaking the pan now and then.
10. Remove from direct heat and leave to stand covered for 5 minutes.
11. Open the pan and discard any clams that haven't opened. Mix in the remaining parsley.
Serve with crusty bread
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 Pastéis de Nata by Balam
Pastry:
2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks/5 oz./141g) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
Custard:
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
Instructions:
Make The Pastry:
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse the flour, salt and sugar to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the flour resembles coarse, uneven cornmeal, about 10 (1-second) pulses.
Drizzle 5 tablespoons of the ice water over mixture. Pulse several times to work the water into the flour. Add the remaining water, 1 tablespoon at a time, and continue pulsing until the mixture develops small curds. Turn the dough out onto a work surface, shape it into a disc and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to 1/16-inch thickness. Cut out 6 (4 1/2-inch) circles. (If you don't have a cookie cutter, a wide-mouth jar works well.) Ease the dough circles into a 12-cup (4-ounce capacity) nonstick muffin tin, pressing out any overlapping folds. Repeat with the remaining dough. Place the tin in the freezer for 5 minutes. Remove and trim any overhang with the back of a knife so that the pastry cups are flush with the top of the tins. Line dough cups with cupcake papers and fill with dried beans or pastry weights. Bake at 350°F/180°C for 10 minutes to set.
Make The Custard
Dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 cup of the cream in a medium bowl. Add the remaining cream and sugar, and stir until the mixture is smooth and the sugar dissolves. Check for sugar granules with a spoon; none should remain.
In a small bowl, blend the yolks with a fork until smooth. Add the yolks to the cream mixture, stirring gently to combine.
Ladle the egg mixture into the partially baked pastry cups, filling to 2/3 capacity. Bake at 350°F/180°C until the edges of the custard are puffed and middle is still jiggly, about 20 to 25 minutes. (The custard will continue to cook.) Cool completely in the tin. The pastéis are best when eaten the same day.
Makes 12 tarts.
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 Medronho fruit, Monchique,
algarve by Balam
Madrono Liqueur (Strawberry Tree fruit liqueur)
* 1 kg strawberry tree fruit
* 1 litre alcohol (50v)
* 250 ml water
* 0.5 kg to 1 kg sugar
Wash fruit and place in large glass jar. Dissolve sugar in hot water to make a sugar syrup. Pour alcohol and cold sugar syrup over fruit in jar. Leave to macerate for 6 months. Filter and bottle.
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 The Old way of Navigating the
Monchique Mountains by Bwana_BrownLeave a Comment
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When you go to eat at a restaurant most will bring you bread, butter, sardine pate, olives, small cheese etc. at the beginning of the meal without you ordering it.
You will be charged separately per person for these, the price for these is at the beginning of the menu. If you don't want them just say no thank you or make a little no sign and they will take them away.
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3 cloves of garlic
2 bay leaves
A large knob of butter with some olive oil
A cup of white wine
6 ozs of sirloin or rump steak
2 slices of Parma ham or smoken bacon
3 medium potatoes
Put the crushed garlic into a flameproof terracotta dish together with butter, bay leaf, white wine and a splash of Port, boil.
Slice potatoes and fry separately.
Fry the steak together with the Parma ham in a separate frying pan.
Put the steak into the terracotta dish with the sauce and add the fried potatoes round the edge.
Sprinkle steak and potatoes with a little vinegar.
Put the terracotta dish back on the stove and let it all heat through gently.
You can add a good splash of white wine vinegar to the sauce to add piquancy. The meat juices can also be added and the whole lot reduced to a thicker consistency.
A fried egg can be added on top of each steak just before serving.
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 Azulejo Tourist Plaque by Bwana_BrownLeave a Comment
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 Cliff-fishers at Cabo de Sao
Vicente by Bwana_BrownLeave a Comment
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