Hello everyone!

As promised, i’m back just to let you know that life is much better with good food and too short to drink bad wine!                                                       

But first i need to show you some pictures taken recently, outdoors, away from crowds or noisy people. You know, despite the terrible times we’re all going through, i believe i live in Paradise, not only for the weather, yes you can drive for 10 minutes out of the city of Faro and be at the sea, but because of the people.It’s the simplicity of the genuine human beeings that makes me love home, even when i travel out of the country!

So i went to walk Cuca, my lovely female Spaniel Breton yesterday in the neighborhood of Faro. Since she loves the water and the temperature is warming up right now, i made a short cut before Praia de Faro, our island in Ria Formosa. Just before the entrance and the first roundabout with a big statue of a crab, you have the starting of a trail that for more incredible that you may think is private property!! For more than 20 years it has been my route to be in contact with nature and now is  one of the most popular trails in Algarve  to do bird watching! A stopping place for hundreds of different birds during the spring and autumn migratory periods it is a MUST SEE spot when you visit the region!

• 

Making a long story short, i was enjoying her company and childish plays ( she is only 4 month old ) when a gentleman comes by after beeing with his legs inside the water up to the knee for some time.I had seen him, in a glimpse,  at a distance but not knowing what he was looking for. I do know a lot about the activity of ‘’mariscadores’’people who are expertized in seafood nurseries, either as a guide or by talking to fishermen . There are seafood farms ( including grooved carpet shell harvesting ) in this Natural Park, however this man was too far for me to distinguish. Our Ria Formosa has been, undoubtly, along the history, an immense source of seafood and fish. The Ria Formosa is a lagoon, located in the Algarve, in southern Portugal, and works as a system of barrier islands that communicates with the sea through six inlets. Five of these inlets are natural and have mobility characteristics. The sixth is an artificial inlet that was opened with the purpose of allowing easier access to the port of Faro.

• 

• 

• 

• 

So, what was this man carrying out of the water with him? Well, something not to common for the rest of the world..legs of crabs, simply and only one big leg taken out of a crab that stays alive regardless.It’s ok, another one will grow on its place, and many many people will pay good money for this tasty seafood! Each person can only take 3 kilos. I think he was carrying more, therefore he made me promise i wouldn’t catch him on the several pictures i took meanwhile.

A lot of our grandma recipes are based on that: ameijoas ( big black clams ), caranguejos (crabs) camarões ( shrimps ), lingueirão ( seafood in shape of knives ). And they are all coming from this side of the sea ( yes, it is salted water from the Atlantic, not Rio (river) but Ria ( branch of the sea ) that washes our coast from Faro till Cacela Velha ( another MUST SEE spot in the Algarve!)

In this way let’s open the chapeter of traditional dishes of the Algarve that can be included in this Mediterranean Diet. Hope you’ll be able to find the ingredients where you live, otherwise let me know how can i help you.

And the first or perhaps the main dish our region has to offer you is the queen at the table: Cataplana! The cataplana is traditionally made of copper and shaped like two clamshells hinged at one end and able to be sealed using a clamp on either side of the assembly. Cataplanas can also be made of aluminium.However when we order one, we have a long list to choose from as we cook several recipes on it.In this way, before you order, make sure which are your favourite ingredients and if you have no allergies to seafood.Most of them are based on seafood.

Also, if it is coppermade you can use it on the stove ; otherwise for glass-ceramic you need to buy one made of steel.

• 

• 

• 

I will not talk about the item itself, that i usually show you on my tour ‘’Meet the artisans’’ https://precious-time.pt/grupo3-1.html. It is definetly with pride that i walk you to the artisans working place and let you travel back in time, to see and understand how  some arts and traditions should be kept alive.

I will share with you  my way of cooking it! I just made two the past week- end for relatives from the north who die for it!

• 

• 

CATAPLANA ‘’a la Rose’’

 

Ingredients for 4 people :

( Please buy fresh, not canned )

3 big onions

6 well ripe tomatoes

2 red fresh peppers

Parsley

Curriander

400 grams of chicken brest chopped in cubes (you can change it for pork meat if you prefer)

500 grams of clams

500 grams of shrimps ( size 60/80 from Nigeria  or Mozambique )

1 red sausage

1 black sausage

White wine – 1dl

Tomato sauce

Maizena

The way to cut the veggies is always the same: rings.

Start by placing the onions at the bottom.This is going to be done on layers:first onions,then tomato and finally red pepper.Upon them, a full hand of clams, the freshest you can get as this is the sea taste you want to have on the meat.Shrimps come after.

Meanwhile i season the chicken meat with garlic and black pepper and a few drops of lemon.In small cubes you can add it row.Otherwise you would have to pre frie the chicken to put in the cataplana. After this last layer of chicken you just have to start it all again, adding here and there the aromatic herbs.

The top should have a nice set up of shrimps, as this will show how artistic you became when you open the cataplana in front of your guests.

Take it to cook slowly for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare a sauce with white wine, tomato sauce and maizena.Open the lid 20 minutes after cooking and pour this sauce on the top.Shake, shake, shake and leave it cooking for another 10 minutes.

Voliá! It’s ready to eat!!

You can also cook a vegetarian Cataplana, with veggies, mushrooms and tofu.

Any doubts please ask me filling up the form on this blog.Always available!

If you ever come to Faro let me know that i can take you to a cooking experience where you’ll learn by cooking it yourself.

Recomended wine:
Sparkling Quinta dos Abibes sublime   

PAPAS DE XARÉM

Do you happen to know italian cusine? If yes, you must know polenta for sure! We are not imitating but xarém is a very algarvian dish result of the marriage of land and sea. Probably dishes based on corn and bread like xerem and açorda, so popular nowadays, are a result of difficult times, crisis or wars when people had not much more choice to eat than what they were planting. Later on, and believing human beeings were more fair and generous in trading, farmers would negociate their products with fisherman and splendid and rich dishes came real.This is one of them. Earlier, only people from inland Algarve would cook corn. Until someone started using their creativity to add suasages or clams . Xarém or Papas de Milho can even be a side dish of grilled sardines.

Here goes my favourite recipe:

Ingredients for 4 people :

• 1 kg of clams;
  100 grams of smoked bacon;
  100 grs of chorizo;
  100 grams of ham;
  200 grs of corn flour;
  1 dl of white wine;
  salt to taste;
  hot pepper

Wash the clams carefully to to free them of impurities they may contain. Normally i bring sea water from the market that the sellers are so happy to hand me. However you can cover them with salted tap water for 4 or 5 hours.That should be fine.Here in the Algarve all the fresh ones sold in markets have been in specific facilities for that purpose so that work is done.

• Cut the bacon and ham into small strips and the chorizo ​​slices.
• Fry them in a frying pan over low heat.
• Remove the clams from the water.
• Bake them in a pan, covered with water, for about 8 to 10 minutes.
• Drain the liquid where you cooked them, taking care to pass it through a fine strainer.
• Take the kernels out of the clams.
• Pour this into a pan, add the cooking broth, add the wine and bring to the heat, letting it boil a little.
• Sift the flour using a sieve.
• Remove the pan and, outside the heat, add the flour to avoid lumps.
• Bring to the heat again and let it cook, stirring occasionally.
  Add the meat and serve very hot.
• If one day you’re hanging around doing nothing and feeling hungry please call me that i will take you to the closest lovely village to enjoy a full plate of xerém.

Promise!

What about wine to go along? Still white is the best choice, may be a dry young white.

 

BSE 2018

VINHO BRANCO

V.R. PENÍNSULA DE SETÚBAL

AZEITONAS BRITADAS

As far as starters is concerned we love ‘’azeitonas’’ black or green olives.When we have a
friend owning orchards we volunteer to help on the harvesting season, around November, with the guarantee that we’ll return with a full bag of them to prepare. Algarvian people are known for their skills on making a special preparation that we call: Azeitonas Britadas

 

Ingredients

• Olives “manzanilha’’ – green
• Water
• Oregano
• Lemon
• Blond
• Salt
• Bay leaf

Preparation Crush the olives (it means crushing the olives lightly, without breaking the wagon, with a stone. Then wash and place the olives in a container with water. The water must be changed every day to remove the bitter taste of the olives. Then season with oregano, bay leaf, lemon and salt. The olives are kept in a cool place and last for about two to three months.    

AND FOR DESERT ?

 

    HONEY, ORANGE & OLIVE PUDDING

  Ingredients

•  8 eggs 
• 500g of sugar (I used sugar cane yelow )
•  1 c. (soup) of orange zest
•  1 c. (soup) of lemon zest 
• 100 g of honey
•  0.5 dl of extra virgin olive oil

 Preparation :

Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Butter a cake pan with flour and set aside. In a bowl place the eggs and sugar and incorporate with your hands so that the sugar is completely broken (alternatively use a mixer and a wire stick and beat at low speed). Add the orange and lemon zest, honey and olive oil and mix until all the ingredients are well connected. Pour the preparation into the pan and bake about 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan. 

You see, we portuguese love to socialize, specially around a big table .It is a lot of work you may say, but the pleasure of chatting and eating, and drinking is for sure worth it!!  

 

Hope you’ll have as much fun as i do on your gastronomic experiences! Take your time to prepare everything and put your love and care on it!

There is no way you can fail!

 

Hi everyone!

Reading the first words i believe you thought i was going to talk about calories,nutrition,diet..no way!I am going to introduce you to a marvellous world of color and flavor called Portuguese Cuisine.
Often Portugal is a zero in the big three European countries when it comes to food.Spain,France and Italy are at the top of the list either by the famous tapas(our petiscos)the sauces or the pasta.

It’s a shame, because Portugal’s contribution to the culinary world is immense!

In the 15th century, during the Age of Discovery, Portuguese explorers took to the sea in search of new lands. They sailed down to, and around, the African coast in pursuit of black pepper, gold and the riches of the Far East. It wasn’t long before Portugal had staked claims from Macau in China, to Goa in India, to Brazil in South America, to Mozambique and other African nations. The discovery of these new lands dramatically affected cooking in Portugal (and around the world, for that matter).

I was born in Africa, Luanda the capital of Angola, one of the early portuguese colonies just 14 times bigger than Portugal.The smell of this spices in the air, and the use of it in my mum’s cooking is still in my DNA as i keep using it despite living in Faro since my childwood. You can tell by the photo how much i loved food. We say you’re a good fork (és um bom garfo) when people like eating in quantity.

Acctually, we talk a lot about piri-piri in Algarve wondering how this spice came into our habits. Some believe the pepper was brought back on Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas. Others are convinced that the Portuguese took the chili to the colonies of Mozambique and Angola, where it naturally cross-pollinated after being given a Swahili christening.
Eventually, the pepper made its way back to Portugal. May be due to the return of so many portuguese when the war for independence forced them to leave after 1975, it spred faster in the touristic area of the Algarve. No matter who’s wrong and who’s right, piri piri looks like a good marriage between Portuguese colonization and African social culture.

It is a regional speciality in the town of Guia, in Central Algarve.I can recommend you ‘’o Ribeirinho’’ and ‘’O Teodósio’’ as two choices of good restaurants to try it.

Other common ingredients are salt, spirits (namely whisky), citrus peel, onion, pepper, bay leaves, paprika,pimiento, basil, oregano, and tarragon.

But, what brings us here today is ‘’The Mediterranean Diet, classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, and part of the identity of the Portuguese gastronomy.

Its basis is plants, including vegetables, fruit, good quality bread and largely unprocessed cereals, dried and fresh legumes (beans, chickpeas, broad beans, etc.), dried fruits and nuts (walnuts, almonds, chestnuts, raisins, etc.), but also olive oil as the main source of fat, and fish at the expense of red meat.

All of these foods, that we prefer to consume in season – and buy in local shops, if not in traditional markets, following the rhythm of the harvest and the working of the fields – are part of a simple and frugal cuisine that prepares them in such a way as to preserve their nutrients. So we have soups, stews, casseroles and chowders, which retain the antioxidant properties of the ingredients, contributing to a longer life for those who eat them.

The Mediterranean diet is further distinguished by the moderate consumption of dairy products, the use of herbs for seasoning instead of salt, the moderate consumption of wine and only with meals, the consumption of water as the main drink during the day and, not least, the companionship around the table. Indeed, a well-established characteristic of the Portuguese is to share meals, a ritual that brings together family and friends and is a mark of our hospitality.’

Extracted from www.visitportugal.com

What is the Mediterranean Diet?

“The Mediterranean diet is a set of skills, knowledge, practices and traditions related to human food, ranging from land to table, covering crops, crops and fishing, as well as the conservation, processing and preparation of food and, in particular, its consumption.

The nutritional model of this diet has remained constant over time and space, the main ingredients are olive oil, cereals, fresh or dried fruits and vegetables, a moderate proportion of meat, fish and dairy products, abundant condiments and whose consumption at the table is accompanied by wine or infusions, always respecting the beliefs of each community.

The Mediterranean diet – whose name derives from the Greek word daily, which means way of life – does not comprise just food, as it is a cultural element that promotes social interaction, verifying that common meals are a cornerstone of customs celebrations and festive events. The Mediterranean diet also gave rise to a considerable body of knowledge, songs, choruses, tales and legends.

Thus, an attitude of respect for the land and biodiversity remains and guarantees the conservation and development of traditional and artisanal activities linked to agriculture and fisheries in many communities in the Mediterranean countries (…). Women play a fundamental role both in transmitting specific practices and knowledge about traditional rituals, gestures and celebrations, and in safeguarding techniques. ”

Some suggestions:

Products and Producers

Sacred trilogy.

Bread, olive oil and wine are the trilogy of Mediterranean food culture, but other products are equally important.

The Mediterranean populations attributed to these foods values of collective survival, therefore sacred, symbolic and aggregators, always present in the practices, rituals and festivities of the communities.

Since antiquity and in various civilizations, the dead were deposited in the food company for Eterna Viagem and funeral banquets were held.

Excessive food was condemned by religion and in Catholicism gluttony is one of the seven deadly sins.

Culture and Heritage

The Algarve is an amphitheater exposed to the south, protected by the mountains and influenced by the Mediterranean climate. The municipality of Tavira has a mosaic of cultural landscapes, created by the interaction of man with nature over the last thousand years.

The schistose mountain range, with poor soils and undergrowth, developed successively “unregulated” areas that allowed fields with rainfed crops, cork oaks, holm oaks and some cereals such as wheat and barley, family gardens, livestock and the use of wild resources.

In the peripheral depression through which the Gilão River flows, there are floodplains and irrigated areas, vegetable gardens, orchards dotted with olive groves, almonds, fig trees, carob trees.

Zone of transition with the coast, called barrocal, benefits from underground aquifers, from the mild climate in winter, without frost or low temperatures and more protected from the salinity of the sea. Vegetables, citrus fruits, figs, carob, olives and soft-shelled almonds predominate.

Next to the sea, the city built for many centuries from a Phoenician village located on the genetic hill, descended in the 15th and 16th centuries to the river, followed it, occupying wetlands and both banks to the estuarine area.

On the coast, the lagoon system and the barrier islands of Tavira and Cabanas stand out, integrated in the internationally classified Natural Park of Ria Formosa, a very lively area with tuna and artisanal fishing, shellfish, mollusc and bivalve catching, saliniculture and nurseries . In the vicinity of the sea the vine is planted and some areas of mixed cultures persist.

Cultural landscapes are part of the region’s historical identity. It is essential to UNDERSTAND, PRESERVE AND VALUE its high heritage value, playful and economic potential.

With sedentarization, agriculture and extractive activities, natural spaces were transformed into cultural landscapes. These give us precious historical information about our relationship with the places, in many cases of great beauty, capable of integrating the classified cultural heritage and attracting visitors.

Olive groves, vineyards, mounts and crops are striking images of the Mediterranean landscape.

If there is a town in Algarve that has been doing a great work to promote this type of food on people’s diet and its benefits to health and wellbeing it is Tavira! On your next visit to the region save some time to walk the splendid old streets and why not, try to do it in early September when this annual event takes place. For 4 days you will get a closer look (and maybe buy) to the products and taste food, participate in lectures and seminars. Plus there will be music, dancing, theatre and plenty of activities for the kids.

Well, that’s all for today!

I will bring you soon some recipes from my mum’s cooking delights which include African dishes, northern portuguese, where she comes from and my own ones that i consider a well worth secret to share with you!

Stay well, stay safe!