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Portuguese Gastronomy: Food & Drink
Serra da Estrela Cheese
Restaurants
Portuguese Homestyle Cooking
Recipes
Christmas Recipes
News
Events
Links
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Serra da Estrela Cheese
Serra da Estrela is the king of Portuguese cheese and has been made for centuries by shepherds in the mountains of Serra da Estrela in the Beiras region. Made of sheep milk, mostly during the months of November to March, it is a Denominação de Origem Protegida (DOP) cheese and thus its production has very rigorous rules.
This cured cheese is hand-made, & has a creamy, white or slightly yellow colour, with a uniform (without holes or just a few) texture obtained from the slow draining of curdled-milk, coagulated with cardoon thistle (Cynara Cadunculus). It has a soft, well formed rind, smooth and thin, with an uniform straw-yellow colour. Serra da Estrela cheese has a fat content of 45%.
Serra da Estrela cheese is so soft that it is almost spreadable. It has a rich, perfumed intensity as a result of the superb grazing (the long horn sheep feed on wild herbs), buttery, with a slightly sweet burnt toffee flavour (a characteristic of ewe's milk).
Traditionally, a whole wheel of Serra da Estrela is shared with friends and family; the top rind is sliced off, and the cheese is scooped out and spread on bread with a spoon.
Serra da Estrela Cheese Producers' Co-op:
ESTRELACOOP - Cooperativa dos Produtores de Queijo da Serra da Estrela
Quinta da Serrada, 6360 Celorico da Beira
Restaurants
Vegetarian (Vegetariana): Lisbon
Refeiçoes Vegetarianas Rua Diário de Notícias 40 1 Esq, Lisbon.
Take-away service.
Phone: 967409375 / 964179626
Restaurante João Brandão: Oliveira do Hospital
Situated in Aldeia das Dez, on the slopes of the Serra do Açor and with magnificent views over the mountains and valley, the restaurant offers a wide variety of international dishes to be enjoyed in an informal and personal setting. The chef, Frenkel de Greeuw, assisted by his two well-trained cooks Rodrigo Cristovão and António Bento, has created his own style based on Portuguese cuisine and adding some French and Italian influences.
The average price for starters is 4 euros, a main course 11 euros, and a home-made dessert 4.40 euros.
The restaurant is open every day of the week. Lunches are served between 12:00 and 14:30 and dinners between 19:30 and 21:15.
Phone: (00351) 238670010
Restaurante Lagar Val Dos Amores: Ervedal da Beira
A beautiful old granite stone building that still retains many features from its former use as an olive mill. Beautiful decoration, fantastic food and friendly staff make this one of Pure Portugal's favourite restaurants! Average price of a main course is 9 euros.
The restaurant serves lunches and evening meals and is open Wednesday - Sunday (closed Monday & Tuesday).
Phone: (00351) 238644069
www.lagar-val-dos-amores.com 
Portuguese Homestyle Cooking
Many thanks to Ana Patuleia Ortins, author of Portuguese Homestyle Cooking, for kindly allowing us to use her fantastic recipes on www.pureportugal.info. For more recipes, and to join Ana's mailing list, see her website.
www.portuguesecooking.com
Recipes
Valentine's Day Menu
Farturas (Carnaval Doughnuts)
Portuguese Pancakes
Chanfana (Goat Stew)
Valentine's Day Menu
A menu that Ana has put together for the special day. Tasty starter of linguiça and pineapple, followed by fiery shrimp to get your fire going. A side of rice and a green vegetable of your choice. Add some fresh bread and of course olives and fine Portuguese wine to finish.
Linguiça with Pineapple½ pound of linguiça
Canned chunks of pineapple, drained
1. Slice and sautée the linguiça.
2. Thread with pineapple on cocktail sticks.
Serves 2 to 4
½ cup olive oil
½ cup wine vinegar or lemon juice, or Portuguese brandy
4 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons hot chili paste (Massa de Pimenta Moida)
1 pound deveined, unpeeled shrimp, rinsed and drained
Wooden skewers soaked in water for ½ hour.
1. Mix together and let stand a couple of hours.
2. Combine the shrimp and marinade in a bowl and chill for ½ to 1 hour.
3. Thread on water soaked wooden skewers.
4. Broil or grill 3 to 5 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.
Serves 2
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup long grain rice
2 cups water
1 tsp coarse salt
Sauté the onions in the olive oil until glassy. Add the rice and sizzle for 1 minute. Add the water and salt. Bring to a boil, stir, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer until the rice is tender - about 20 minutes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
Farturas (Carnaval Doughnuts)
2 cups (16 ounces) of water
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Grated peel of 1 lemon or orange
1 1/8 pounds (approx 4 cups) of all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
5 eggs
Vegetable or corn oil for frying
1 teaspoon of cinnamon mixed with 1 cup sugar
1. Combine the water, margarine and lemon peel in a pan. Bring to a boil
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder.
3. Dump the flour mix into the boiling water all at once and stir as fast as you can to
combine. When the dough is leaving the sides of the pan., remove the pan from the heat.
4. Beating well after each addition, add the eggs one at a time until the dough is smooth.
5. Fill a pastry bag with the dough with a large round open tip.
6. Heat the oil until it shimmers but not smoking about 350 Degrees F. Squeeze the dough into the oil in a serpentine or letter S shape. Fry until golden. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a cinnamon and sugar mix.
Carnaval is celebrated all over Portugal and marks the period leading up to Lent (Carnaval means 'good-bye to meat'). Carnaval is celebrated with costumes, parties, dances, and processions.
In Central Portugal, the biggest Carnaval celebrations take place in Ovar, near Aveiro, from 19 - 28 February
www.carnaval.ovar.net
Portuguese Pancakes
If you like fluffy pancakes, make as directed. If you like them a bit dense and sweeter, cut the amount of milk in half.
Avó's Orange Pancakes (Serves 4 to 6)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
grated zest of 1 orange
pinch of table salt
2 tb butter, melted
2 cups milk
2 egg yolks
2 egg white, beaten to soft peaks
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, stirring well to evenly distribute the ingredients.
2. In the middle of the flour, stirring, add the egg yolks, melted butter and 1/2 of the milk. Gradually stir in the remaining milk. Don't overmix.
3. Let the batter stand for 1/2 hour.
4. Heat medium skillet or griddle until a bead of water dances on it. (Non-stick works very well for this)
5. Lightly butter or oil the pan.
6. Drop 1/4 cup of batter on the pan. When you see bubbles starting to burst around the edges, flip and cook the other side.
7. Repeat with remaining batter.
8. Serve with toasted almond slivers and the optional maple syrup!
Chanfana (Goat Stew)
Chanfana is a typical dish of Central Portugal, particularly around the Vila Nova de Poiares and Miranda do Corvo area. In fact there is a debate raging between the two towns at about which of them produced the original and best recipe! There's even a 'Chanfana Brotherhood' in Vila Nova de Poiares and Miranda do Corvo has its own society - the Real Confraria da Cabra Velha (Royal Brotherhood of the Old Goat).
www.confrariadachanfana.pt
Chanfana recipe from Vila Nova de Poiares
"The most famous regional dish cooked in the Olho Marinho's black earthenware pots."
Goat meat
Red wine
Pork fat
Garlic
Parsley
Chilli
Bay leaf
Papika
Salt
In a back earthenware pot (caçoilo) add all the ingredients & fill it with wine. Put a lid or a leaf of kale in the caçoilo and let it cook in an oven for 4 hours.
Ana Patuleia Ortins' personal recipe for Chanfana
3-4 pounds lamb or goat meat from the leg and ribs, cut into large pieces about 2 1/2- 3 inches big
5 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley
2 mint leaves (optional)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon red crushed dried chili pepper
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups of red wine or as needed (I like Portuguese "Charamba" for this)
1 large onion, cut in thick rounds
2 ounces of salt pork cubed or 3 slices bacon
1. Place the meat, preferably in a prepared clay roasting pot *
2. With exception of the onion and bacon, season the meat all over. pour in the wine followed by the olive oil. Marinate overnight or several hours.
3. Top with the sliced onions followed by the bacon. Cover and place in a 350 degree F oven. After 45 minutes, remove the cover or foil and continue to cook for another hour.
* Typically oven braising wouldn't need to cover the meat so completely but using a clay pot, the liquid has a tendency to evaporate more. If using a metal or glazed pot, cut the amount of wine to come up 3/4 of the side of the meat, but turn the meat on occasion to flavor all sides.
News
Gov't looks to halt the march of obesity
The Portugal News, 26 August 2006
In a bid to avert an obesity crisis crippling the country in years to come, items such as cakes and certain beverages could be withdrawn from school canteens by as early as the next school year, while meals served at cafeterias will be altered to make them healthier. These measures, which are being drawn up by a number of ministries working in conjunction, are primarily aimed at reducing the ratio of obese Portuguese children, which currently stands at one in three.
Read Article
Links
European Vegetarian Union: Portugal
The EVU is an umbrella organisation for vegetarian societies and groups in Europe.
www.european-vegetarian.org
Associação Vegetariana Portuguesa
Portuguese Vegetarian Association
www.infonature.org/_avp_
Centro Vegetariano
Vegetarian Centre
www.centrovegetariano.org
Instituto Macrobiótico de Portugal
Macrobiotic Association of Portugal - information, recipes, courses & seminars, and more.
www.e-macrobiotica.com
Próvida, Produtos Naturais, Lda
Healthfood & dietary products - online shop, recipes, info, and more.
www.providanatural.com
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